![]() Top track vault lid and leading edgeWhy would a pool builder try to talk you out of an auto cover? There are a lot of reasons. You could almost save that amount in a year of ownership with the saved chemicals, heat, cleaning, water, and headaches with a retractable cover. That makes the additional cost for the auto cover replacement about $800-$1,500 each every 10 or so years MORE than the winter cover. On the flip side that 5-7 year window is about the life expediency of a quality winter cover replacement at about $1,200-$1,500. If a dealer quotes that it's a LIE, or they simply rip their customers off on fabric replacements. The fabric retails around $1500 and labor is about a day for two men ranging from $500 to $1000. The fabric is going to run about $2,000-$2,500 installed. On blogs I have read the cost of a replacement cover is also inflated. In some cases literally HALF of the cover is gone and the remainder is significantly weakened. We know because the bottom of the pool cover is white and the mesh in the material is exposed. Undetectable from the top side of the cover, the cover will suddenly tear and the client has it replaced never even knowing it was chlorine burn. It damages the underside of the cover and weakens it considerably. The reason cover fabric fails is from poor chemistry. That's 7 years!! A properly cared for cover has a life span of 10 years or more. Some fabrics even carry a prorated warranty for 84 months. Under normal to even abusive conditions the cover will last 5-7 years without any problem. Not a tough concept.ĭon't try this at homeReplacing fabric and its lifespan is another source of debate. I promise it will break or at the least cause some longer term damage. Pool covers are not designed to move that kind of weight. At 8.3 pounds per gallon that's 4,025 Pounds. One inch of water on a 16 x 40 pool is 485 gallons of water. ![]() The other problem I have seen is the cover being opened (or attempted) with several inches of water on them. That will destroy a cover in a couple to a few years easy. Most often they are installed "out of square" causing high tension on the ropes and a TON of resistance on the motor and linkage (if equipped). It's not a surprise when we get there to service them that they need service. During that time we have seen some poorly installed units. Over the years we have also done quite a bit of service on behalf of the factories (Warranty) as well as general tune ups for other swimming pool companies that don't have cover techs on their team. We install A LOT of auto covers on our in-ground pool installations. I HAVE seen covers that break that fast, but it's the result of a cheap cover system, improper installation, or inadvertent abuse. In terms of durability that has not been my experience on a properly installed pool cover. Recently several blog articles have been published about why you shouldn't have an inground pool auto cover because they break and are expensive to fix. Automatic Cover Fabrics Don't Last – Replacement Myths DispelledĬover in multiple positions.These are very valid questions, and I want to address head on.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |