Inground Pool Winter Covers
Rectangle covers, ordered by your pool's size. Pick the size and we show every cover that fits it, including the larger ones that still work.
Inground winter covers
Select pool size
Which cover do I need?
Order by your pool's size, not the cover's. The cover is cut about 5 ft wider and longer than the pool so it laps onto the deck, and water tubes laid around the edge hold it down.
Solid coverBlocks sunlight and debris, so the water opens cleaner in spring. Rain and snowmelt collect on top, so plan on a cover pump.
Mesh coverLets rain and snowmelt drain through, so there is nothing to pump off. Fine dirt and some sunlight pass through with it.
Leaf netGoes on over a solid cover and catches the leaves. Lift it off with the leaves in it and the cover underneath stays clean.
Solid cover lines, compared at 20 x 40 ft
| Feature | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warranty | 10 years | 12 years | 15 years | 20 years | 25 years |
| Thickness | 5 mil | Not published | 8 mil | 8 mil | 14 mil |
| Color | Blue on black | Green on black | Silver on black | Black on tan | Brown on black |
| Edge | Sewn in polypropylene cord | Unbound | Unbound | Sewn in polypropylene reinforcement | Bound with commercial grade material and thread |
| Overlap, each side | 2.5 ft | 2.5 ft | 3 ft | 2.5 ft | 2.5 ft |
| Cover for a 20 x 40 ft pool | 25 x 45 ft | 25 x 45 ft | 26 x 46 ft | 25 x 45 ft | 25 x 45 ft |
Every column is a cover for the same 20 x 40 ft pool, so the prices compare, and every cell is that cover's own published specification. Overlap is per side, and the cut differs by brand: the Cool Covers King line is cut 3 ft a side where the others cut 2.5, which is why that cover is 26 x 46 ft and the rest are 25 x 45. All five take 18 water tubes of 8 ft. Cool Covers does not publish a thickness for the Unbound line, so we say so rather than guess.
Step by step, with the water tube count and how far to drain.
Inground winter cover questions
What size winter cover do I need for an inground pool?
Order by the pool, not the cover. An inground winter cover is cut to the pool plus 5 ft, so a 16 x 32 ft pool takes a 21 x 37 ft cover. The Cool Covers King line is cut plus 6 ft. Every cover here is listed by the pool it fits, and every card shows its own cover size.
Why is the cover bigger than the pool?
The extra is overlap, 2.5 ft on every side, or 3 ft on a Cool Covers King. It is not slack. It reaches down to the lowered winter waterline and back up over the coping, and that overhang on the deck is the only place a water tube can sit.
How many water tubes does an inground winter cover need?
Lay them end to end around the cover's edge, not the pool's. The run is 2 x ((width + 5) + (length + 5)). A 20 x 40 ft pool gives a 140 ft run, so 18 tubes of 8 ft or 14 of 10 ft. Each size page gives the count for that pool.
How full should a water tube be?
Two thirds to three quarters, never full. The water expands when it freezes and a full tube splits. Set each tube on the cover first and then fill it, with the cap facing up.
Can I hold the cover down with bricks or blocks?
No. They tear the cover, and if anyone goes through the cover they go into the pool too. Water tubes float instead. Neither the tubes nor the cover is a safety device.
Should I buy a solid cover or a mesh cover?
A solid cover blocks the light, so the water opens cleaner, but rain and snowmelt collect on top and come off with a cover pump. A mesh cover drains itself into the pool and leaves more spring cleanup. A leaf net is neither: it goes over a solid cover and lifts off with the leaves in it.
Do I drain the pool before I cover it?
No. Never drain an inground pool. The water in it is what holds the shell down against the groundwater outside. The level comes down a little for winter, and the cover's overlap is cut to reach it.