It has been a tough winter, with record breaking low temperatures. Ice and Snow can cause extreme winter damage on Above Ground Pools.
An Ice Filled Pool
When the water freezes in the pool, the expansion puts the pressure outward on the pool wall. When there is an air pillow in the water, the pressure is instead focused on the pillow, instead of the pool wall. Winter Damage On Above Ground Pools can happen without proper preparation.
The top level of the water freezes and forms a sheet of ice on the top layer. If there is a leak in the liner, or too much weight on top of the cover the ice sheet can fall down further into the pool, scraping and ripping the liner.
Skimmer Damage
If you do not use a winter plate, you cannot and should not use a plug or a gizmo in your skimmer. The frozen water in the skimmer can cause extreme damage to your pool wall, buckling it causing irreversible damage. Once the wall of an Aboveground pool is damaged, the pool is no longer safe, and must be taken down and replaced.
Damage is done. Now What?
If the pool wall is still in good condition, normally the liner can simply be replaced making your pool look like new. If the wall is rusted in any spots, or the pool is compromised, and no longer safe to have standing, the pool must be taken down and replaced. Unfortunately, most Above Ground pools manufactures do not consider Ice or Snow damage covered by warranties.
Prepare and Prevent!
We have a rough winter this year, so how do you prevent this from happening again next year?
Remember to always:
- Use an Air Pillow! – Inflate the Pillow just until it’s soft to leave room for expansion. Don’t tie the pillow to the pool. Just let it float freely.
- If you had a leak in the liner during the season, take care of it before the winter.
- Pump the water off of the cover for as long as possible. Once the snows buildups on cover, remove that as well as carefully as possible. The less weight on the cover the better.
- Use an Aquador, or another type of skimmer plate to protect your skimmer and pool wall, do not put a 1 ½ inch plug in the skimmer, and always remove all of the hoses.
Above ground POOL service, INSTALLATION AND SUPPLIES IN SUSSEX COUNTY AND SURROUNDING LOCAL AREAS OF NORTHERN, NJ.
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