Winter weather is almost here in DMV, and one of the records we broke this season, is definitely a number of pool safety covers we sold. Thankful that production is back on track and delivery is back to normalcy (couple of weeks, start to finish). Last fall that wasn't the case and it was a mess and also couple of months start to finish.
As I don't see that many leaves falling or being accumulated, I will email this reminder to everyone with pool safety cover. Here's a few reminders or recommendations or important winterizing tasks for everyone to do. This is especially important for new pools, new owners or new covers (replaced this year).
Before winter weather comes
*Check your springs - they are key to maintain proper tension in your cover. Covers should be drum tight with springs compressed around 50-75%. Straps should also be pulled tight. You may need to do some adjustments to bring your cover to the correct level of tension.
*Cover clean up - your cover is designed to keep leaves and debris from falling into pools. You can use a leaf blower or broom to remove leaves and other debris from the cover surface, one last time this fall. For mesh covers, that will help water and snow melt drain more efficiently.
After winter weather
I will write another post with more details about after weather but in general, you should:
*Re-check your springs - Freezing rain, wind and snow may cause straps to loosen. It's always a good practice to check your cover if possible, when winter weather passes by to be sure the cover remains drum tight.
*Check your pump - If you have solid cover, it's a great time to check your cover pump and be sure it's working properly to siphon off snow melt.
*Reduce the load - as sturdy as they are, snow can be extreme and heavy and it's important that we reduce the stress on the cover and protect it from damage. Manufactures recommendation is for snow accumulation greater then 18"
I hope this all helps, but if you see any damage or issues to your cover, contact your pool professional for their expert advice. If weather is severe, and we are your pool pros (thank you for that :) ) you can expect the call from me as these are very expensive and I make sure they last as long as possible with proper care and conditioning.
As always, thank you for being here, I hope you enjoy winter weather. I sure am thankful for Novembers :)
Jelena