Swimming Pool Winter Cover Accessories

The swimming pool is now covered and you are now ready for Fall...Or are you? Depending on the type of swimming pool winter cover you are using, there are some accessories you might need. Most winter covers must use some type of tie down to hold the cover in place and not allow leaves to get under it. Most home owners use water tubes to do so. Choosing between the single tube and the double tube to me is an easy choice. Here is a simple concept, if you have a single tube and it breaks (and it will eventually) what is going to hold the cover up? At least with a double tube if one side breaks the other should hold until you can replace it.

A side from the water tubes, another thing to think about is a cover pump. Now as discussed in previous posts, the mesh cover will allow water to pass through it but with the solid cover, water will just pool up on it and become a nice haven for mosquitoes, algae etc. Cover submersible pumps are easy to use and can make removal of the water quick. Most cover pumps attach to a garden hose and you pump the water to where you want too.

One other item that while is mostly used in above ground pools , I have found to be beneficial under all pool covers is an air pillow. The Air pillow sits under the swimming pool winter cover in the center of the pool. What is so beneficial about it is that all the leaves, water and debris go to the edge of the cover making it very accessible to get out. Understand that larger pools may need more than one the be truly effective.

Find all your winter needs at Swim Clear Pool Supply.

Choosing the Right Winter Cover-Solid Cover

There are many reasons to cover a pool. It could be for winterizing, covering during the cooler non-swimming months, keeping debris out of the pool, or for extending the swim season to keep in heat. Whatever the reasons are for covering a pool, solid pool covers are the most commonly used types of pool covers for the off-season. The covers are mostly made of polyethylene, but can also be made of vinyl. The vinyl covers are more expensive but tend to last a bit longer than the polyethylene. However, the polyethylene covers are much lighter and is used more often because of both the weight and the price.

The light weight poly covers are a good choice for the "do-it-yourself" pool owner because of the ease of movement and storage. The covers are held in place by placing water tubes around the perimeter of the pool. Swim Clear Pool Supply has solid pool covers you are looking for to cover your pool for the fall and winter months.

Choosing the Right Winter Cover-Leaf Net

Leaf net covers lay on top of your swimming pool to catch the leaves that would otherwise fall into your pool sometimes causing surface stains. The leaf net's mesh traps the leaves, and allow the pool owner to easily remove them from atop the pool so spring clean-up is a snap. A must for the pool owner living in wooded areas, or yards with plenty of falling leaves and twigs. The leaf net catches all leaves and debris, so the work of winter pool skimming is eliminated. You can use the leaf net cover also over you winter cover to catch leaves, but allow water to pass through. Once the leaves have all fallen, simply remove the leaf net cover before the first snowfall to make for easy spring clean-up for those that live in northern states.
The leaf net covers come in round, oval, or rectangular shapes. The round and oval covers (for above-ground pools) usually have 3 feet of overlap and come with pull rope or cable. The inground rectangular nets have 4 feet of overlap. The overlap allows for the use of waterbags to hold down the covers. Air pillows are recommended also, to keep the net above the pool water level once the leaves have collected on top of the leaf net.

Swim Clear Pool Supply has the leaf nets, waterbags, and air pillows needed to get your pool ready for those falling leaves.

Is My Cartridge Filter(s) in Need of Replacing?

Now that fall season is upon us, it is time to do those semi-annual filter cleans to get ready for the winter months. If you have a cartridge filter, it is time to inspect those cartridges to determine if they are O.K. to reinstall, or to just replace. When cleaning those cartridges, if it doesn't seem to be getting clean and looks just as dirty as before you cleaned, then that cartridge needs replacing. Also, if any of the bands that wrap around the paper make-up of the cartridges are broken, then the cartridge needs replacing. Lastly, if the cartridge has somewhat collapsed in height, then it definitely needs replacing. Inspecting the cartridges is recommended once a month depending on how much dirt and debris accumulates in the pool. This will vary from pool to pool. A great way to clean your cartridge(s) is with a water wand cartridge cleaner.

Choosing the Right Winter Cover - Mesh Cover

Choosing the right swimming pool winter cover is important. Having a firm grasp of what the differences are in each type of winter cover is what this swimming pool help blog aims to give you.

There are three main different types of winter covers. Mesh, Solid and Leaf. Most of these covers then have a difference of years in warranty. Obviously, the longer the warranty the longer the cover should last. So what are the differences with the different types of covers? Lets start with the Mesh Swimming Pool Winter Cover.

