G
Guest
I don't often see reviews for products that are positive, and I honestly haven't felt strong enough about a product until now to recommend it.
First off - some introduction. I have a 15x30 20k gal in ground pool. I've lived at this house for 6 years, and knew the guy who lived here before me, so I have over 10 years of experience with my pool. My daughter was born 3 years ago, and for the first year or so, we didn't get outside much where it was a huge concern for her to get in the pool. It had a normal solar cover. Last summer when she was outside and mobile, we knew we had to do something to secure the pool. This was my primary reason for getting the cover.
After doing some digging, the local pool store recommended Pool Cover Specialists, and I had them get me a quote. I dug up some cash, and got it installed. I wasn't around to watch the install, but was very happy with the quality of work. I have the mechanism above ground, with the tracks on the deck. My initial concern was with the tracks being a trip hazard. They aren't. They stick up about 1/2" and are about 1" from the side of the pool. It just hasn't been a problem.
Last winter when I closed the pool the process was a little different. Typically, I would drain it to below the light and cover it with the winter cover. With the PCS cover, this is not an option. My new method is to drain the pool below the returns, blow everything out, and use the "tuperware" covers for the skimmers. I then refill it to the normal level that the cover requires. Now that I've done it, the closing is a lot simpler and doesn't dump 8-10k gal of water down the drain. I was concerned about the new method, but I had no problems opening the pool this spring. I did go a little overboard, and pressurize the line to the bottom of the pool, since there was no way for me to keep the water level below the freeze line (in Minnesota).
The best thing yet was startup this spring. I opened the pool and it looked exactly like it did 6 months before. Pulled the plugs, started the pump. Done. The chemical usage is way down, and I can basically forget about it for 2-3 weeks without doing anything (I do have a DIY chlorine feeder). What used to be about one hour per week cleaning it is now 1 hour every few weeks. This has really made my pool as close to maintenance free as possible. There is also nothing better than opening the cover with a keycode touchpad. Oh... it keeps my daughter safe too!
Tom
First off - some introduction. I have a 15x30 20k gal in ground pool. I've lived at this house for 6 years, and knew the guy who lived here before me, so I have over 10 years of experience with my pool. My daughter was born 3 years ago, and for the first year or so, we didn't get outside much where it was a huge concern for her to get in the pool. It had a normal solar cover. Last summer when she was outside and mobile, we knew we had to do something to secure the pool. This was my primary reason for getting the cover.
After doing some digging, the local pool store recommended Pool Cover Specialists, and I had them get me a quote. I dug up some cash, and got it installed. I wasn't around to watch the install, but was very happy with the quality of work. I have the mechanism above ground, with the tracks on the deck. My initial concern was with the tracks being a trip hazard. They aren't. They stick up about 1/2" and are about 1" from the side of the pool. It just hasn't been a problem.
Last winter when I closed the pool the process was a little different. Typically, I would drain it to below the light and cover it with the winter cover. With the PCS cover, this is not an option. My new method is to drain the pool below the returns, blow everything out, and use the "tuperware" covers for the skimmers. I then refill it to the normal level that the cover requires. Now that I've done it, the closing is a lot simpler and doesn't dump 8-10k gal of water down the drain. I was concerned about the new method, but I had no problems opening the pool this spring. I did go a little overboard, and pressurize the line to the bottom of the pool, since there was no way for me to keep the water level below the freeze line (in Minnesota).
The best thing yet was startup this spring. I opened the pool and it looked exactly like it did 6 months before. Pulled the plugs, started the pump. Done. The chemical usage is way down, and I can basically forget about it for 2-3 weeks without doing anything (I do have a DIY chlorine feeder). What used to be about one hour per week cleaning it is now 1 hour every few weeks. This has really made my pool as close to maintenance free as possible. There is also nothing better than opening the cover with a keycode touchpad. Oh... it keeps my daughter safe too!
Tom