Winter Cover and Water Accumulation

[TazJMT]

Hello All,

Question about something I see each year when I close my pool/throughout the winter. Each year I get a new cover (mid range, not the cheapie, not the super deluxe) and I pump the rain water off every couple weeks with a submersible pump made for this specifically. When I close the pool, I have a lid that goes over the skimmer mouth so I do not have to drain water/lower the level, but every year I lose water anyway. It is definitely NOT coming from the skimmer mouth. I am also fairly certain there is no leak because from year to year the amount it loses differs and when the pool is open, it doesn’t lose any water beyond evaporation. We suspect that somehow when I am pumping the water, the pump is pulling pool water through the cover. This makes think I shouldn’t pump it. But I don't know why this would happen. I close the pool with 2 black rubberized inner tubes stacked on each other and tied so they stay centered. We do not use milk jugs/weights on the sides of the cover. For reference, he is the cover we had last year:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005Y6YL96/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1


and here is what we are about to close with:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007GU7VOA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1


thanks
John

 

[YippeeSkippy]

I just recently read a couple folks say those skimmer plates are not necessarily fool proof for holding water back.

I imagine draining below the skimmer and also using the plate might work better for you.

Maddie

 

[MommaHuffman]

Question for Yippee.....why would I want to use a skimmer plate if my water is going to be drained?
TIA

 

[TazJMT]

I just recently read a couple folks say those skimmer plates are not necessarily fool proof for holding water back.

I imagine draining below the skimmer and also using the plate might work better for you.

Maddie

The water level drains WAY BELOW the skimmer mouth level so it must be something beyond that

 

[TazJMT]

Question for Yippee.....why would I want to use a skimmer plate if my water is going to be drained?
TIA

Huh? I don't want to drain it is the point I was going for unless I misread what you asked?

 

[YippeeSkippy]

I dunno why folks would do ANY of these things - I'm in normally warm gods country Georgia!!? We don't close!

But if you tell me the skimmer plate isn't working, the alternative is drain lower than the skimmer. For liner pools we often say let them drain down to where they stop and *that's where!* you'll find a leak.

Some folks use mesh covers which allow the water to rise, others do not. I can not read minds, so I try to cover as many bases as possible in hopes of hitting the right answer.

Maddie

 

[TazJMT]

I dunno why folks would do ANY of these things - I'm in normally warm gods country Georgia!!? We don't close!

But if you tell me the skimmer plate isn't working, the alternative is drain lower than the skimmer. For liner pools we often say let them drain down to where they stop and *that's where!* you'll find a leak.

Some folks use mesh covers which allow the water to rise, others do not. I can not read minds, so I try to cover as many bases as possible in hopes of hitting the right answer.

Maddie

Right, but if there was a leak, it would happen when the pool is open also. Let's just assume for this question there is no leak in the pool. Just got a new liner, so if it happens again this winter, then we are 100% on that. I just hate that I lose water for no reason. And I also posted the types of covers I used above so no mind reading necessary

 

[TazJMT]

If there are any other ideas/opinions (or if this is normal), I am all ears. We are closing in a few days for the season.

 

[1Sammy]

Yes you have a leak ! BUT, from what you say and as i read it the Leak is in the cover. Once you get rain / snow or anything on the cover it will press down onto and Slowly INTO the pool water. Then you pump away your pool water. To do as you are doing you will need a solid non leak cover to be able to sit on the surface.

 

[TazJMT]

Yes you have a leak ! BUT, from what you say and as i read it the Leak is in the cover. Once you get rain / snow or anything on the cover it will press down onto and Slowly INTO the pool water. Then you pump away your pool water. To do as you are doing you will need a solid non leak cover to be able to sit on the surface.

We use a different cover every year...

 

[1Sammy]

And you will pump off your pool water every year as long as you use plastic tarps expecting them to be waterproof.

 

[TazJMT]

And you will pump off your pool water every year as long as you use plastic tarps expecting them to be waterproof.

Not sure where you are going with that? Are you saying the pool covers are no good? If so wouldnt everyone have this issue?

 

[Newdude]

This is what a reviewer had to say about the winch system that comes with your tarp. Its almost up there with the sugar free gummy bear reviews.

