Do I need a winter cover for my pool if my pool has an automatic pool cover is a question we get asked pretty frequently during our conversations with potential pool owners. For this article we will break down why it may make sense for you to double down on your pool covers.
WHATS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A WINTER COVER AND AUTOMATIC POOL COVER?
Sometimes people get these 2 different types of covers confused so we will break down the differences for you. An automatic pool cover is a pool cover that is meant for daily use and to limit access to your pool. An automatic pool cover can be opened and close with the touch of a switch or keypad.
A winter or safety cover is a cover that is meant to be used only when you pool is closed for the season. At Pool Pros we carry the Loop Loc brand Winter Cover. It is a mesh cover that pulls tight almost like a trampoline across the top of you pool. The mesh fabric is tightly woven to allow for rain and snow melt to filter through the cover while keeping leaves and debris on top of the cover.
WHY DO I NEED A WINTER COVER IF I HAVE AN AUTOMATIC POOL COVER?
The answer to this question is .... technically, you don't need a seperate winter cover if you have an automatic pool cover. You 100% can use your automatic pool cover as a winter cover. There are few things to take into consideration if you do this though. If you use your automatic pool cover as a winter cover the water level in the pool has to be left at the operating level to support the automatic pool covers fabric from the snow load that may accumulate on top of it. Not only will snow and rain accumulate on top of your automatic pool cover fabric, leaves and debris will as well. So you will need to pay diligent attention to keeping your automatic pool cover fabric clean and free of rain, snow and debris all winter to eliminate staining.
WHY YOU MAY NOT WANT TO USE YOUR AUTOMATIC POOL COVER AS YOUR WINTER COVER? The answer to this one comes down to wear and tear. By using your automatic pool cover as a winter cover you subject it to unnecessary wear and tear. Winters are tough on everything and to expose your automatic pool cover fabric to those elements all winter will prematurely wear out your automtic pool cover fabric. Using your automatic pool cover as a winter cover will also increase the chance of staining from dirt and debris that collects on the cover all winter. The last reason to not use your automatic pool cover as a winter cover is fading. By having your automatic pool cover exposed to the sun all winter you are increasing the likelehood of your pool covers fabric fading much sooner than it would if you used a true winter cover instead. All this wear and tear and fading will shorten the lifespan of your automatic pool cover fabric, in turn causing you to replace your automatic pool cover fabric more frequently, and they are not cheap to replace.
TESTING THE THEORY
At Pool Pros we wanted to test this theory and back our claim with some evidence. So we used our very own display pool as a guinea pig. Since our custom water features were not finished before the end of the season we were unable to order our custom Loop Loc Winter Cover. So we decided to use the automatic pool cover as our winter cover. As you can see from the photos. Inspite of our best efforts, leaves, dirt and debris did accumulate on the automatic pool cover fabric. The leaves left stains in the fabric that will take a lot of elbow grease to remove. Some may not even come out. We will post a video update of this soon. It goes to show that in just one winter this automatic pool cover took some heavy abuse and no longer looks sleek clean and new. This could have been avoided if we had just used a Loop Loc style winter cover from the start.
THE MORAL OF THE STORY
At Pool Pros we strongly recomend not using your automatic pool cover for a winter cover. Instead we recomend using a Winter Cover like the Loop Loc Safety Cover. Using a Winter or Safety Cover instead of your automatic pool cover will save a lot of wear and tear and reduce the amount of time and money needed to maintain your automatic pool cover. A small investment in a Loop Loc Style Winter Cover will produce a good roi when you can extend the life of your automatic pool cover fabric and keep it looking brighter and cleaner for many years to come.
SHAMELESS CALL TO ACTION
If you have a pool with an automatic pool cover and no winter cover, don't hesitate to call Pool Pros today @ 920-771-0107 to get a quick quote for your new cover.
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