The cover is designed to touch the surface of the water. So your pool should always be filled when covered, and the water level should never go below 18 inches from the top of the pool. Check the water level of the pool and fill it up if it goes below 18 inches.
Your pool water level should not be too low, as the water must support the cover in situations where you receive a heavy snowfall. At the same time, ideally you don't want the water to touch the underside of the cover under general conditions as that contact will create a wet spot where debris will accumulate.
Ideally, the water should reach in middle elevation of the skimmer's opening. If there is too much water, it can flood the system. If the water level drops below the skimmer level, it will put undue stress on the pool cover, especially when too much debris, rain water or snow accumulate on it.
Ideally, 2 inches of water is acceptable on top of your cover simply because it aids in keeping the cover on the pool when it gets windy however, having excess water on top of the cover can cause severe damage to your pool structure as well as to the water quality underneath the cover.
How Tight Should a Safety Cover Be? Safety covers should be drum-tight, with only a slight deflection in the middle. When covers are too loose, leaves can blow under easily, and a high water level in springtime quickly traps leaves and turns your cover into a giant tea bag.
You should cover your pool every night for several reasons. First off, a pool cover saves energy and conserves water by decreasing the amount of make-up water. Also, it reduces the consumption of chemicals, and finally, it saves a lot of cleaning time since it keeps the debris out of the pool.
Safety cover sagging is okay, well in most cases. It is not the safety-cover that supports the snow and ice. It is the water underneath your cover that helps it and keeps it from sagging too much. Whoever sold you the cover should have warned you or directed you to read the directions.
The best way to prevent large build ups of ice is to keep the water level on top of the pool cover to a minimum. You will want to keep a half inch of water on top of the pool cover to keep it from blowing during heavy winds.
Before you can remove the cover, you have to remove the water that's on top of the cover. While you can try siphoning the water off with a garden hose or scooping it with a bucket, a much more effective method is to use a pool cover pump.
When preparing your pool for a storm, leave it uncovered. Installing any kind of cover across the pool will not do much to protect against dust and contaminants because storms often bring strong winds and heavy rain that can cause the cover to lift off your pool.
Try to remove as much debris as possible because the more that is on the winter cover when you remove the cover the more chance of debris getting into your pool when you remove the winter cover. Once you have removed the debris it is time to take the winter cover off.
It is safe to run the pool pump and filter with a swimming pool cover on. The pool cover doesn't in any way stop or hinder the pool pump from circulating the water or carrying out its function.
One of the main reasons that we would recommend getting a swimming pool cover, is that it retains the swimming pool heat, thus retaining energy and reducing the overall running costs. Most of a pools heat is lost through the surface of the water. If the pool is uncovered this will make its way into the air.
So while a solar cover won't actually 'turn your pool green', it will warm your water by up to 8 degrees, so if the other conditions are right, adding a solar cover can easily accelerate algae growth, very rapidly. You need to get the water balance in your pool right before putting the cover back on.
If you don't cover your above-ground pool, it's going to get dirt, leaves, and other debris in it. Even if you don't have any trees nearby, the wind will still blow debris into the water.
Tie strong string or thin rope to both ends of the pillow; it should have grommets on the edges for this purpose. Place the pillow in the center of the pool. Secure the other ends of the strings to the edge of the pool to keep the pillow in place.
CCS polypropylene mesh tarps are the best tarp for pool covers. They do an exceptional job blocking sunlight, which is essential for preventing algae growth when chemicals are not being added regularly. Polypropylene tarps are strong, too, so they can withstand the weight of ice and snow that builds up over the winter.
Yes! If your pool is covered (but not winterized), you could keep the water clean with as little as 2-3 hours of filtering per day. If the cover is solid, and allows no light thru, you will need very little chlorine, and could just pour in a bottle of algaecide 60, which may last all winter.
Keep the pump and filter on while you are away.
Most pumps come have an automatic timer that makes this very easy. Set it before you leave to ensure the pool filter system will run at least 8 to 12 hours per day.
Air bubbles in the pool cover act as an insulator in a similar way that your thermos would keep water warm. A pool cover will, therefore, keep your pool water warmer for longer.
People often avoid covering their pool for the winter because pool covers are an additional cost. However, an uncovered pool will cost you far more over the span of a few short years than a simple pool cover. For one thing, an uncovered pool will become a catch-all for leaves and debris.
Pool pipes that are located above-ground can crack if the pump is not kept running when temperatures reach below 32°. If PVC pipes freeze, the ice will expand and can crack pipes, pumps, valves, filters, and heaters.
Remember, rain is acidic. Hence, pool overflowing from rain causes the Alkalinity and pH levels to lower. Very low pH causes pool water to turn very clear and acidic, which destroys your pool surface and equipment.
We recommend that our customers run their pumps rain or shine UNLESS we have an electrical storm. In that case, lightning could strike an outside circuit, which could damage your pump and other equipment. If you're worried about lightening, turn the pump off or shut off the breaker.