Broken Auto Pool Cover and Safety Advice

[heat4212]

TLDR: what's the safest state for a pool with a broken cover until it can be fixed? Opened all the way or mostly - but not completely - closed?

Hello, a rope on my Auto Pool Cover snapped today. Also the edges are fraying quite badly. So we are going to replace both the fabric and ropes asap.

Here's my problem: Automatic Pool Covers is coming out to inspect and give me an estimate on Monday, 7/15. At the moment, the cover is open about 2 feet. I don't have a fence. In my state and county you don't have to have a fence if your pool has a locking automatic safety cover. Here are the questions flying around in my brain?

--What is the least unsafe state of the cover right this second? 1) all the way open -- or -- 2) as is; perhaps with a tarp thrown over the open part and weighted down with cinder blocks? If I leave as is, I worry a person or animal can crawl underneath and get trapped. If I open all the way it is more visible to said person or animals and perhaps more attractive.
(I didn't mention closing all the way because I couldn't find any threads here or videos explaining how to manually close with a broken rope. I also want to be able to keep adding chlorine so the bottom of the pool remains visible in case something does get in there.)

--Are there temporary fence solutions that would actually work? The bright orange construction fences seem pretty flimsy

--Should I get a manual safety cover (not so much helpful in the short term, but would work in a future emergency and perhaps extend the life of my automatic cover if I use it as a winter cover)? If so, what's a good brand/website?
Can I even use this type of cover with the permanent railing, basketball hoop, and ladder?

--my gut says open the cover manually all the way so we can see the entire pool. The pool is visible from my living room and kitchen so people can keep an eye on it all day. At night we can move the motion sensing ring doorbell to the back and be alerted if anything comes near. My kids are 15-19 and can be trusted not to mess with the pool in this state. We back up to woods and a big hill and the neighbors on either side have no small children so there is a greater likelihood of an animal jumping in than a child.

Thanks for reading and any advice you can offer! I am also open to replacing the ropes and cover myself so any recommendations on where to buy would be nice. I have checked both automaticpoolcovers.com (~$2,700) and poolwarehouse.com (~2,100) but was wondering if anyone knew about a better bargain.

(Yes, I know none of this is ideal and will not satisfy my insurance in case of accident, but I need an actual real world, least-bad plan to get us through the next couple of weeks while we wait for materials to be ordered and arrive).

 

[Turbo1Ton]

Not legal advice, just my opinion, I would lean towards the temporary construction fencing as it is bright orange and signifies a hazard. The biggest concern is people getting in the area.

Doing that and being able to show timely contact with vendor/mfg and getting someone out to repair quickly would show that you are not being negligent and doing everything within your power to prevent an accident.

You may consider contacting your insurance agent and discussing with them how to handle it.

Again, not legal advice, just my thoughts on the matter.

--Jeff

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

--my gut says open the cover manually all the way so we can see the entire pool.

So does mine. I would leave it wide open. Leaving a gap, even with something over the gap, sounds too dangerous to me. Maybe also add a dedicated camera to keep an eye on the pool.

 

[heat4212]

Thank you both for your help! We could not get it open manually after all (the method is wildly different than the online tutorials for other brands) -- so the decision making was kind of taken out of our hands. We bought a motion detecting camera with phone alerts though and installed it. Turns out that mainly deer like our backyard at night! lol

APC techs just left and they taught us how to manually close it. The rope broke in such a way that the power still works to open the pool cover but not close it (as long as we take off the motor cover and manually pull the slack). They will be back in a week to replace it all so we just have to muddle through until then. I just wanted to say that I appreciate the advice @Rocket J Squirrel and @Turbo1Ton !!