It is vital to remove excess water from solid tarp style winter covers, commonly used on above-ground and some in-ground pools, to avoid damage to the cover and the pool. This can easily be done with a submersible pump on your pool cover whenever temperatures are above freezing, and liquid water is present.
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.
Mesh covers do not need a pump on top because they just let the pool water pass through. Since there's no pump, mesh covers generally require no work during the offseason. With their light-weight material, mesh covers can be taken on and off by one person in most cases, unlike solid covers.
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.
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.
With spring on its way, it's time to open up your swimming pool once again. A lot of debris can accumulate on top of your pool's safety cover during winter. As the snow melts, there will likely be all sorts of leaves, twigs and other debris that will need to be cleaned from the cover.
We use our pools all summer long, but if there are extended periods when you don't have time for a dip, it's extremely important to still remove your pool cover for a minimum of 1 day per week.
Water Level — the water level in your pool should be kept at or just below the skimmer when the cover is in use. However, the water level should not be lower than 18” from the top of the pool.
Do I Need A Pool Pillow? While they're not 100% necessary, winter pool pillows are incredibly helpful. They help protect your pool from expanding ice and promote even weight distribution, which is why we highly encourage them for pool owners.
Chlorine/non-chlorine chemicals – When adding chlorine or non-chlorine chemicals to “shock” your pool after a fill-up, wait about 24 hours or until levels are approximately 5 ppm. If you'll only be adding liquid chlorine, it's generally safe to swim after about 4 hours or until levels are 5 ppm or lower.
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.
DON'T: Break the ice or remove snow on the cover with a sharp object such as a shovel. Attempt to melt the ice on top of the cover. Ignore the snow sitting on top of the pool cover and assume no damage will occur.
If you can pump around 30 GPM (gallons per minute), which is also equivalent to 1800 GPH (gallons per hour), it should take you 2.78 hours or 2 hours and 46 minutes to drain your pool using a hose.
When heavy rainfall or an acute chemical imbalance requires a reduction in water volume, it's easier on the pump to remove the excess from the pool manually. As long as you have a place to drain the water that is lower in elevation than the water level you want the in the pool, a siphon is the easiest method.
When rain, snow, and ice accumulate, and pressure builds on the cover, the ice will expand inward toward the pillow. Without the pool air pillow, ice would expand outward, putting pressure on your pool walls and causing potential damage to your cover, liner, and pool walls.
Your air pillow will have grommets that allow string ties. Tie a strong, thin rope to your pool pillow using these grommets. Velcro is another way to secure the cushion in the center of the pool. Attach one piece of velcro to the device and the other directly to the pool cover center.
You may have heard pool owners recommend alternatives to pool air pillows, such as tire tubes, yoga balls, or regular innertubes.
In warmer climates, Intex advises to keep your pool up, if you prefer. However, you must winterize the pool when keeping it full throughout the winter. If your area maintains tropical climates all year long, you may not need to winterize your pool at all, especially if you use your pool on a regular basis.
And it can have the same effect on your pool cleaner too. A common reason for high chlorine can be the addition of a pool cover. Leaving the pool cover on for extended periods, can dramatically increase the chlorine very quickly.
Realistically, the pH you close with is the pH your water will remain at unless it's a gunite pool with a cementitious surface that etches. In other words, with a solid cover, pH can only rise if it's forced, because you have taken away the natural means for it to rise on its own (Henry's Law), causing pH suppression.