Did you just buy a new swimming pool safety cover this year? Now you’re wondering if it should be sagging with a snow load on it. Safety cover sagging is okay, well in most cases. It is not the safety-cover that supports the snow and ice. It is the water underneath your cover that helps it and keeps it from sagging too much.
Whoever sold you the cover should have warned you or directed you to read the directions. There are definite directions about winterizing or closing your pool. The maximum amount of water you should drain from your swimming pool for winterization is 18 inches (measured from the patio).if your pool plumbing lines are still underwater, there are ways to clear them.
Inground Pool With Collapsed Winter Safety Cover
You can see the safety cover collapsed and tore the liner out of this in-ground swimming pool. The pool most likely leaked and the water was very shallow. No match for the tons of snow piled up on it.
I don’t care if you have a Loop Loc, Latham or Meyco pool cover, solid or mesh, no or low water means trouble.
If your water is super low, try to disconnect the pool cover from the anchors. Just be careful because there is a lot of tension on the cover springs.
You might be better off cutting the springs off with bolt cutters to try and save the cover.
In truth, you might lose the pool with no water in it, as water is what holds the pool liner in place and is an integral part of the structure of the swimming pool. But there is no need to lose the cover too.
Conclusion: As long as your water level is not lower than 18 inches from the pool deck, you are okay. Not only will the pool water support the cover, but all the thawing and freezing will become part of the support system. If you have a solid pool-cover or a solid cover with drain panels, keep pumping water off the safety-cover until the freeze comes.
For more Safety Cover information, you might read this article Click Here.
