Pool covers are a handy piece of equipment to own, especially for the winter months when there is little opportunity to use your pool. However, they are also good during bouts of bad weather in the summer. If strong winds are expected, pool covers can be put on overnight to keep debris from blowing into the pool and to give your pool filter less dirt to deal with.
As handy as pool covers are, they do have one main drawback in that they take away the aesthetic appeal of having a pool in your garden. This is especially true when they sag!
In this article, we will look at how to keep pool cover from sagging and explain some of our top tips that you can implement to keep your pool cover from sagging and to keep your pool area looking neat and tidy. So let’s take a look.
What Causes a Pool Cover To Sag?
Many things can cause a pool cover to sag in the first place. These may be easily fixed and are worth checking before carrying out any of the tips we’ll cover later in the article.
Request a Free Consultation
...
Low Water Level
Filling your pool up to just below the edges could be a very easy solution to fixing a sagging pool cover, as it would give the cover no room to sag. This will also give your pool cover a nice, smooth appearance while also making it much easier for you to remove any fallen leaves or twigs that may have landed on the cover.
Debris Adding Extra Weight
If your neighborhood has experienced particularly strong winds, you may find that heavy debris has landed on your pool cover. This debris, such as heavy twigs and branches, will apply extra weight to the cover, causing it to sag.
It is important to remove such heavy debris as soon as you see it on your pool cover. If left for too long, it could alter the shape of the pool cover permanently. Plus, by removing it, you also stop your pool cover from sagging – do not wait until it sags to remove the debris.
It’s impossible to keep an eye on your pool cover at all times, so just make sure you’re checking on it during particularly windy days.
When removing the debris, avoid sharp objects and use tools you would otherwise use for your pool when the cover is not on. A pool leaf rake works well to stretch out to the middle of the cover where the debris is most likely to accumulate.
A pool brush could also be utilized to brush the debris to one corner so that it can be swept up easily by a pool leaf rake or another scooping tool.
If your debris build-up is particularly bad, it would be worthwhile to invest in a pool leaf net cover that sits on top of your pool cover. It can be easily dragged off and fitted back into place within minutes. This will save you from struggling with a pool brush and leaf rake.
Snow and Ice
Like fallen debris, snow can build up and cause your pool cover to sag. This can be detrimental to the quality of the pool cover and can add a permanent slump to your pool cover. 10 inches of snow covering a moderate-sized pool could equate to hundreds of pounds worth of weight.
Icy, jagged edges may also tear the material, causing the snow to fall directly into your pool. This could cause potential damage to both the quality of your pool water and your internal filter cleaning system.
To avoid this, be sure to remove and sweep off whatever snow you can, whenever you can. Of course, you can be a good judge of whether the snow will lie and build up or melt away, and you can decide from there how much maintenance you are required to carry out.
When removing snow, please try and use blunt objects, such as a broom, and avoid using a shovel or any other tool with a sharp edge.
We’d also recommend trying a leaf blower if the snow is particularly light. You could also try using pool salts to melt away a particularly solid build-up of snow. Also, you can use a cover pump to remove the water once melted.
Other Methods of Keeping the Pool Cover From Sagging
Many pool covers come with a variety of locks and pins that can be utilized to hold the cover down firmly around the edges. If your pool cover did not come with any, be sure to check with your local pool supplier for suitable products. Avoid using heavy rocks and bricks, though. Aside from the potential to roll and loosen over time, they could scratch the surface of the pool cover.
Putting Styrofoam under your pool cover is another surefire way of keeping the cover from sagging. You’ll be able to purchase a decent amount of Styrofoam from your pool supplier, or you may have some lying around the pool already.
Styrofoam floats well and gives the cover a flat buffer between it and the water, allowing for the cover to maintain a flat shape. However, some are put off from Styrofoam for environmental reasons. Also, it can break apart easily if left in the water for too long, meaning that this isn’t a great long-term solution, as it may harm your filter system by adding even more debris to the pool water.
Final Words
Now that you’ve read this, you are ready to enjoy all the benefits of having a pool cover without the fear of it sagging. Be sure to try out a variety of the options listed above to find out what works best for your pool and yard layout. We recommend performing a few tests before the harsh winter months so that you can be prepared when the snow starts falling or the wind starts blowing.