As Memorial Day weekend gets closer, pool owners are gearing up for a new pool season! The pool season can’t start without a spring pool opening, and many pool owners are scheduling their pool openings now to get a date set. But did you know there’s a number of things you can do yourself to lower the cost of your pool opening? By taking care of some pool maintenance beforehand, you can reduce the number of things that need to be done during the opening itself, and save yourself a little money in the process.
In the next few blogs, we’ll cover what you can do on your own before your pool opening. This week, we’ll talk about how to properly remove and store your pool cover.

How to Remove and Store Your Pool Cover

 
Solid Pool Cover
First, use a pump to remove water from the surface of the cover. Pull the edges of the cover to tighten it up and corral the water into one area, which will make it easier for the pump to get. To remove leaves and debris, use a bag leaf net and a pool brush on the pole.
Once the water and debris are gone, drain the water bags, or take off whatever you used to hold down the edges of the cover. Hose the bags down and fold/roll them away for storage.
Remove the cover by fan folding it at 3-5 feet increments (think of how an accordion is folded). Then unfold it on the ground and hose it down, preferably on a slope where the water can run off. Now let the cover dry, or speed dry it with a leaf blower. Fan fold it again, wrap it with rope to prevent it from unrolling, and store it in the shed!
Mesh Pool Cover
Use any combination of a broom, brush, leaf net, hose, or leaf blower to remove debris and leaves from the cover.
Now, use the cover removal tool to remove the springs from the anchors holding the cover down. Can’t find it? Try a ¾ inch pipe. Use an Allen wrench to put the anchors flush with the deck, in the down position. Lubricating them with a little WD-40 helps make this process easier.
Now fold the cover like an accordion. Make sure to remove any debris you didn’t get at first before you fold it into the cover. Now fold it seam to seam, roll it up like your sleeping bag, and put it into its storage bag. Let it dry outside for a few hours, then move it inside to store for the season.
The reason you don’t want to store it outside is because animals could get to it and chew holes in the mesh. If you do store it outside, hang it up off the ground, and use mothballs.
 

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