Every winter the first line of defense for your above ground pool is the good old pool cover. It is basically the universal solution for various weather conditions such as rain, snow, wind, and different temperatures during the year. Since that is not an easy task you need to make sure and check your pool cover regularly and don’t neglect pool maintenance throughout the whole year to make sure everything is in order.
The job is not really done once you place the cover. You can’t think you are all done and set for the next season. Unfortunately, it takes a little more than that, but be at ease, here are some useful tips you can apply to make this job less of a bother.
Pool Pillows
This is a pretty cheap and a simple solution to prevent a layer of ice from forming on the surface of the water. You need to inflate pillows with air and then put them in the center of the pool. Then use the cover and tighten it up to hold the pillows inside the water.
Photo by The Above Ground Pool & Spa Company
Wind
This is another thing you need to think about and it can cause severe damage to an above ground cover. The wind can go under the edges of the cover and cause whipping and flapping. What you need to do is make sure the rope that the cover cable is secured tightly with the wench which is included in the package when you purchase a cover.
The most efficient solution you can go for is either a cover seal or cover clips.
Check water level
It is very important to pay attention to water levels every once in a while, especially if it’s raining or snowing. If the pool loses about 6-12’’ of water and if it’s raining there is a chance that both the cover and the pool will get damaged. You need to find and repair leaks before closing or you can even pour water from under the cover.
Photo by Crestwood Pools, Inc.
It is also important to check water levels on top of the cover. A water level of 1/4″-1/2″ is ok and won’t hurt the cover, but bigger amounts would surely cause damage because it would force the cover to push into the water which would then cause an overflow on the edges. You also need to pump water from your cover regularly, but be careful not to pump out the water from the pool itself.
How to clean leaves
Leaves on top of your pool cover is another problem to consider as they accumulate pretty fast. You can remove them manually but that’s very tiring and boring, and if you are not careful you could even damage the cover.
Photo by Crestwood Pools, Inc.
The best thing you can do is put a net on the cover after you closed the pool. When there are enough leaves and debris accumulated you can just remove the net, clean it up, and put it back on. These nets are also useful for basically any time of the year to prevent stuff from falling into the pool.
Regularly check your cover
Many homeowners will say that once you prepare your pool for winter you don’t need to touch anything until spring comes. This not true. There are plenty of problems that might occur in that period of around 6 months. Tending to your pool is a year-round duty.
As we already established, you need to inspect your pool on a regular basis. You need to handle dewatering and dredging, but you also need to make sure pillows are in correct position, tighten up the cables holding the cover to suck out slack, check wind gaps, etc. For more information about above the ground pools and how to maintain them check: https://www.globosurfer.com/best-above-ground-pools/.
This checkup does not take much of your time, and you need to do this only a few times a month, and the amount of money you will save by implementing this damage control checkup is more than significant.
If you’re looking to schedule pool cleaning contact Payan Pool Services at 10054 Prospect Ave # B, Santee, CA 92071, USA; 619-449-1392 or visit http://www.payanpools.com/services/.