By August 02, 2014 A pool safety cover has longevity, some can last 15 years or more! After last winter however, many pool safety covers were damaged - some repairable and some not. Eventually, all safety pool covers will fail.

• Safety Pool Cover Patch Kit

Ool Covers Direct provides homeowners, businesses, and pool professionals with direct, wholesale pricing and friendly service on Meyco Safety Pool covers.

Straps begin to tear, stitching frays, wear strips and chafing dangles off the bottom. On mesh safety covers, you'll begin to notice areas where the colored tapes of the fabric are completely gone, leaving only the black tapes. And then comes a heavy snowstorm, and wham! - half the cover straps have broken off and the cover is laying in the pool. If your safety pool cover needs repair - now is the time to figure out if it can be repaired, or if you need to replace the safety cover before fall winterization. POOL SAFETY COVER REPAIR: Let's say that your cover is around 10 years old, and it's in need of repair.

Safety Pool Cover Patch Kit

Perhaps some straps are broken, and there may be some small holes. Surely, a few of the springs are broken or misshapen, and several of the deck anchors don't function like they should. Ask yourself this question: Is the cover still functional? I mean, is it safe and does it block out debris and sunlight?

A few broken straps or missing anchors, and even a few small holes in the cover won't necessarily affect it's overall performance. Repairing a safety pool cover is done by all of the pool cover manufacturers, or there are a few textile sewing companies around the country that also specialize in safety cover repair, such as: Swift River Textiles, Jean's Canvas and DS Sewing. Or, you may have a local textile shop - specializing in tents, awnings and sails that can handle the job. DIY Pool Cover Repair: Small patches can be repaired with safety cover, which are 3'x9'. If you are handy with an awl, you could make stitching repairs to wear strips, straps and scrim around the edge. Contact the manufacturer for large swatches of material and you can even attempt a panel replacement - difficult without a large sewing machine, but not impossible. You can also replace broken (springs and anchors) yourself.

Professional Pool Cover Repair: To send off for a repair quote, here's the process. Clean the cover on both sides to remove any leaves or debris. Remove all of the springs from the straps.

Buckles can be left on. Tag your cover with your name and contact information. Fold the cover accordion style (fan-folded), and fold up tightly to fit inside your box. Contact your cover dealer or repair company, for Return Authorization and shipping address. Ship off the cover with the cheapest UPS, FedEx or USPS rate you can get. You should be contacted with a repair quote within a week. Repair can take 1-2 weeks to complete.

Another week to get it back to you That's a month if you were keeping track! If you want to have your cover repaired and back to you in time to close the pool, now is the time to pull it out, clean it off, remove the springs and get it boxed up! POOL SAFETY COVER REPLACEMENT: Replacing your safety cover is another process altogether.

The easiest way to do is to contact the dealer that you bought it from originally, and tell them you want a quote for a 'replacement cover'. They will contact Loop-Loc, Meyco or whichever company, who will pull up your original order and send back a price to recreate a new pool cover, as an exact duplicate of the original. If your original pool cover did not fit well for some reason, or you wish to design it differently - up-and-over instead of in-the-wall for instance, you'll need to measure the pool, using an A-B measurement form. But, if an exact duplicate suits you fine, then again the easiest way is to have the same company remake the original design. This can take 3-4 weeks, until you receive a replacement safety cover, so plan early.

If you want to switch safety cover brands, or have no idea what brand your original cover is - all hope is not lost. You'll just need to measure the pool using A-B measuring form. You'll also need to plot a point to each existing anchor in the deck, and measure from points A&B to each anchor location around the pool. This will enable them to design the cover to mostly match your existing anchors, although you may need to redrill a few anchors. Stock Covers: If your pool cover is a 'stock cover', that means it's an in-stock size, on the shelf, ready to ship. Most inground vinyl liner pools use a stock cover, and most plaster rectangles as well.

Other pools, with freeform curves, uncommon dimensions or attached spas, are not considered stock covers, but 'custom covers'. If you bought a stock Loop-Loc cover 15 years ago, for example, you can buy a new stock Loop-Loc of the same size and be confident that it will line up to your existing anchors. Other brands however, may have different strap spacing and not match your anchors exactly.

REINSTALLING A REPAIRED OR REPLACED SAFETY COVER: Strap Adjustment: Even if you get an exact copy cover, made from the original design, or a new cover designed to match existing anchors, it can take some time to get the springs adjusted to where they were. Put on all the springs loose at first, and then go around the cover a few times, tightening until you have an even overlap all the way around the pool edge.

Be aware that all covers have a shallow end and a deep end, and very few covers are symmetrical from end to end. Ideally, safety cover springs should be compressed about 1/3-1/2 of the way, and the cover should be drum tight, without a visible deflection in the center.

Deck Anchors: If you need to redrill some anchors, to line up more closely with the straps or get a better fit, you can rent a hammer drill and a 3/4 in. Masonry bit, and drill some holes in the deck. To replace just the anchor, but not drill new holes, you can remove old anchors by using a small hammer and chisel to chip away small amounts of concrete around the top of the anchor. Once loose, you can grab it with strong pliers and pull it out of the concrete. Brass anchors are only held in place around the top 1/8' of the anchor body. NOW IS THE TIME!

