Maintenance and Care Tips for Automatic Pool Covers in Los Angeles, CA

The water in a covered pool has a better chance of staying clean and healthy. Below are a few maintenance and care tips for automatic pool covers in Los Angeles, CA.

Daily maintenance

Some maintenance steps are daily requirements, but are relatively simple:

  • Close the pool cover: First, make sure the cover is closed. Since yours is automatic, the cover pump should be ready to go in the event that heavy rain or showers roll through.
  • Water level and water chemistry: If your pool is leaking significantly, the water level may have to be maintained daily (the water chemistry and chlorine levels, too). This keeps good water balance, and low chlorine levels can protect automatic covers from harm.
  • Salt system care: Automatic covers are not recommended for saltwater pools, because the presence of salt residues increase the chances of corrosion to aluminum parts and cover fabric. If you do have a saltwater pool and automatic cover, rinse the tracks, pulleys and reels often.

Weekly maintenance

Weekly care and maintenance needs are as follows:

  • Open the cover: Whether it’s swimming season or not, automatic covers should be opened for several hours once a week to air out. It’s especially important to do this after adding pool chemicals or shocking the pool.
  • Clean the pool cover: First, dry and remove leaves from the cover using a leaf blower. Take a hose with a nozzle and spray in eight-foot sections at a time, and use a pool brush to remove debris as you go. Repeat until the cover rolls up all the way.
  • Prevent water pooling: Either remove pooled water from the cover using an automatic cover pump or manpower. Never operate an auto cover that has water puddles on top.

Annual maintenance

You must do three things annually (or even a couple times a year) to protect your automatic pool cover:

  • Clean out the box: Keep the box clean to avoid debris build up and attracting pests. Use a leaf blower, a small broom or a wet-dry vac.
  • Clean the tracks: All sorts of things can clog the tracks, including dirt, sand, leaves, insects and more. Simply spray out the tracks with a garden hose.
  • Tighten and lubricate: Your automatic pool cover is either electric or hydraulic, both of which needs hardware to be tightened and lubricated. Drive chains, tracks and sliders should also be checked for tightness and lubrication.

Repairs and replacements

Along with daily, weekly and annual automatic pool cover maintenance is the inevitable need for various repairs throughout its lifespan. This is normal. And while swimming pool owners can learn how to care for and repair automatic pool covers in Los Angeles, CA, some tasks are best left to the professionals. Over the lifetime of the cover, you’ll likely end up replacing ropes, sliders and pulleys, the motor and the cover fabric.

Regular pool cover maintenance and cleaning can add years to the life of its components and reduce the overall cost of ownership. For more information about the benefits of installing automatic pool covers in Los Angeles, CA, call the experts at Avanti Pools, Inc.