Advice / recommendations re pool covers, please

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chrissiehope
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Advice / recommendations re pool covers, please

Postby chrissiehope » Mon Feb 08, 2010 12:43 pm

Our old pool cover is past its best, so we’re looking to replace it sometime this year - we’ve just been to a pool exhibition in UK and are awaiting various quotes (which I suspect will be pretty high ! :shock: ). The covers we’ve looked at range from ‘bubble wrap’ to polycarbonate slats to retractable ‘greenhouse’ type structures.

We aren’t permanently in Spain and our 8m x 4m pool (with a roman end) is painted, with a removable ladder at the deep end.

We’re looking at:
safety (local wildlife falling in etc);
protection against debris/dust;
solar gain would be good :D ;
insulation also good :D
we also don’t want any mechanism inside the pool, but possibly in a ‘bench type’ housing above ground at the deep end

I’ve had a search thro the forum and found some useful threads

(viewtopic.php?f=22&t=19283
viewtopic.php?f=32&t=19933
viewtopic.php?f=32&t=21301 plus another that was never replied to :( )

but would like to hear from others about their experiences, good, bad, what to avoid etc.
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Re: Advice / recommendations re pool covers, please

Postby janda_grant2 » Mon Feb 08, 2010 12:55 pm

If you're not here all the time I would go for a fixed cover that will keep out everything (except for a bit of rain water). We have a bubble wrap type, which is great, keeps out debris, insulates etc BUT would not stop animals falling in (but WOULD) stop them getting out, and can act like a sail if the wind is in the wrong direction - we've had to rescue our roller from the bottom of the pool a couple of times!
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chrissiehope
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Re: Advice / recommendations re pool covers, please

Postby chrissiehope » Mon Feb 08, 2010 1:21 pm

good point janda - thanks :wink:
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GRANVILLE
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Re: Advice / recommendations re pool covers, please

Postby GRANVILLE » Mon Feb 08, 2010 4:08 pm

We have a cover that lays accross the top of the top slabs of the pool and has strong elastic retainers that go over screw drilled in the side of the slabs. animal safe and hardly lets a leaf under it. my pool is 6 x 4 and it cost around 450e fitted 2 years ago. we got it from our local pool shop in punta don manuel, axarquia. we think its the best thing we have bought, it saves water evaporation and chemicals.

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Re: Advice / recommendations re pool covers, please

Postby chrissiehope » Mon Feb 08, 2010 5:56 pm

yes, that's what we currently have, and it has worked quite well over the past 2 - 3 years, during most of which time the pool was empty (no electricity to run a pump :x ).

However, over this time, the plastic 'toggles' that anchor the elastic to the cover have cracked & shattered & the elastic has frayed somewhat. Thanks to (probably) local kids mucking about, there are now holes in the fabric where rocks were thrown at it, so it doesn't keep the leaves etc out so well, and to be honest, we find it a nuisance to put on & take off, which is why we're looking for an alternative .....

Thanks for your input Granville - it may help others in a similar situation, and I must say it did work well for us initially, it's just that our needs have changed :P
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Re: Advice / recommendations re pool covers, please

Postby alisonb » Mon Feb 08, 2010 8:11 pm

We have two covers - the one you had, and described by Granville, and also a bubble wrap type one. The latter is quite cheap, but we only use it in the summer when we're using the pool. It's easy to take on and off (we don't have a roller), raises the pool temperature, and reduces chemicals and evaporation, but I wouldn't leave it on over winter. It's quite flimsy compared to the winter one, and would likely blow off if it was too windy. Although it keeps dirt out of the water, since it actually touches the water, there is a bit of a gap around the edges where dirt can get in. So when you're using the pool, the bubble cover is great, but I wouldn't use it as a winter cover.
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chrissiehope
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Re: Advice / recommendations re pool covers, please

Postby chrissiehope » Mon Feb 08, 2010 8:50 pm

thanks Alison :D

I guess we're possibly being a bit lazy (or mean) in looking for one cover to do two jobs. The bubble wrap does sound good (tho we'd probably want a roller which would bump up the price), but as you say, that won't do for winter / when we're not there. We've seen some slatted covers which have motorised opening & closing (one is even solar powered :mrgreen: ), which has got to knock spots off wrestling with the current heavy cover & strong elastic !

