Winter tarp size and mil recommendations

[AndyTN]

I need to get a new tarp (with water bags) to cover my pool this winter as my previous one only lasted 3 years before getting many holes in it. I don't know the mil thickness of the old tarp but I obviously want the new tarp to last longer. I have many trees around/above my pool and in the South, trees lose their leaves until January so I am brushing/netting leaves every 2 weeks for 3 months. What mil thickness should I get to last at least 5 years? I found one that is "super heavy duty" stating 14-15 mil.

Silver/Black Poly Tarp 26' x 40'

Also on the size, my pool is oval at 18x36 so how many additional feet do I need for the width/length? 3 feet of the length are the fiberglass steps so could I get away with 40 feet of length? I'm looking at 26x40 to save some cost but I could also get 30x50 which may be overkill.

 

[Catanzaro]

For starters, do not throw out your old cover. Place the old cover on the new cover. This way you can increase the thickness. Leave slack in areas that put pressure against the cover and this will help against ripping and tearing. Covers will last 3-5 years at most and this is if you are lucky. Consider the alternative of spending thousands of dollars on a mesh safety cover. No matter how thick your cover is, one broken branch can rip through the cover. Allowing the tarp to fill up with water also helps as objects are cushioned during a fall. You would have to have trees right over the pool for this sutuation.

 

[AndyTN]

Too late for the old tarp but good suggestion for the future. I didn't feel like cleaning it off when I opened this Spring, lots of trees vomiting Crud on the pool during April, so I used it as an excuse to just throw it away since I needed a new one anyway.

I do have lots of trees and will frequently get large sticks on top of the pool cover after a very windy winter night. We invested in a very secure 5-ft steel fence around our pool to keep the kids out year round and don't want to spend the money for a good safety cover. Good mention about the expensive covers getting punctured.

So should I spend the extra $100-120 to get a tarp which is 14 mil or just get a cheap one at 10 mil with the expectation I will need to throw it away after 2 years? I was also thinking about getting a leaf net to help clear off leave/tree debris throughout the winter/spring but a cheap tarp with some intentional holes drilled in it would actually be cheaper.

Any thoughts on the size of the tarp for my oval 18x36 pool?

 

[Catanzaro]

Entirely up to you. Your best bet would be the less expensive cover. Lower the water, allow the cover to sag, and allow water to build on the surface. Branches will drop on the water and cushion the fall. No guarantee or tearing, but a little more protection. My cover only rips due to the cover being pulled. This year, as mentioned my water level will be higher. Your leaf net idea is a good one.

For your 18*36 pool, I would recommended a 25*45 cover. This way you have room for slack and to cover the patio properly. You can always fold over if need be.

 

[mikegmi2]

This is the exact question and exact tarp I was going to buy for my pool, although I would need the 30'x60' size. Was trying to decide if the heavy duty or super heavy duty is the way to go. I will probably go with the super heavy duty silver one.

 

[5odaw1s]

Hi Andy,
I have a 18x36 IGP with steps on the side instead of the end.
I get a cover for a 20x40 pool. The cover measures 25x45 and that is wide enough to cover the step area and allow for the cover to sit on the water after the pool has been drained to the bottom of the skimmer.

I have a sweet gum tree about 10’ off the side of the pool at the deep end and one about 20’ off the side of the pool at the shallow end. So along with all of the leaves and twigs/broken limbs I get during the fall/winter, I also get the sweet gum balls falling on the cover daily. In the spring you can add the buds that fall off the limbs and the pollen.
So I buy the cheapest cover available. Usually around $60 and I used to have to replace it every year.
But about 3 years ago I put an automatic cover pump on the cover. Now the rain water drains off the cover much faster than siphoning with a garden hose, thus there is much less weight where the cover interacts with the edges of the pool and the last one lasted 3 winters before it started ripping around the pool edges.

If I can continue to get 3 years out of a $60 cover, I’ll continue to buy those.