CoverStar tear after less than 3 months

[JamesW]

If they don't have an answer, I would ask them to patch the cover so that you can see if the problem continues.

I would suggest a surveillance camera to be able to review anything that happens.

Maybe a racoon wanted to get to the water and scratched the cover?

Are there any pawprints on the deck?

Do you ever get wild animals in the yard?

Maybe something fell in and made the cuts trying to get out?

 

[ajw22]

Those tears are too straight and even for a critter to have done it.

 

[JamesW]

At this point, I'm just guessing. I can't think of anything that seems logical.

 

[swimcmp]

We have been installing covers for close to 25 years. I would say that the tear is not related to installation. My best guess is something either blew over and fell on it or possibly neighborhood kids were playing and threw something then removed it. We had some neighbor kids went "spear Fishing" in the neighbors pool and put over 100 holes in the vinyl liner. Call your homeowners insurance and turn it in as vandalism.

 

[trishalinn]

We live in a very small neighborhood with just 15 homes with each of our homes set on between 2-5 acres of property. The only kids in the neighborhood are my own, my nieces (who live down the road), and a few other kids who are entirely too young to be out without parents. Vandalism isn't likely - nobody in our neighborhood has ever had any problems of this kind.

There is absolutely NOTHING around the pool that could have fallen on it (there isn't even a tree near the pool) and we didn't find anything on OR in the pool when we opened it up.

I understand that tears like this aren't seen often, and as I stated before we had a coverstar cover at our last house. Despite the abuse from our kids we never had one problem with the cover. Thats what leads me to believe there is either a problem with the cover itself or a problem with the install.

We will take James advice - if there is no resolution next week, we will ask them to patch the cover and get a surveillance camera so we can monitor it closely.

 

[JamesW]

It's definitely a difficult one to figure out. Something cut into the cover but there's no obvious answer as to what it was.

I think that it was probably something sharp but not sharp like a knife. In my opinion, it looks like something with a jagged edge was dragged against the cover with a considerable amount of force.

Note that the cuts create a safety hazard because anyone who steps on the cover there is likely to go through into the water.

It's actually more dangerous than if the pool was uncovered because anyone under the cover might not be able to get back out and they can't be seen by anyone outside the pool.

So, take the necessary precautions to keep everyone safe.

 

[bmoreswim]

This would not seem to correspond with your "good neighborhood" concept, but a very simple way this could have happened is like this...

A person standing on the cover, about 2' in from the side of the pool (this is along the long edge of the pool, not the leading bar/short end), takes a utility or other kind of knife. They first make two unsuccessful attempts to cut the fabric by drawing the knife towards them between their legs. Both resulting in the "scratches" to the side of the eventual cuts. Those attempts don't work because not enough strength is put behind the stabbing, and the fact that the cover is very thick/strong. Then the person says, "I'm gonna get through it this time". They stab downward, aiming for the ventilation hole as a starting point, though they miss it slightly. They go in with enough force to create the first cut on the left. Then they create the second cut on the right. Then they connect the two with a sideways strike of the knife at the cover. Where the lines extend beyond where the cover is actually ripped are where the knife was exiting the cover as the knife was drawn towards the suspect and the natural arc of the movement slowing caused the knife to rise.

Then they were either spooked, got tired of the destruction, had a change of heart, had retrieved whatever they were after in the pool, or whatever other motive they had was now gone, and then they left the scene. Unfortunately, they didn't leave a sorry or explanation note. Thinking that bad things don't happen in our neighborhood is something that many of us probably do. The suspect could have been a drunk person, a person you cut off on the way home, a thug, a local knife enthusiast (it could have been anyone after all).

Not trying to be funny, but rather suggest how it could have happened. Regardless of how unlikely. It's actually very plausible, it's the motive/perpetrator side of the equation that is unanswered in my analysis.

This thread haunts me due to the unknown.

- - - Updated - - -

It's definitely a difficult one to figure out. Something cut into the cover but there's no obvious answer as to what it was.

Or someONE with a something.

 

[JamesW]

I don't think that it was vandalism. I would think that anyone who would want to cut the cover would just reach out from the deck and cut long lines parallel to the deck.

Just slicing long cuts right next to the deck would be fast and easy.

The cuts don't look like they were made by a sharp knife. They look too jagged and rough. More like a sharp rock or ice pick scratching the lines.

At the end point of one of the scratches, there are wrinkles that radiate from the end like something snagged the cover and pulled with a lot of force to cause the fabric to wrinkle like that.

I don't think that anyone would would get on the cover. They would quickly get soaked as water flooded towards them due to the depression in the cover from their weight.

In any case, it's definitely a mystery.

 

[trishalinn]

The coverstar guy came out with our pool installer while we were gone on vacation and they determined it was likely "vandalism." I think they're crazy. it doesn't look like vandalism at all. But I suppose that way the manufacturer doesn't have to take any blame for it and the installer doesn't either. Instead, we get the $2,900 bill to replace a brand new cover.

They put at patch on the cover for now.

Going to take James' advice and put a camera on it. They want us to replace it first thing in the Spring, however, I think I want to use the cover some with the patch on it to see if there are any problems that arise while opening and closing the pool a number of times while the current cover is patched before dumping nearly $3k into a new cover and the same thing happening to it.

 

[bmoreswim]

They want us to replace it first thing in the Spring, however, I think I want to use the cover some with the patch on it to see if there are any problems that arise while opening and closing the pool a number of times while the current cover is patched before dumping nearly $3k into a new cover and the same thing happening to it.

+1 for sure.

 

[swimcmp]

Turn it in to your homeowners insurance. That is why you have it. Vandalism is covered on it. Could even be a neighbor that is mad at you for some stupid reason that you aren't even aware of. One of the build crew could of done something while it was being built that they took offence to.