Pool Covers and Winter Protection | Pool Covers NJ

Pool Covers and Winter Protection – With Old Man Winter peering around the corner, you need to get your pool covered right away if you haven’t already done so. With the first frost, your pool water will become an especially dangerous place consisting of ice, slush and frigid water – a safety concern above all else.
Don’t assume you can get away with not covering your pool in winter. Everyone should cover their pool, whether above or inground. This protects the pool itself and prevents the need to skim leaves and debris out of the pool all winter long. You also want to prevent large or sharp objects from getting into the pool and damaging the liner.
That said, there are a few steps you should take to protect the cover itself.
Above Ground Pool Covers
If you own an above ground pool cover, it likely came with a cable and winch. Simply wrap the cover under the rails, pull the cable through the grommets and ensure a tight fit before ratcheting it down. While not necessary, you may want to invest in an air pillow, which acts as an ice compensator. To  break it down for you, when the water freezes, the ice expands, which will be absorbed by the pillow so your pool walls don’t get damaged.
Inground Pool Covers
Lots of things can damage your pool cover over the winter, from ice, rain and snow to trees and animals. To keep ice from damaging your cover, remove it once it has melted so sharp edges don’t cut into your cover. To prevent large ice build-ups in the first place, keep a 1/2″ water level on top of the cover. Incidentally, this also helps [protect against wind so your cover doesn’t go flying.
To further protect against wind, and if you have a tarp cover, weigh it down with water bags or aqua-blocks. Trees and falling limbs also threaten your pool cover, so before winter hits, trim the trees back from your pool or hire a professional to do it. Fallen tree limbs account for most cases of pool cover damage. There are also swimming pool leaf nets you can purchase to place directly on top of the pool cover.
If rain and melted snow are threatening to drag your cover down, use a pump or siphon to remove it. And as far as animals and critters go, the only real ay to prevent them from getting on top of your cover is to install a high, durable fence around the pool – at least five or six feet. Keep the area clean so as not to attractive animals at all.