If you have a pool with an automatic cover, you know the benefits and peace of mind they bring you. You are one of the only pool owners who can close your pool and lock it. However, when your pool is closed anything airborne which normally would land in the pool, now lands on top of your automatic cover fabric. You may find yourself wondering how to clean automatic pool cover. In this article we will give you a few quick tips to keep your automatic cover clean and easy to operate.
How To Clean Automatic Pool Cover
There are many different items to cleaning an automatic pool cover. Perhaps you have water from a recent rainstorm. Alternatively, you could have an abundance of debris from nearby trees. Lastly, if it’s allergy season, you may even be seeing a build up of pollen. We will explain how to clean automatic pool cover surfaces from each of these common problems.
How To Get Rid Of Water From Automatic Pool Cover
First, begin the cleaning process by making sure you always put the cover pump on top of the automatic cover fabric when closed. Depending on the size of your pool, two pumps are better than one. In our experience, using two cover pumps is really helpful on pools larger than 18′ x 36′. Two pumps will make getting the rainwater off the top of the automatic cover a lot easier. As you know, it’s very important to keep those pumps in place. If you don’t, you’ll not be able to open your pool cover after a rainstorm.
How To Remove Leaves, Pine Needles And Sticks
Now you have the water pumped off the automatic cover. Next, if you have leaves and pine needles, it’s a good idea to fetch your nylon brush. Push this debris to one side of the pool so they can be collected. If you have a steel brush or a combination nylon and steel brush, before every use, make sure you have the nylon brush attached to your pole. If you don’t have it attached, you can damage your cover fabric.
Be very gentle when brushing leaves and pine needles, taking extra care if you have any sticks. The extra caution will help prevent accidentally puncturing your fabric. The cover fabric is very strong, but that doesn’t mean a sharp point can’t put a hole in it. The risk of puncture grows as it gets older.
How To Get Pollen And Dust Off An Automatic Pool Cover
Once you’ve collected the leaves, you may be wondering how to get the layer of pollen or dust and dirt off the automatic pool cover. Grab a partner and drag a hose down to the automatic cover vault end of the pool. This is the area where the cover spools. As your partner slowly retracts the cover, spray off the cover fabric into the cover vault. Yes, this sends all the dirt, dust, and debris into the cover vault, but you should have removed the leaves and pine needles already. There should be a drain or drains in the bottom of the automatic cover vault which lets water drain out.
Additional Maintenance For How To Clean Automatic Pool Cover Systems
Over time, by cleaning the cover fabric off by spraying into the cover vault, you will need to clean the interior of the automatic cover vault from time to time. It’s a good idea to remove your automatic pool cover vault lid once a year, and sweep up any debris you can. By cleaning the interior as best you can, you can make sure the drain is not blocked and the debris doesn’t start to smell during decomposition.
If you have a salt chlorination system, you will want to rinse off the cover motor and associated components as frequently as you possibly can with fresh water. This will help prevent premature corrosion and wear on the motor from the salt water. Try to do this at least once a week, or whenever you clean your skimmers.
How To Clean Automatic Pool Cover Summary
How to clean automatic pool cover systems at first can seem like an overwhelming task. However, with a few steps you can have your cover clean and operational in very little time. There are many things that require an automatic pool cover to be cleaned. These include excess water, tree debris and every pollen or dust.
