Should I pump water out of my in-ground tarp pool cover during the fall / winder?

[Pool-owner]

Folks -

I have been pumping water out of my inground pool tarp cover for several years during the fall for healthy reasons (we got tons of leaves and other stuff from the trees grown around the pool). The cover is starting to leak from the bottom as we are pumping water now. (the pump is sucking water out of the pool thru the cover - it looks like. )

I also looked at my pool cover instructions/warranty and see the following -

"Your cover is made to have rainwater accumulate on top of it all winter. This water will not damage your cover in any way. Do not pump off the cover during the Fall. Water on top of the cover will hold it in place and protect your cover from wind damage,"

Am I not supposed to pump water out of the pool cover? Even if I don't care about the hygienic issues of the leaves and bird poops, etc., we get so much rainwater and snow during fall/winter that it will overflow eventually. What should I do?

Thanks, (sorry I just realized that I posted this in the wrong section. Admin, please help me move it to the right section if possible. Thanks)

 

[ajw22]

What manufacturer is the pool cover from?

I have a Meyco cover and they recommend using a pump on a solid cover.

 

[wireform]

If you have a solid pool cover that's past it's prime or in any way damaged that it pulls the pool water in, it it's prime time for a new one. As long as it has no holes it'll hold the rain and snow. Make sure you're using it correctly by having it sit on the pool water all the way to the walls. You only have to pump off water when it gets high to the top otherwise the water in will keep it in place. Don't try adjusting it once there's water in it because it'll tear.

 

[Pool-owner]

What manufacturer is the pool cover from?

I have a Meyco cover and they recommend using a pump on a solid cover.

Hi - It is from Yardandpool.com. It doesn't have a brand name. But it has 12 years of warranty! Maybe I should file a claim.

 

[Pool-owner]

If you have a solid pool cover that's past it's prime or in any way damaged that it pulls the pool water in, it it's prime time for a new one. As long as it has no holes it'll hold the rain and snow. Make sure you're using it correctly by having it sit on the pool water all the way to the walls. You only have to pump off water when it gets high to the top otherwise the water in will keep it in place. Don't try adjusting it once there's water in it because it'll tear.

It is solid (tarp - not mesh). Yes it is probably torn somewhere. We do need a new one.

If we leave the water in, then when it's pool opening time, it is very difficult to keep the dirty water from going into the pool. Anybody has any tricks to keep the dirty water from falling back into the pool when opening the pool?

 

[wireform]

It is solid (tarp - not mesh). Yes it is probably torn somewhere. We do need a new one.

If we leave the water in, then when it's pool opening time, it is very difficult to keep the dirty water from going into the pool. Anybody has any tricks to keep the dirty water from falling back into the pool when opening the pool?

A solid cover without a leak will hold the water over the winter. At some later time you pump off the water, get rid of the solid junk accumulated over the winter. With good help from a friend or two you can remove it without it falling into pool.

 

[Pool-owner]

Folks -thanks for the advice. We've decided to just leave the leaking cover in there for the season. My thinking is that, if we don't keep on pumping the water, the water at the bottom should hold up the cover (the leak doesn't seem to a big one.) If we only pump moderately, we are now drawing water from underneath. We will pump water out before pool opening next year.

If you think this is going to be problem, please let me know. Maybe the attached photo will show better.

I usually open the pool with my wife. Somehow we were not able to pump all the water out. There is always some water mixed with the decomposed stuff in there. It was a major project just to get most of remaining water and debris out of the cover before the final pull and we usually ended up looking muddy ducks!!