We went with an Anchor solid cover and we are happy with it. I think the advantage is that other than a few worms, nothing else gets in. When we opened this year (first time) the water was crystal clear and other than the worms, we were in great shape. I would recommend a second pump for the spa-the PB probably will not supply.

Thanks lion, how far apart are your anchors, and are they in concrete or pavers?? Michelle

Some major players in the safety cover market in our area are, not in any order:

Anchor, Loop-Loc, Merlin, Meyco, Performance, Dover Vinyl, and some others.

Each has pluses and minuses. Some use price point and some use relationships with builders and installers to get sales. I can tell you that you get what you pay for.

I could sell more covers at a lower price but it's a safety cover. The stronger, the better. My customers are depending on that. I won't use what I see as a lesser quality product unless a customer specifies that that is what they want. I also don't want to sound like an infomercial.

Scott

My anchors are 3ft apart on aggregate decking. Not sure about pavers, but that spacing works fine with my anchor cover. Also, I went with a Tan color-it shows the dirt a little more but it looks better with my decor. I think Blue is another good choice. Hope this helps!

lion, does your cover have straps and springs or the black rubber straps that slip over the anchors.

I have never seen an Anchor brand solid cover with 3' spacing for the straps.

Scott

Scott,
I have the straps & springs. I'll double check the manufacturer tomorrow.

It sure looks like an Anchor brand. Most have rubber straps bolted to grommets on the cover's edge vs. the strap and spring system used on your cover. The straps are usually 18 to 24" apart.

As I recall, most Anchor covers are not Safety Covers as they don't meet the ASTM/ANSI specs for a Safety Cover. I believe only the top of the line may be made to meet the specs. That's not to say you can't walk on one safely because in most cases you can, but there have been accidents involving vehicles winding up in a pool with Safety Cover and not breaking through. While it's extreme, it's happened more than once, preventing worse situations such as a loss of life.

The strapping Anchor uses for your cover goes in a couple of feet into the cover. Every other brand of safety cover I have seen has the strap material go all the way across the length and width to an opposite strap with a spring, forming a checker board pattern except when the purpose is to tie an edge flap down that happens between the main straps or when raised surfaces such as a waterfall prevents it and the use of a cable and hooks are needed.

The webbing attachment to the cover used by most Safety Cover manufacturers is far stronger than the attachment method used by Anchor, not that Anchor's isn't sufficient for it's purposes as I have never seen their webbing come off an Anchor cover. Webbing sewn all the way across a cover offers far more support to the cover, allowing this style of cover to be pulled tightly enough to lift up off the water's surface. Anchor's rest on the pool surface, always.

I have seen, when the supporting water level drops significantly, both the rubber strap style snap and spring attached straps slide off, allowing the cover to fall further in, further compromising a cover.

The four causes for the water loss I have seen were either a leaking inlet/outlet on the pool floor, cover pump pulling pool water out, a step pump knocked off the step or a liner with a hole in the deep end.

About 3/4 of the cover failures I have seen have been a result of the holed cover letting pool water get pumped out.

The main sources of the holes in covers have been mice nesting during the swim season in a stored cover and dragging the cover across a rough surface. Mice chew and dragging a folded cover creates significant friction.

All solid covers weigh a lot. Anchor's are the heaviest. Moving them, attaching them, storing them, and folding them for storage is always harder than with any other cover I deal with. The pools with Anchor covers in my area tend to be fairly large, 25 to 40K gallons plus and sometimes more. This makes for a large, very heavy, and difficult to manipulate, cover.

In case you didn't notice, I am not an Anchor brand cover fan. Why Blue Haven and A&S still recommend them is beyond me. Its OK though. There are enough opportunities still.

Scott

Scott it's definitely an Anchor cover. I'm confident it would hold a person, but being Vinyl it is very slippery. I do think a hole in the cover is your biggest potential problem. We store ours in the basement. I researched the heck out of this purchase and It was still just an educated guess in the end. I did get a good install though-no cracks or chips. I take the washers off when we open and you really dont even notice the brass fittings in the decking.

The washers hide the pipe for pavers and any chipping around the hole as sometimes happens with stamped decks. The screw down portion holds the washer in place and keeps dirt out.

When the cover is being put on or taken off, the washer takes the pressures exerted from the installation tool's use that might scratch or gouge the deck area around the anchor.

I don't understand why you would remove them when the cover is off.

Scott

Looks better and no bumps without the washers. It's a little more work, but I like the look. I take care of my stuff and I will always use the washers when the cover is on. I can't say it is a good idea for all decking, but It works for me.

lion- I know exactely what u mean, I would prob. take flange off as well, so it is flush, when u take that off, nothing sticks up right? Michelle

Nothing sticks up and the screw is seated flush with the concrete. I'll take a few pics when I get a chance.