The tarp is fine, but you can buy it elsewhere much cheaper. The winch sucks right away. Don't install it with kids around, They shouldn't hear the things you'll say out loud while trying to get it set up.
Then, it comes apart. More bad language. Now the neighbor kids are hearing you and telling their parents. They come out waving their arms all over the place because of the words their kids young virgin ears have just heard.
Before you know it the cops are showing up from the ruckus, you're being taken downtown, all the while explaining it was the cheap winch that came with a pool cover. Now they are trying to pin a robbery from 1986 on you even though you were in school at the time. You end up making bail, lots of money, having to get a lawyer, even more money, and find out the judge is no other than Judge Judy. Now she's berating you, ripping you a new one while you try to tell her about the cheaply made piece for the cover. She's not hearing it. You lose.
You pay more money for court cost and more to your lawyer, who by the way seems to be making late night house visits to your wife while you are at your second job you had to take to cover the cost of the extra charges all due to a little piece of fake metal winch that has 1 job and it couldn't do it.

 

[TazJMT]

This is what a reviewer had to say about the winch system that comes with your tarp. Its almost up there with the sugar free gummy bear reviews.

The tarp is fine, but you can buy it elsewhere much cheaper. The winch sucks right away. Don't install it with kids around, They shouldn't hear the things you'll say out loud while trying to get it set up.
Then, it comes apart. More bad language. Now the neighbor kids are hearing you and telling their parents. They come out waving their arms all over the place because of the words their kids young virgin ears have just heard.
Before you know it the cops are showing up from the ruckus, you're being taken downtown, all the while explaining it was the cheap winch that came with a pool cover. Now they are trying to pin a robbery from 1986 on you even though you were in school at the time. You end up making bail, lots of money, having to get a lawyer, even more money, and find out the judge is no other than Judge Judy. Now she's berating you, ripping you a new one while you try to tell her about the cheaply made piece for the cover. She's not hearing it. You lose.
You pay more money for court cost and more to your lawyer, who by the way seems to be making late night house visits to your wife while you are at your second job you had to take to cover the cost of the extra charges all due to a little piece of fake metal winch that has 1 job and it couldn't do it.

We use 2 different things to keep our cover on snugly over the winter.


This thread isn't going the way I hoped.

 

[Newdude]

We use 2 different things to keep our cover on snugly over the winter

I’ve just always used rope like a belt. It’s easy to readjust it as needed.

Those winch things have always been garbage. That reviewer just said it hysterically. The cover itself looks like it will be good.

 

[TazJMT]

An update-2 weeks since closing and the pool has lost ZERO water. So there are NO LEAKS. The winch worked perfect as always, so I have idea what the fuss about that is about. Would love to get back to my original question about if I am losing water due to pumping water off of the cover.

 

[mrbookmanlibrarycop]

An update-2 weeks since closing and the pool has lost ZERO water. So there are NO LEAKS. The winch worked perfect as always, so I have idea what the fuss about that is about. Would love to get back to my original question about if I am losing water due to pumping water off of the cover.

Yes it seems you are losing water due to pumping it off of the cover. If you lost 0 water over the 2 weeks then it most certainly are the covers you have been using. You nailed it in your original post..." We suspect that somehow when I am pumping the water, the pump is pulling pool water through the cover "
Like 1Sammy mentioned, once you get some snow and weight on that cover, it's going to drop deeper INTO the pool, and you will continue to pump out pool water.

From the pics, that is a tarp, those are not completely waterproof no matter what the descriptions say, so pool water is going to continue to leak through,

I'd recommend purchasing a nice, waterproof cover so you don't have to keep buying a $70 tarp every year!

 

[TazJMT]

Yes it seems you are losing water due to pumping it off of the cover. If you lost 0 water over the 2 weeks then it most certainly are the covers you have been using. You nailed it in your original post..." We suspect that somehow when I am pumping the water, the pump is pulling pool water through the cover "
Like 1Sammy mentioned, once you get some snow and weight on that cover, it's going to drop deeper INTO the pool, and you will continue to pump out pool water.

From the pics, that is a tarp, those are not completely waterproof no matter what the descriptions say, so pool water is going to continue to leak through,

I'd recommend purchasing a nice, waterproof cover so you don't have to keep buying a $70 tarp every year!

I didnt even realize there were covers besides these type. I have bought varying levels over the years (deluxe, supreme, whatever they call it). There are actual water-tight ones? I figured thats what I was always buying since thats what it says in the description. How do I know it is truly waterproof?