auto covers: basic maintenance ?

[jmikeb]

i have a two year old coverstar autocover. i have had the PB out a couple of times to adjust things. i’m good with that.
but i’ve wondered about how other owners take care of the basics. keeping the tracks clean or cleaning the cover etc.
i’d like to hear from other people about what they do.
thanks,
mike

 

[YippeeSkippy]

My Infinity 4000 cover has been easy to maintain for 7 years. All we've had to do is hose the tracks out with fresh water every once in a while, and Skippy uses simple car wash soap and water brushed on and rinsed off to clean.

Up until this winter!.....we've just recently had a glitch with the mechanism (shear pin broke) and are awaiting a service call. This will be the first time we've needed service, which they made a point of pointing out when we called with this problem, LOL!

Maddie

 

[santacruzpool]

I do the maintenance on ours...Typically I do this once a year. This usually includes the following:

1. I take all of the junk out of the pit of despair (that thing fills up with leaves, needles, and is a breeding ground for black widows!).
2. Clean all of the pulleys, motor body, tracks
3. Lube the clutch mechanism and bearings
4. Add grease to the various grease ports
5. Adjust the tension on the pulleys, ropes etc...
6. Double check the tracking of the cover bar, including the opening and closing stop points - adjust as needed. (This is probably the hardest to do as you need to constantly open and close it while doing small adjustments)

 

[bmoreswim]

Annually I do the following:

1) Hose out the pit.
2) Hose out the tracks.
3) Spray the pulleys with lube.

Every couple years I do the following:

1) Clean the cover with detergent and a brush.
2) Apply 303 Aerospace Protectant.
3) Patch the same hole that a rodent chews through. Moth balls in the pit over the winter may or may not be helping more recently.

Call for service as needed. A rope broke last year. First break for us in 6 years. I haven't done any more technical lubing/greasing, etc. Though I think they may have done any needed things when the ropes were replaced.

In no way do I suggest that my approach is recommended or sufficient, but it's my approach.

Here's a page from Coverstar. Cover Care - Coverstar