What does a winter cover exactly do?

[hankejp]

Hello everyone,

I'm a first year, first time pool owner. We are getting ready to close down the pool for the year, and now I am wondering what does a winter pool cover do exaclty? We have an above ground pool. Is it used to just keep leaves out? We don't have any trees near by.

Thanks all

[SlimJim]

The cover is for more than just leaves. It keeps everything out including rain and snow. Also the cover blocks sunlight to prevent algae that might grow if the temp is right. If you don't mind having to do maintance on the pool during the winter than there is no hard rule about covering. I know some pool owners who leave there's open all year just because they don't like seeing the cover. I for one like closing because I don't have to mess with the pool during the cold rainy days of winter. When the time is right I uncover a fairly clean pool and with just a little cleaning and water balancing, we are up and running in no time. It's up to you. Mess with the pool all year or take yourself a brake. If you're like me and you are the only one that maintains the pool, I choose to take a brake. Just my 2 cents.

[hankejp]

Thanks for the reply Slim,

I don't think I'm going to cover it. Being that I live in Northcentral Wisconsin, I would imagine that the water will freeze over time, and algae probably won't grow then. If it is bad this year, then I know next year to cover the pool up.

[justmy2cent]

I live in SE Wisconsin. You MUST cover your pool or you'll have a mess on your hands in spring. The algae starts to grow on those warmer fall days and warmer spring days, not in the middle of winter. Our neighbor has had a pool for a few years and never had a problem because he covered it every year. He didn't get around to it last year and he spent half the summer trying to undo the damage.