Mesh winter covers are designed to do several things. Naturally they are designed to keep the leaves and debris out, but unlike a solid cover, the tightly woven mesh will slowly allow water to pass through keeping the leaves and debris on top of the cover. What does this mean to the swimming pool owner? No longer will you have to waste the time and money of pumping the cover off each time it rains. Because the mesh is tightly woven, when it rains you may see puddles on top the cover, but never fear, give it some time and as long as the mesh cover is installed properly the cover will slowly rise to the top once more. Keep in mind that since the cover will allow rain water to pass through, there will be a slightly larger demand for chemical use.

Installation and take down is relatively the same as a solid winter cover. Water tubes or tie downs are required to hold the mesh winter cover in place. And multiple sizes are available to fit most size in ground or above ground swimming pools. You can find all winter needs at Swim
Clear Pool Supply.

Are my DE Filter grids in need of replacement?

If you are following this blog and you performed the filter clean in September or when ever you do your DE filter clean, one question you might have is. Are my DE filter grids in need of replacement? There are a few indicators that can tell you if your filter grids need to be replaced.

The first and most obvious of those is a tear or hole in the fabric. Since the entire purpose of the filter grid is to hold the Diatomaceous Earth in the swimming pool filter, then a hole, allowing the D.E. to return to your pool, is no good for you. (Note, if you are seeing DE getting back into the pool then a hole in the grid or crack in the manifold is the most common source.)

A second indicator a grid needs to be replaced is broken plastic fins with in the grid. With as much trouble as it can be to take the filter a part, clean it, then put it back together. The last thing you want to do is do it again 1 week later. Filter grids that broken plastic inside of them are on borrowed time and soon will be generating holes.

Remember a good rule of thumb is that if 4 or more grids are broken, replace them all because the others are not far behind. And as always Swim Clear is hear for all your swimming pool help needs such as filter grids if you need them.

Check those Timers

Now that Fall and the cooler temperatures are here, this is the perfect time to check your timers to ensure they are functioning properly and running only as long as needed. You can go back in this blog and look up "How long should my swimming pool be running" for good recommendations. As the world gets ever so aware of energy use, you should also check that your timer is turning on and off as it is set to do so. This can be done by simply monitoring if the pump turns on and off when the timer is set to do so. Believe it or not, I have had many customers notice there pumps where running continuously and wasting electricity because their timers failed to turn the pump off. The good news is that sometimes it can be as simple as replacing a set of trippers.

Time For Automatic Pool Cleaner Leaf Bags

Now that fall in upon us, it is time to switch your automatic pool cleaner bag from the fine mesh to the leaf version bag. The leaf version bag is tough and built to handle all the leaves and twigs that tend to fall into swimming pools during this time of year. So, if you are a pool owner that has alot of falling leaves and twigs into your pool, replace that automatic pool cleaner bag to one that is designed to handle those types of pool debris.

Are you ready for Fall Part 6. To cover or not to cover

Fall is fast approaching, and the question right now is is a swimming pool cover really worth it? The first thing to tink about is what a heave load of leaves can do to a pool. In short and to be expanded on later, a heavy load of leaves can cause staining, chemical balance changes, clogged skimmer and pump baskets and lines, and lets not forget the most important, more labor. So the easiest solution to the question of "to cover or not to cover" comes down to a simple equation...Swimming pool + Trees = Winter Cover.

Are You Ready For Fall Part 5: Check Your Skimmer & Pump Baskets

The skimmer and pump are an important part of your pool water's circulation and cleaning system. The skimmer is the device built under the deck of the pool next to the sidewall at the tile and water-line. A large, square opening about 10 to 12 inches in length opens to the inside of your pool to allow pool water to flow from the water's surface to the pump and filter. Inside the square opening is a collection basket, or skimmer basket, which catches large dirt and debris such as sticks, grass, leaves, bugs, and etc. that have been pulled from the surface of the pool's water by the pump. Smaller dirt and debris may pass the skimmer basket to another collection basket at the pump called the stainer or pump basket. This basket is built into the pool pump. It has a clear see-through lid to see if the basket needs cleaning.
Swim Clear Pool Supply recommends that the pool skimmer basket and the pool pump basket should be checked on a weekly basis, especially in the fall and winter seasons due to excess falling of leaves and twigs. If you live where there are windy conditions, you may want to check those baskets daily or every other day. Failure to clean these baskets will result in basket damage and possibly damage to the pool pump or the pool filter.