Pool Videos | Options and Accessories
An important element of your swimming pool is the cover.
Often when someone goes with an inground pool, they choose a security cover—this option is taut, strong, and secured to the patio with straps. (It's actually strong enough to hold a family.)
Security covers can be solid vinyl or mesh.
At the end of winter, a mesh cover will have some leaves and debris on top, but no water even though there's no pump. The mesh material allows rain and snow to pass through.
However, this also allows sunlight to reach the pool water.
What this means for you as a pool owner: when you open up your pool, the water will be pretty dirty.
You'll need a few extra days to get it clear and swimmer-friendly, but nothing extreme.
A mesh cover also lasts a little longer than a solid vinyl liner and costs a little less.
By comparison, if you choose a solid vinyl cover, you'll need to be more vigilant during the off-season. You place a pump in the middle to get rid of any water that collects on top.
Some companies make a hybrid of the two, where it's solid all the way around but has a mesh opening in the middle. That allows water to drain, so you don't need a pump, and also minimizes sunlight exposure.
The strap system uses anchors to secure the pool cover straps.
To create the anchor, you originally drill into the concrete. You'll have a sleeve, and inside that is a grommet. The grommet drills up from the concrete during the off-season.
The first question: "Will I stub my toe on the grommet during the swim season?"
The answer: No.
You'll drill the grommet back down into the concrete after you remove the security cover.
It's easy to pop the strap off the grommet.
A bar comes with the cover when you buy it. You'll place the hollow end of the bar on the grommet and twist it counter-clockwise to loosen the grommet. It pops right up.
You'll use a slim tool to screw the grommet down so that it's flush with the concrete.
The grommet is less than the size of a quarter, so it won't detract from your aesthetics.
You can get brass trim pieces as well to put around them.
Depending on the size of the pool, it'll take about 10 minutes to pop off all the straps and remove the security cover at the beginning of the swim season, and 15–20 minutes to put the cover back on for the winter.
At River Pools, we manufacture high-quality fiberglass pools for homeowners across North America. If you'd like to explore your fiberglass pool options, you can browse our pool models, request pricing, or try out our pool cost calculator below:
Want to see about how much your fiberglass pool might cost with all your favorite accessories?
Use our Design and Price Tool to walk through your options and approximate price!
Up Next:
Swimming Pool Covers: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly