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Different Types Of Winter Debris Covers For Pools

By Francis Lowe

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 26Feb2012 Word count: 1101 Viewed: 62 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

Winter Debris Covers for swimming pools help to keep the pool clean over the Winter close down period. The prevention of leaves and dirt entering the water plays a big part in how easy it is to re start your pool in the Spring. A pool which has been "put to bed" properly in the Autumn is much easier and cheaper to get going again.

There are a number of different types of winter covers, each suitable for different situations and budgets.

Probably the cheapest is the water bag cover for in-ground pools. This consists of little more than a tarpaulin stretched over the pool, but not sagging in to it, and secured in place with water bags around the perimeter. This cover is cheap but unsatisfactory because it seldom stays where it should. Often these covers have little or no drainage, so rainwater continues to form a puddle in the centre of the cover, until the weight causes it to collapse into the water, taking all the accumulated rubbish and dirt with it.

A much better alternative is the mesh winter cover. This is also stretched over the top of the pool, but this time is held in place by stainless steel fittings which are drilled into the pool surround and attached to the cover with straps. This makes the cover much more secure. The mesh fabric acts as a large filter, keeping out all of the dirt, but letting the rainwater through into the pool. The mesh cover can be tailored to fit different pool shapes. The strap arrangements vary according to the size and shape of the cover. Generally the larger and more complex the shape of the cover then the more straps it requires. This makes it more expensive.

A "solid" cover is a large sheet of heavy duty pvc. These are secured in place either with straps similar to the mesh cover above, or with aluminium bars. These are very effective and often sold as safety covers, as access to the pool is very difficult. Unfortunately this same access problem makes the cover difficult to move when covering and uncovering the pool. This cover is also considerably more expensive than the mesh ones.

Genuine solid covers are available that are made from a slatted PVC. They form an impermeable cover over the pool, and float on and are supported by the water so that they can take the weight of a person. These are also sold as safety covers, but are by far the most expensive cover option, although they are also suitable for use as a summer cover.

Whichever cover you opt for it is important to measure the pool correctly. Apart from the slatted pvc covers all covers must have an adequate overlap to prevent dirt from blowing in under the sides. Many winter covers have wear protection sewn or welded in to the design on corners and sharp edges, so the manufacturer needs to know the exact size and shape in order to position these correctly. The slatted covers must fit the pool exactly. If it is too big it will not fit between the pool walls, and if too small will not be supported correctly on the edges.

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