When you live in a cold climate, snow and frozen pool water is common. There are some precautions that you should take with your automatic pool cover to protect your investment.
After your pool and equipment is winterized by a professional pool service company, you need to make sure the water level for your swimming pool is filled to normal operating level, or a little higher, before you close it for the season. General rule of thumb for “normal operating level” is 1/2 way up your skimmer opening. An automatic pool cover literally “floats” on the water and is supported by it so you need to make sure the water level is at the normal height before “closing” your auto cover. The pool cover utilizes the water to disperse weight which is how it supports heavy loads, including snow.
During the winter, if you get a lot of snow and ice built up on the pool cover, the weight of the snow and ice can displace the water, causing damage when the snow and ice melts. To avoid this, there are a few things to do and watch for. After large snow and ice accumulation, you would be wise to keep an eye on your water level and fill it up to the normal level, as needed. When snow and ice begin to melt, immediately place your pump on the cover to remove the water. This is especially true as winter turns to spring. When water is displaced, it leaves a void and makes your pool cover vulnerable to damage. If you don’t ensure the proper water level is maintained through the winter, your automatic pool cover could be damaged.
Here is some advice:
- Do fill you water level to the normal height to support the snow loads
- Don’t shovel snow or chop ice off of the cover as this can cause damage to the pool cover
- Do pump water off of your pool cover. In fact, leave your pool cover pump on the pool cover plugged in and ready to do its job.
- Don’t wait until your cover has an issue to call Cover Care / Poolsafe. Get your spring tune up done early to help avoid problems that can arise from your automatic pool cover sitting idle for long periods of time.
Though we can’t stop Mother Nature from her wrath, following these simple words of advice should help get you and your automatic pool cover through the winter with ease.
