If you’re a homeowner, you know how much work is required to take care of those trees. From trimming to raking to dealing with pests, trees require a lot of upkeep. The same is no less true for your swimming pool. Swimming pool cleaners in Cumming, GA, know how important it is to remove leaves, water, and other detritus when it gathers on your pool cover over the winter. Here are a few things to keep in mind.
The Benefits of a Pool Cover
It might seem counter-intuitive to have to worry about cleaning off a pool cover. If you’re going to bother removing debris from a pool cover, why bother having one at all? Isn’t it just as easy to skim the stuff off the top of the pool? For starters, pool clovers only need to be cleaned every few days while an uncovered pool would have to be cleaned daily, not to mention, you’d also have to scrub and vacuum the interior. Also, there’s no reason to put any unnecessary strain on your pool’s filtering system if you’re not using it for swimming.
Removing Debris
It’s shocking how much weight even a relatively small amount of debris can carry. Water, in particular, is extremely heavy. It may not look like much, but one inch of standing water on a small 10’x20′ pool cover amounts to 1,000 pounds of water. That can cause tremendous damage to your pool cover if allowed to remain. That water can soak leaves that land in it, making them heavy as well, and allowing them to stick to the surface of the cover. The first thing you want to do is to get rid of the water covering the pool cover, but that means you’ll have to skim the surface of the water as well. Use your skimmer on the debris much like you would on the surface of your pool. Because there’s more debris (and less water), the process will actually be quicker and easier. When you’ve reduced the amount of debris to just a few bits, use your pool cover rake to remove the rest.
Removing Water
The best way to remove the standing water is to use a pump that’s made specifically for pool covers. These can be found at any pool supply store and are usually in the range of around $30. If you like how your cover has been working for you, it’s worth investing in one of these as it will help extend the life of your cover.
Removing the Last Few Leaves
Inevitably, there will be some wet leaves sticking to the surface of the cover even after the water has been removed. First, wait a while to allow them to dry as much as possible as dry leaves are far easier to remove. If they dry completely, use a leaf blower on them, and you’re all finished. If they don’t dry so easily, use a regular pool brush and push them to the edge of the cover where you can remove them with your hands.
Dealing with leaves and water on your pool cover can be an annoying part of swimming pool care in Cumming, GA, but a necessary one if you want to that pool ready for swimming season. To have it taken care of, call Sunrise Pool Services.