Automatic cover rope out of track the to busted rope guide

[Kelly Gordon]

I shut our pool cover last night when it was already dark. I heard a weird metallic grinding noise and and a ping - but then it kept closing. Since we have no lights by the pool, I had to wait for morning to investigate.

It turns out the rope guide on our cover snapped off the metal track, leading to the rope not being held. I was able to reopen the cover so it doesn’t sink, but now I’m stuck trying to figure out how to reattach the guide, since the screw tore the hole open. (I’ve included pictures of the broken side and the still working side. I apologize for the two different photo orientations. I was trying to block the sun.)

Secondary but important question: what would cause this kind of a failure? We had new ropes and wheels installed last year. Did the installers miss something that led to this?

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

I would not be inclined to DIY this. It's pretty broken. Hopefully your installers warranty their work. I would call them to come out ASAP.

 

[Kelly Gordon]

I don’t think they replaced the tracks when they put in new ropes. But I do see that there isn’t a support on the broken side like there is on the good side - indicated by the two open holes. Could that have caused this?

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

Hard to say. Yours looks different from mine, so I probably shouldn't guess.