Anyone out there pushed the boat out & got one of those rigid 'greenhouse-y' covers ? I think hubby really fancies this option, but I think tho it would be very nice, it will be way out of range of our pocket :lol:
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Re: Advice / recommendations re pool covers, please

Postby pentaqua-new » Wed Feb 10, 2010 11:11 am

We have a "bubble cover" and a "cubierta". Our pool is 20 x 4.5m.

The cubierta is in 10 sections (bit like a conservatory) that we move on a simple roller system (5 to one end 5 to the other) so that we can either completely open the pool or just sections. It locks down so is immovable during windy weather and keeps out animals, kids etc. It's semi-circular and is head-height at highest point. It retains heat and we can swim all year around - though taking the bubble cover off in deepest winter is an act of faith.

The conventional "bubble" cover sits on the pool and we use the two together until around June, when we dispense with the bubble through until around early October when we bring the bubble back. During the spring, we dispense with our heating system and use solar pipes until late Oct/early November when the heating goes back on.

Our bubble (including roller) was around €600 and the cubierta (4 years ago) around €22k - but we are serious swimmers. You can see it on www.swimspain.com.

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Re: Advice / recommendations re pool covers, please

Postby chrissiehope » Wed Feb 10, 2010 2:31 pm

thank you for this pentaqua-new - this is exactly the sort of info I was after :D

The cubierta we have seen sounds similar to yours (I will look at the link in a bit !), but with less sections, and considerably cheaper :D :D (tho we have to DIY assemble it :wink: )

edited to add that I've been to the link, and no wonder ours is cheaper - your pool is massive !! Who did you get the cubierta from ?
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Re: Advice / recommendations re pool covers, please

Postby pentaqua-new » Wed Feb 10, 2010 3:19 pm

Cubierta man

Martin Adam, Tropic Pools [email protected]

I dare say that there are others but he was the best we found and he did absolutely everything.

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Re: Advice / recommendations re pool covers, please

Postby Delule » Wed Jul 04, 2018 12:58 pm

I apologize for bump an old topic from the dead, just have a few interesting observations from personal experience, maybe someone will need this information in the future.There are really 3 standard types of pool safety covers: standard mesh, high shade mesh, and solid

STANDARD MESH:

Pro - The standard cover will be the most economical

Con - The high amount of light that makes its way into the water column turns the water green with algae in the spring

HIGH SHADE MESH:

Pro - provides substantial shade to nearly eliminate algae growth in the spring AND is light weight

Con - a little pricey

SOLID:

Pro - The solid cover will completely block any light from entering the water column; therefore, the water should be crystal clear upon opening in the spring

Con - a solid cover is much heavier than a standard mesh or high shade mesh

All pool covers are required by code to hold the weight of a typical 4 person family in a small area (I think it's a 9 square feet). Anyway, most of them can support the weight of a car (and have) without failing. When shopping for a cover you should be most concerned with with the quality of materials. Before you commit to a cover, ask the manufacturer (not the dealer) a few questions:

1) "Do you use cotton or polyester fillers in your webbing?" The webbing is the black straps that are sewn to the cover and attach to the pool deck. Fillers will reduce the life of the cover.

2) "What country does your hardware come from?" The hardware includes the springs, buckles, anchors, etc. From my understanding and experience US metal is higher quality than metal from India, China, etc. Also, in these tough times, I'd rather my money stay local (but that's just an opinion)

I had a CoverStar installed 2 years ago. Though the initial purchase and install was fast, since then everything has been slow and miserable. You will wait months for service, the customer service is horrible. They don't return calls and whenever you are lucky enough to talk to someone they are quick to let you know that everything is your fault, not theirs.
Lots of automatic covers on the market now for much less than CoverStar and with better reviews. As far as the "ropes" used in CoverStar covers, they are well aware that the ropes are weak and need to be replaced regularly....... that is their hook. They know they are going to get $800 a year from customers in just replacing ropes.
I strongly encourage anyone considering a CoverStar pool cover to look elsewhere. It is a large investment with even bigger headaches!I like to watch YouTube videos of a similar theme when I'm looking for information about the right product. I hope this helps someone in the future. Good luck!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oBD5XaJoVw

Good Luck.


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