Covers - which one for my situation?

[LiveHereNow]

I need a pool cover and want something that is a safety cover (small kids) and will block leaves and debris (knowing its not perfect and I still need to tend to water chemistry). I don't understand the reason on choice between permeable versus impermeable and some other material choices. I'd also like to hear about specific brand durability/experience given they seem to cost $2500-$4000 and I want to do this once, not regretting it too much

I'm in Garland, TX (DFW suburb) with a lot of trees around my pool and a nature area immediately beyond so leaves are a huge challenge in the fall but little no snow/ice if that helps.

Loop Loc and Katchakid are leading the pack for me. Is this overkill? What might I be missing?

 

[Mcfalcons15]

I'm interested in this as well. My pool builder gave me a basic waterbag cover which I have already thrown away. It was a hassle to pump the water off after every rain. I am leaning toward a mesh safety cover, and will deal with the dirtier water upon opening. One question I have is I have a jump platform on the deep end that needs to be accounted for. I am assuming I can have a custom cover made that will accommodate this raise in elevation??? Please let me know. Thanks!

 

[LiveHereNow]

I'm interested in this as well. My pool builder gave me a basic waterbag cover which I have already thrown away. It was a hassle to pump the water off after every rain. I am leaning toward a mesh safety cover, and will deal with the dirtier water upon opening. One question I have is I have a jump platform on the deep end that needs to be accounted for. I am assuming I can have a custom cover made that will accommodate this raise in elevation??? Please let me know. Thanks!

From what I've learned, the good covers are custom, can account for elevation changes and odd shapes, and will last years... some are even quite repairable. Please do post what you learn and what you do.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

I just saw this thread and thought I’d drop a line to say that I love our Katchakid safety net (and really value the leaf cover). I can’t compare other brands as it was hard for me to find even one to deal with a free form pool with rock waterfall and spillover spa. It was expensive, but my husband and I comment frequently that we are really glad to have it. (Our youngest just turned three.) I can take the safety net on and off by myself, though I appreciate it when other family members help. I can’t get all the hooks on the leaf net without assistance, but I am also careful of my bad shoulders.

Here’s how it looked when our net was first installed, and I was still dealing with getting the pool in order.
The snow was quite unusual.


This was when we got home from church after a huge storm this spring. We put the leaf net on in the fall and keep it on through catkin drop in the spring. The water was quite full of pollen underneath during this photo as the filter had been off, but it cleared up quite well with filter and chlorine. The photos don’t show off my sparkly pool well, but I thought they might be a good addition to the thread.

 

[Honey Badger]

Depending on the shape of your pool an Auto cover is a great option. It is a solid cover that can easily hold the weight of a child if they fall on and keeps leaves and debris out of the pool when it is closed. They normally take less than a minute to open and close. They can be installed during construction or on an existing pool.

I currently work for Latham Pool Products which manufactures the Coverstar autocover brand so that is what I would recommend but there are a couple other brands that make a good product.

 

[LiveHereNow]

Those look awesome but my pool is an irregular shape. Dang! Good info though, thanks.

 

[LiveHereNow]

I just saw this thread and thought I’d drop a line to say that I love our Katchakid safety net (and really value the leaf cover). I can’t compare other brands as it was hard for me to find even one to deal with a free form pool with rock waterfall and spillover spa. It was expensive, but my husband and I comment frequently that we are really glad to have it. (Our youngest just turned three.) I can take the safety net on and off by myself, though I appreciate it when other family members help. I can’t get all the hooks on the leaf net without assistance, but I am also careful of my bad shoulders.

Here’s how it looked when our net was first installed, and I was still dealing with getting the pool in order.
The snow was quite unusual.
View attachment 106507

This was when we got home from church after a huge storm this spring. We put the leaf net on in the fall and keep it on through catkin drop in the spring. The water was quite full of pollen underneath during this photo as the filter had been off, but it cleared up quite well with filter and chlorine. The photos don’t show off my sparkly pool well, but I thought they might be a good addition to the thread.
View attachment 106508

This is super helpful. Thank you for sharing. I am going to do this Katchakid/Leaf combo in the fall and your experience helps convince me it’s the right way to go. My daughter just turned one and we have a second on the way.