Safety Cover, leaves, and waterbags

[Adamphotoman]

I noticed that leaves do get under the safety cover and I do have a bunch in the spring. We do get high winds and leaves are forced under the cover.
Anyone use water bags as well to seal the edges better?

 

[Newdude]

It was suggested last year and before to use foam rope under the cover. Home Depot etc sells it in various thicknesses (3/4 inch is probably good) on a spool. It helps keep the cover taut and acts like a dam if anything wants to blow under. I swear that mine is just the universe messing with me on slow days. I've watched leaves scoot sideways under the cover in a gap as thick as the leaf.

 

[Adamphotoman]

I know with my 1st pool that I had for 4 years between 2003 and 2007, I had a solid cover and water logs. Nothing got under and I always opened to a sparkling clear pool.
Some dirt and dust gets through the Safety mesh cover, but I open to 100 leaves or so, and I am meticulous cleaning before the cover goes on.
Foam rope?

 

[Homebrewale]

Probably talking about foam backer rod that is used to fill concrete expansion joints. You can find it in 20 foot sections at Home Depot but you can buy it in longer sections online.

 

[1Sammy]

Not sure if the foam rope will work as the leaves are sucked into the pool from the cover lifting up and down in the wind casing a vacuum effect.

 

[Newdude]

Supposedly it takes that extra little bit of play out of a tight cover. Others agreed they'd used it as well.

Here was one of last years threads about it

preventing leaves and debris from getting into loop-loc mesh-covered pool

Our pool is surrounded by trees so we always close it during the last week of October, before most of the trees lose their leaves. It is always a swamp when we open it each year because there is always a lot of leaves and debris in the pool, even though the mesh cover was on tightly the whole...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Adamphotoman]

QUOTE #5
"Not sure if the foam rope will work as the leaves are sucked into the pool from the cover lifting up and down in the wind casing a vacuum effect."

Exactly, and that is why the water filled vinyl logs might work well albeit they are a tad ugly.

 

[anthonypool89]

Anyone use water bags as well to seal the edges better?

Yes....for way too many years. Best recommendation - get rid of them and have a meyco cover put in that attaches to anchors. Those water tubes, etc. are a huge PITA.

 

[Adamphotoman]

My Yard Garde attaches to anchors. So does a half dozen other brands. I know there might be some differences. Installation
and maintenance may make a difference. I know I should adjust the tension but that seems to be a lot of work.

 

[drsipe]

My experience with the water bags was a complete failure. I have a mesh loop lock safety cover and I also live in a windy area. I get a lot of leaves in the pool which blow in under the cover, and damage to the coping due to movement. I have my cover tensioned very tight, but that doesn't seem to help either. If you watch when the wind blows, it creates "lift" on the cover, and actually tries to pick the cover up, this allows the leaves to enter and rubs the coping. When I tried the water bags, it made little to no effect on this cover movement. I don't think it made anything worse, it just didn't help.

 

[1Sammy]

My experience with the water bags was a complete failure. I have a mesh loop lock safety cover and I also live in a windy area. I get a lot of leaves in the pool which blow in under the cover, and damage to the coping due to movement. I have my cover tensioned very tight, but that doesn't seem to help either. If you watch when the wind blows, it creates "lift" on the cover, and actually tries to pick the cover up, this allows the leaves to enter and rubs the coping. When I tried the water bags, it made little to no effect on this cover movement. I don't think it made anything worse, it just didn't help.

How are leaves getting under the water bags ? You must not have them end to end ?

 

[drsipe]

How are leaves getting under the water bags ? You must not have them end to end ?

When the wind blows, the cover is lifted, and believe it or not, there is enough lift that it lifts the cover and the water bags (yes, I had the entire 360 degrees of the pool covered with water bags). I think it's the Bernoulli Principle in action, the air flow over the cover causes lift. I have tried tightening the straps, and I have them so tight now, that the springs are 3/4 compressed. If someone has any solutions, I would be willing to listen and try.

It probably doesn't help that my coping is flat and flush with the pool deck.

 

[Newdude]

My 20x40 billows so much in the breeze it reminds me of a bunch of kindergarteners with a rainbow colored parachute.

 

[drsipe]

My 20x40 billows so much in the breeze it reminds me of a bunch of kindergarteners with a rainbow colored parachute.

Since I tightened the straps, I don't get as much rise, but the cover still rises. When the wind blows around here, I will try to get a video and post it. It's tough to try and beat physics.

 

[Newdude]

I get it. Mine is always tightened slightly past ideal. With a big cover it still has a lot of give.

 

[anthonypool89]

Adam...lovely fall color on those trees!!!

 

[Adamphotoman]

Thanks Anthony,
We must remember that the mesh safety cover is permeable to rain, snow & also to wind. The wind blows into the space [between the water and cover] , and then the wind has to leave. It blows back out. Wind billows the cover as it moves in and under the cover and then out again through the mesh.
In theory water bags should work IF they are tied to the strapping which is in turn is anchored to the decking.

I must say when I used the old fashioned winter cover I did open to a cleaner pool, so maybe a solid cover would be preferable.

However, one advantage to the mesh cover is that rain and snow melt does dilute pool chemistry. In my world, [with low CA & TA], I can use cal hypo & I can use trichlor, without the problem of ever increasing levels. Indeed, CYA is diluted , as is CA and TA each winter. There is no need for extra water replacements because of high CYA. One still has to be mindful of how much chemistry is added to maintain healthy levels. An interesting aside is how water stratifies upon spring opening:

Once the pool has thawed, and, before the pool reaches
60°F, I pull back a corner of the safety cover
in the DEEP END to check the water level. Most likely
snow melt and rain will have filled up the pool. Fresh
water sits on top of the balanced pool water. This
Stratification ocurres before circulation.

#1) If one wants to lower chemicals in the pool then by all
means drop a sump pump into the deep end and drain
from the bottom.

#2) On the other hand if one wants to retain more pool
chemicals then I recommend dropping the sump pump
only a foot down and draining from the top.


I just installed the Mesh Safety Cover before all the leaves fell. Sure I may get a thousand leaves finding their way into my pool , but, It will keep 10's of thousand of leaves out.