When opening your pool, you may wonder if this is the best way to do this or why something is the way it is. If that is the case, then we are here to help. This page has been made to answer all your important pool opening questions.
Questions and Answers
Q.
How do I clean a vinyl cover?
A.
To clean a vinyl cover, you will need a pool brush, a net, a pole, preferably heavy-duty ones, a pressure washer, and a pump. You will want to start by scooping out all the leaves and other debris that are on the cover. Next, take the brush and brush all the algae off the cover. After that, you can throw your pump in to take off all the water. When the water starts to get low, you can scoop and brush anything you have missed, and you can hit any hard-to-get-off stains with the pressure washer. Then you can use your brush or pressure washer to push the remaining water towards the pump. Finally, you can take off the cover and put it away when it’s clean.
Q.
How do I clean a safety cover?
A.
To clean a safety cover, you will need a pool brush, a pole, and a pressure washer. To start, use your brush and pole to pull as much debris off the cover as you can. Next, use the pressure washer to blow any remaining debris off the cover. You can also use the pressure washer to remove any algae/stains that are on the cover. When clean, the cover can be taken off and put away.
Q.
How do I clean a tarp and waterbag cover?
A.
To clean a tarp and waterbag cover, you will need a pool brush, a net, a pole, preferably heavy-duty ones, a pressure washer, and a pump. You will want to start by scooping out all the leaves and other debris that are on the cover. Next, take the brush and brush all the algae off the cover.
Now, you can start cleaning the bags with the pressure washer. To do this, leave the bags full, spray down one side, then flip it over and do the other side, then clean where the bag was sitting.
After that, you can throw your pump in to take off all the water. When the water starts to get low, you can scoop and brush anything you have missed, and you can hit any hard-to-get-off stains with the pressure washer. Then you can use your brush or pressure washer to push the remaining water towards the pump. When all the water is gone, you can open the bags to drain and roll each of them up for storage. Finally, you can take off the cover and put it away.
Q.
How should I fold my winter cover?
A.
The best way to fold your cover is by using the accordion fold. The accordion fold allows you to fold the cover right on the edge of your pool without taking up much space. This folding method also makes it easy to pull out and put the cover back on when closing.
The accordion fold works for the three most common covers, but for the vinyl cover, you’ll need to fold the sides of the cover onto itself so that it can float. On one of the sides of the pool, preferably the smaller side, you can start to fold the cover-up. With two people, pull the cover about six feet onto your deck. Next, pick up the part of the cover that is on the edge of the pool and fold that piece on top of the piece you pulled out. Repeat this until the cover is out of the pool and folded up along the edge of the pool. Lastly, roll up the cover starting at one of the ends. Once done, your cover can be put into storage.
Q.
How should I store my winter cover?
A.
It’s important that you store your cover properly to prevent any unnecessary wear and tear and protect it from rodent damage.
Vinyl Cover: A vinyl cover should be stored in a plastic barrel/bin. I recommend the “Rubbermaid Brute Bins.” Once the cover is in the bin, fill it with water. Filling it with water will help prevent the vinyl from shrinking and will greatly extend the life of the cover.
Tarp and Waterbags: A tarp cover is often stored by tying it up so it doesn’t unravel, then the cover is placed where rodents won’t get at it. However, for added protection, store the cover in a plastic tote along with the waterbags.
Safety Cover: Most safety covers come with a bag made of the same material as the cover. It’s very common for people to store their cover using just this bag. This doesn’t provide much protection to the cover. I recommend storing the cover in a large rolling trash bin, so rodents can’t get into it.
Q.
Why is there less water in my pool than there was when it was closed?
A.
There are a few common reasons why you might have less water in your pool when opening. First, there is a hole in your vinyl/tarp cover. With a hole in the cover, water from underneath will start to collect on top. Especially when you’re pumping the water off, the pump will pull the water from underneath the cover through the hole.
The next reason is that there’s a hole in your vinyl liner. Now, depending on how much water was lost, this may or may not be an issue. If you lost lots of water, then you’ll need to find the leak and fix it immediately. If it’s not much, let’s say one foot lower than closing, then it might not be an issue. The hole could be so small that you’ll only lose water over all the winter months, but not enough to notice or cause a problem during the summer.
The last reason is displacement. When water collects on top of the cover, it will weigh down into the water below and push the water underneath up the sides of the pool to the level of the water on top. This can allow water to leak out of gaps in the coping or a hole in the liner that’s above the normal water line. This is usually not a problem, as you won’t lose much water this way, and you won’t lose any water in the summer months.
Q.
What water level should I fill my pool to?
A.
Once the cover is off your pool, you can begin filling it with water. The best operating water level for your pool is between ½ and ⅔ up the opening of your skimmer. This level will provide enough water for your pump and will allow floating objects to go into the skimmer.
Q.
Why isn’t my pump pulling water from the pool?
A.
The most common problem that would cause your pump to struggle to pull water is that there’s a lot of air in your suction line. To help with this, you can fill the line with water using a hose or buckets. You may have to add water slowly to allow the line to fill up. Then you can start your pump, and hopefully it can pull the water through. This may take a few attempts.
Another issue that can cause this is that your pump is sucking air near the pump. Common places where this can happen are where the plumbing goes into the pump, a fitting, or the drain plugs on the pump. To fix this, tighten any hose clamps, fittings, and plugs. If this doesn’t work, you may need to add Teflon tape and/or silicon to the fittings or plugs.
Q.
How to clean a safety cover pool?
A.
After taking off your safety cover, your pool might be very dirty with green water and lots of debris on the bottom. For the best cleaning, vacuum your pool on a waste setting if possible so that dirty water doesn’t go through your filter. Also, use a vacuum skimmer plate so most of the debris ends up in the basket, and make sure to empty both the skimmer and pump basket a few times while vacuuming. When you have finished vacuuming, add 10 to 20 liters of chlorine to clear up the water and let your pool run for 1 to 2 days. Once clear, do a final vacuum and balance your pool chemicals.
I hope that all your pool opening questions have been answered. Check out our guides for opening your pool (linked below) to ensure that your pool is ready for winter.
