My pool is being closed today. I have a mesh safety cover. Usually I have to drain the pool a couple times over the winter because of snow and rain. I was thinking instead of going out in the cold winter I would just drain the pool down to around the return jets now. The pool company told not to do that because the water helps support the cover over the winter when it accumulates snow. Is this correct? I hear people draining their pools at closing all the time.
Mesh safety cover question
- Thread starter jcaj558
- Start date
I'm a little confused by your description. When I had a solid cover with a mesh insert in the middle the water drained into the pool. It didn't touch the water. When I had a completely solid cover, I used a pump to remove the water that accumulated on the cover. That cover also didn't touch the water. Both of these had spring tensioned straps that locked into pins set in the concrete decking.
My existing auto cover does sit on the water so the water level is important.
My existing auto cover does sit on the water so the water level is important.
Enumjon
Well-known member
My mesh winter cover has spring loaded straps. But...it is getting old and starting to sag - as things have a tendency to do. I drained the pool down about 18 inches to collect the snowmelt for the pool. We had 2 storms that dropped over a foot of snow, and those caused the cover to sag to the level of the water. No issues, once the snow melted the cover went back to normal.
- Jul 16, 2012
- 7,204
- Pool Size
- 27000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Yes, a safety cover uses the water to support a snow load. See picture in the following link...
Pool Build - Baltimore
Cover manufacturers will state the maximum allowed distance the water can be lowered from the deck surface. I believe ours is in the 16-18" range. During just rain or no accumulated snow, the cover should be taut across the pool. The spring compression (its compression and not expansion due to the way the springs are designed/implemented) allows for the cover to drop to the pool water level without damaging anything. If the water didn't support the cover under a snow load, the cover would be at a great risk of tearing.
Pool Build - Baltimore
Cover manufacturers will state the maximum allowed distance the water can be lowered from the deck surface. I believe ours is in the 16-18" range. During just rain or no accumulated snow, the cover should be taut across the pool. The spring compression (its compression and not expansion due to the way the springs are designed/implemented) allows for the cover to drop to the pool water level without damaging anything. If the water didn't support the cover under a snow load, the cover would be at a great risk of tearing.
Good to know. I don't lower my water level to close so it was never an issue with my spring covers.
- Jun 7, 2017
- 9,016
- Pool Size
- 29000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Jandy Aquapure 1400
My mesh cover sits entirely above the water level, which is lowered to the returns. Snow has never been an issue.
Enumjon
Well-known member
And then with all the snow on top it freezes to the top of the pool. But it all recovers just fine.
- Jun 7, 2017
- 9,016
- Pool Size
- 29000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Jandy Aquapure 1400
Those long lines are not the springs they are the concrete separations. The springs are the shorter lines under the snow. The mesh top in this picture is taking no stresses at all.