How far to lower water for closing with solid cover

Lissawku10

Active member
Jan 23, 2021
30
Glasgow, KY
I have a solid cover without a drain (pump on cover), liner pool with tanning ledge and liner over steps. I worry about draining so that the steps and ledge are out of the water… but don’t you have to drain below the returns?
 
Hey Lisa !! You do not have to drain to/below the returns. Search for bungee plugs. You screw out the return fitting and screw them in. They have a (get this) bungee plug in them that the air can blow through to empty the pipe. Then as soon as the pressure is off, they scrunch back water tight again. For the skimmer they make blow through gizmos, so you don't even need to drain the skimmer.

Lemme call in @ajw22 who has a solid cover to see how much he drains.
 
You don't have to drain below the returns. With a good Cyclone blower you plug the returns while air is bubbling out.

You don't want to drain much out of a vinyl liner pool. But then you don't want the pool to overflow if you have a wet winter. So you need to keep an eye on the water level under the cover and pump water out using a submersible pump if you get water into the pool under the cover.
 
So you need to keep an eye on the water level under the cover and pump water out using a submersible pump if you get water into the pool under the cover.
She has a solid cover with no drain like yours. How far do you drain with yours ? 6 inches or leave it right where it is ?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lissawku10
She has a solid cover with no drain like yours. How far do you drain with yours ? 6 inches or leave it right where it is ?

She has a vinyl liner pool, I have a plaster pool. I can drain as much as I want. She can’t.
 
I drain a good 12-18 inches or more so I have lots of room for water runoff before I need to pump out during the winter. We have been getting more rain then snow winters lately. I just eyeball it.

My solid cover does not need to be supported by the water. It’s anchors and springs support it like a trampoline.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Newdude
Ok that makes two of us then Lisa. I went 18 inches every time with my mesh cover. Maybe start at 1 foot total (wall height, not water height) and try that out this year. If water gets in from runoff and it’s higher when the freeze gets here, then we can drain more next year.

For knowledge sake, you can drain your vinyl pool down to 1 ft in the shallow end so the remaining water holds the corners in place. That’s way to far to drain for winter, but if you need to exchange water or have work done…. Good to know you gave go that far.
 
During the winter months when the cover is on the pool is there anything I have to do?

Yes, during the winter months it is extremely important to make sure your water levels are proper.

The guidelines are as follows:

Mesh covers: 15" – 18" below the top of the swimming pool

Solid covers: 12" – 16" below the top of the of the swimming pool

This is important for supporting the weight of the snow on the cover.

Allowing the water levels to drop below the recommendations will put excess stress on the cover, may cause damage, and will void your warranty.

We recommend that you clear some snow from your skimmer box and check the water levels and add water when levels are low, or contact your swimming pool professional to come and evaluate for you.

If you have a solid cover with an automatic cover pump, please go to the care & maintenance section of the FAQ's for more information... "What is the proper way to use the automatic cover pump that came with my cover?"

 
Last edited:

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.