Pull the cover out this weekend, and figure out if you need repair or replacement, or if you're going to take a chance on getting another year out of it. Thanks for Reading!

Rob Cox by, August 30, 2009 Loop-Loc is the leader in the swimming pool safety cover industry. Backed by a 12 year warranty and fabricated with impeccable craftsmanship, Loop-Loc covers have become common in the backyard.

The quality of Loop-Loc safety covers are undisputable - but like all covers, are not indestructible and are known to get a hole from a fallen tree limb or a hungry rodent trying to burrow its way through the cover. I've seen deer damage, exhaust pipe damage, chemical damage. Some were repairable, some were not. LOOP-LOC COVER REPAIR For those smaller holes under 3x6 inches, Loop-loc has provided mesh cover patches. This, made by 3M is self adhesive and can be ordered in the same colors as your mesh cover.

These patches are made to last. They will conceal your rip or hole, blending into the cover and at the same time prevent further tearing and fraying. Patching on both sides is recommended.

Mesh material can be adhered to the cover with rubber cement or Gorilla Glue. It is also recommended to patch on both sides of the cover. Cut your patches to a rounder shape, as patches with square corners tend to start to peel off more easily.

For added strength, stitch an edge, using an awl and some fishing line or heavy cotton thread. Or, stitch all 4 sides with nylon strapping, double stitched and cross stitched on the corners, if you want a real professional repair. Sometimes holes and tears cannot be patched over and the hole in the cover can become a security issue. Holes in a mesh pool cover will begin to fray more and more over time.

Loop-Loc, of course, conveniently offers factory repairs. All the customer has to do is remove the springs, clean and pack the cover, and send it in for repairs. Loop-loc has a price guide for repairs but the exact cost varies from cover to cover based on size. A custom quote is sent to you (through a Loop-Loc dealer) with repair cost, usually within 2-3 business days. A comparison replacement cost is also provided. The most common repairs are small patches, panel replacements and/or strap replacement. Turn around time is about 3 weeks this time of year.

MESH POOL COVER CARE Over many years of use the mesh safety cover will begin to show it's age. Harsh winter, chemical use, and ultra-violet rays will eventually contribute to the deterioration of your cover.

To ensure that you get the most use out of your cover maintaining and cleaning it is a must. Make sure to remove debris and or standing water regularly. That is, when you see the water touching the underside of the cover it's time to lower the water level 6-12' with a small pump or siphon.

When storing the cover always take some time to clean the cover as you remove it. If there is a lot of debris on the cover, loosen half of the straps and use a leaf net and pole to scoop off the big stuff.

Then use a powerful garden hose and/or leaf blower to clean the cover off, as you remove it from the pool. Cleaning section by section, as the cover is folded, seems easiest. I often come across covers that have been stored in a barn or outside area, and as we pull out the cover, mice run across our feet! A folded mesh cover makes a nice winter home for a growing rodent family. Field mice love to make a nest inside of the folds, and many times they chew holes through the material. When storing the cover, inside the house is best. A few moth balls or even better, a bag of Mouse Away, keeps them out if you want to store it outside in a pool house, shed or under the deck, even the garage.

MESH POOL COVER REPLACEMENT Nothing lasts forever. When your cover has excessive tearing or fraying and or straps are broken and springs are damaged it might be time to consider purchasing a replacement Loop-loc cover. To order a replacement cover we try and locate information on file through Loop-loc to avoid any measuring and re-drilling. Your original order number had been stitched into the cover on the underside, if made in the last 15 years. It is typically located on the shallow end on the shorter side of cover. Another method to getting exact replacement is to have us check with loop-Loc to see if they have you on file.

Easiest is Invoice number or Cover number, but if you don't have that, we could use the year the cover was purchased, name of the customer who bought it and name of the Loop-Loc dealer that it was purchased through. Loop-Loc will also take your old cover and use as a template for customers with nothing on file, or for other brand mesh covers.

Just clean the cover (please), remove the springs (or cut off the straps) roll it up tightly, box it up and send it to Loop-Loc Ltd, 390 Motor Parkway, Hauppage, NY 11788. For those customers who have tossed their old cover and have no information on file, it may be necessary to A-B measure both your pool and the existing anchor points to have a cover made to match existing anchors. If your Loop-loc mesh pool cover is a ', or one of their standard rectangle sizes, you can safely purchase a regular stock cover, with or without hardware, and it should fit most, if not all of the existing deck anchors. Most of the stock cover patterns have changed very little in the last 15-20 years. If you don't need new springs and anchors, Loop-Loc has what they call a Fitting Allowance, which deducts 50 cents per anchor, and/or $1 per spring not shipped with a cover.

So, there you have it, some lessons in the Care and Repair of Loop-Loc mesh pool covers (and other brands like Meyco, GLI, HPI, Merlin). If you are looking for, like Springs, Anchors, Tools, Bags, etc. We've got you covered!