{"id":1740,"date":"2012-10-04T18:16:15","date_gmt":"2012-10-04T23:16:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.BackyardCityPools.com\/Swimming-Pool-Blog\/?p=1740"},"modified":"2012-10-10T14:09:08","modified_gmt":"2012-10-10T19:09:08","slug":"what-to-use-to-secure-pool-cover-for-winter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.backyardcitypools.com\/Swimming-Pool-Blog\/what-to-use-to-secure-pool-cover-for-winter\/","title":{"rendered":"What Should You Use to Secure Your Pool Cover for the Winter?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"Securing<\/a>
Securing Pool Cover Options<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Closing the pool for the winter is a tedious task, but it’s one that is definitely necessary.\u00a0\u00a0 When you live in a climate where you can’t use the pool during winter months, you need to make sure that you’re keeping it safe and ready to go once the weather warms up again.\u00a0\u00a0 So many people discuss the chemicals for winterizing, the various types of pool covers, and other elements involved in the process.\u00a0\u00a0 There’s one thing that people don’t talk a lot about that you should probably be aware of, however, when you are closing your pool. \u00a0 What to use to weight or tie-down system your swimming pool cover for the winter.<\/p>\n

\u00a0In Ground Pools<\/h3>\n

If you have an in ground pool, water tubes or bags<\/a> are the best option.\u00a0\u00a0 These long, narrow tubes go around the edge of your pool cover to weigh it down and keep it in place throughout the winter months.\u00a0\u00a0 There are many sizes and styles to choose from when you need to buy these tubes, so you might have to shop around a little to get a better idea of what you can get.\u00a0\u00a0 You should always make sure that you’re only filling these about \u00be of the way because they will freeze and melt, causing expansion and potential bursting if they are overfilled.\u00a0\u00a0 These aren’t cheap, either, so you don’t want to waste them with careless mistakes.<\/p>\n

You will probably also need stakes and tie downs to hold your pool cover in place, especially if the area immediately around your pool is grass, sand, landscaped or loose material.\u00a0\u00a0 Make sure that you have a setup that ensures that your pool stays covered and protected all winter long, no matter what kind of weather Mother Nature sends your way.\u00a0\u00a0 Some people prefer sand bags for the edges of their pool covers, and that’s definitely an option that you have.\u00a0\u00a0 You can buy sand bags for relatively cheap, and use them to weight the cover.\u00a0\u00a0 If you have patio umbrellas with weighted bases, you can even use those plastic bases as weights for your pool cover, creating a dual-purpose outdoor accessory to save time and money.<\/p>\n

Figuring out how many sand bags, water tubes, or other weights you need depends on how big your pool is.\u00a0\u00a0 Typically, you will want these to go all the way around the outer edge so that no air can accidentally sneak in (or anything else).\u00a0\u00a0 You might have to measure the distances or know your pool size to buy the right amount of weights so that you can close your pool properly.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Above Ground Pools<\/h3>\n

Above ground pools don’t typically use weights.\u00a0\u00a0 Because these pools are higher off the ground, the cover is usually tied down.\u00a0\u00a0 This can be done by getting a cover that ties to the pool<\/a> frame itself, or by putting stakes and tie downs in the yard around the pool to hold the cover in place. \u00a0 Sealing the winter cover<\/a> is an excellent option for traditional high wind areas. \u00a0 \u00a0Every pool cover comes with different requirements, so you should check out your options to make sure that you’re getting the supplies that you need to keep your pool covered all winter long.<\/p>\n

Above ground pools are a lot easier to close, typically, because they are less involved than in ground pools.\u00a0\u00a0 You will get cheaper supplies and have a faster closing, and you won’t spend as much on weights or tie downs because there will be less to secure.\u00a0\u00a0 It all depends on the type of pool that you have, however, so make sure that you do a little research so that you know what to expect.<\/p>\n

Other Considerations<\/h3>\n

There are some cases where these are not the best options for securing your pool cover.\u00a0\u00a0 For example, if you use a skimmer type cover, you won’t need weights because of the way that the cover secures taut across the pool with stakes, tie downs, or other securing methods.\u00a0\u00a0 Read up on the cover that you are getting so that you know what is best for its specific installation in terms of keeping it in place for the next 6-8 months until you’re ready to open the pool again.<\/p>\n

You should NEVER use concrete blocks, bricks, or other abrasive materials to secure your pool cover.\u00a0\u00a0 Not only are these not guaranteed to stay put or not crumble over the course of the winter, but they are also very likely to rip, pull, or damage the cover.\u00a0\u00a0 This can damage your pool, as well, which can lead to further problems.\u00a0\u00a0 If nothing else, they might cause the tubes or cover to get pulled into the pool during the winter, which can mean that you’ve got a big cleanup on your hands by the time spring rolls around.<\/p>\n

Always be careful of what you’re doing when it comes to closing your pool.\u00a0\u00a0 Covers aren’t cheap and neither is the pool itself, so you have to be careful that you’re using the right products and methods so that you can protect your investments.<\/p>\n

Shop Online for Selection and Deals<\/h3>\n

The best way to find the supplies that you need for winterizing your pool is to shop online.\u00a0\u00a0 Not only will you get more information about what you need and how to buy the right supplies, but you will find better deals and a much wider selection of pool products than you might be able to get locally.\u00a0\u00a0 If you shop around online, you can find all kinds of weights, water tubes, and other pool closing supplies that will make your job a lot easier and keep your pool in good shape until spring.<\/p>\n

The internet offers you the chance to get better deals on pool supplies that you need.\u00a0\u00a0 Since you’re no longer limited to what’s available in your town, you can get a lot better products, as well.\u00a0\u00a0 Newer and more high-tech supplies and tools are out there and it’s easy to find the latest and greatest online.\u00a0\u00a0 With so much to choose from, winterizing your pool<\/a> has never been easier.\u00a0\u00a0 Just remember to secure your cover correctly depending on the type of pool and cover that you have so that you can keep your pool safe and protect your cover from damage.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Closing the pool for the winter is a tedious task, but it’s one that is definitely necessary.\u00a0\u00a0 When you live in a climate where you can’t use the pool during winter months, you need to make sure that you’re keeping it safe and ready to go once the weather warms up again.\u00a0\u00a0 So many […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pool-closing-and-winterizing"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2No25-s4","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcitypools.com\/Swimming-Pool-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1740","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcitypools.com\/Swimming-Pool-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcitypools.com\/Swimming-Pool-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcitypools.com\/Swimming-Pool-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcitypools.com\/Swimming-Pool-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1740"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcitypools.com\/Swimming-Pool-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1740\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1748,"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcitypools.com\/Swimming-Pool-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1740\/revisions\/1748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcitypools.com\/Swimming-Pool-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1740"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcitypools.com\/Swimming-Pool-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1740"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcitypools.com\/Swimming-Pool-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}