Remove Snow From Your Pool Cover: The Easy Way

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If you live in the Northeast, or anywhere that experiences snowy winters, then keep reading. Because having to remove snow from your pool cover is either something you’ve dealt with before or will be dealing with soon.

So today, we’re sharing a few tips for dealing with snow on your pool cover. Little strategies that make the job, WAY easier.

If you want to avoid damaging your cover, or worse, having to completely replace it, then follow the tips in this post. They’ll save you time, frustration, and make it much easier to keep snow off of your pool cover.

(Covering your pool but still keeping it open? Check out this post)

How to Remove Snow From Your Pool Cover: The Easy Way

Why it’s so important to remove snow from your pool cover

pool cover collapse from snow remove snow from your pool cover — Image via Wildlanspa

Right off the bat, most pool owners know that letting snow pile up on their pool cover is bad. There are a few different effects that it can have:

On covered above ground pools, snow buildup puts pressure on the walls and can force them to cave inwards from the middle.
- This leads to expensive repairs for the pool frame, and likely, a new cover
On inground pools, a cover with too much snow on it can tear apart, and even pull cover anchors right out of the pool deck
- Repairs can range from a small patch in the cover, to replacing multiple anchors and the entire cover itself

But with all that said, aren’t pool covers designed to support a lot of weight?

Yes, most pool covers can hold anywhere from 400 to 2,000 pounds. That’s plenty of support for a person walking across, or some rainwater and leaves.

But snow? Snow is different.

How snow affects your pool cover

snow and ice on pool cover remove snow from pool cover — Image via YouTube

Just 10 inches of snow spread across your cover can weigh hundreds of pounds. And when that same snow is wet from rainwater or frozen over, it weighs even more.

So naturally comes the question:

Can a pool cover collapse from too much snow?

Yes. But that all depends on what type of cover you’re using, and how much snow you let pile up on it.

On that note, this is exactly why all winter pool covers need the support of your pool water.

By lowering your water to just 3-6 inches below skimmer level, you give the cover just enough room to stretch before it touches the water. At that point, the water helps support your cover when it’s weighed down by rain or snow.

Of course, they’ll still sink and bend as weight piles up. But don’t worry, winter pool covers are designed to work this way. And as long as you follow a few basic guidelines, you can keep your cover working great for years to come.

If you’re using a solid cover

Solid pool covers rely heavily on their companion cover pumps to properly drain.

Unlike mesh cover, solid pool covers have no holes for drainage. So when water or snow piles onto it, the only way to safely remove it is with a submersible cover pump. These pumps pull in the water that collects at the center of the cover and pushes it out to waste.

Most solids cover can safely support up to an inch of water, which is equal to about 10 feet of snow. That said, your job is to never let the snow pile that high in the first place. And we’ll show the easy way to do that soon.

If you’re using a mesh pool cover

With mesh covers, you’ll sooner notice the cover beginning to sink and stretch with the weight of the snow. This is because mesh covers are designed from a more flexible material.

Because of this, they can safely stretch, and even freeze with the weight of the snow. And when they thaw out, they’ll flex back to the original shape.

But there are limits. A mesh cover can only stretch so much.

Both solid, and mesh covers must be able to touch your pool water when they stretch. So be sure to keep your water line 3 to 6 inches below the skimmer level. (Mesh covers can stretch a little further, so 6 to 9 inches is okay too)

So now that we’ve talked about why it’s important to remove snow from your pool cover, let’s get to the good stuff:

Dealing with different types of snow
What you need to safely remove it
And, the best ways to remove snow from your pool cover

Types of snow

Light powdery snow

This is the most common type of snow you see during winter. It’s the light and fluffy kind that sinks and crunches when you step in it. The postcard, picture-perfect snow that everyone wants to see during the holidays.

But let’s talk about how it relates to your pool cover:

One inch of powder snow weighs about 1 pound per square foot.
And one cubic foot (a perfect square, 12 x 12 x 12 inches) of snow weighs around 20 pounds

Which means that a 10 x 30 swimming pool, can easily end up with over 450 pounds of weight on it from just 1 – 2 inches of snowfall.

But what about when it rains? Or when the snow is more slushy?

Great question…

Wet snow

Wet snow weighs A LOT more than regular powdered snow.

How much more?

Wet snow weighs anywhere from 2-5 pounds more per inch than regular snow. And the same goes for frozen layers of snow too.

Which means that 9 inches of powdered snow, with an inch of frozen snow on top, weighs well over 600 pounds.

What to use to remove snow from a pool cover

Don’t use a shovel, or anything remotely sharp. It can damage and tear the cover, which is the opposite of what you want.

Instead, use a combination of these methods to remove snow from a pool cover:

Long broom to push snow off the cover
Leaf blower to remove light powder snow and prevent buildups
Pool salt to naturally melt away light snow (Only use pool salt. Do NOT use rock salt for sidewalks & driveways)
A cover pump to remove water buildup from snow
A waterproof heat cable to speed up melting

How to remove different amounts of snow on your pool cover

remove snow from inground pool cover — Image via Flickr

First, monitor your water level

No matter how much snow you’re dealing with, this is the golden rule.

Remember: All winter pool covers need the support of your pool water to work properly.

So be sure to keep water 3 to 6 inches below skimmer level for the best results with a winter cover. Add or remove water as necessary.

Removing under 2 inches of snow from your pool cover

Your cover may bend slightly, but this is normal. If it freezes, allow it to thaw out naturally to avoid any damage.

Meanwhile, here’s what you can do to keep snow off the cover:

Use leafblower or broom to clear off snow as it falls
Let your pool cover pump (check) handle melting snow by leaving it in the center

Removing 3 inches of snow from your pool cover

The process here is similar to dealing with 2 inches of snow. But here, you’ll be a little more vigilant.

Clear off as much snow as possible with a leaf blower and broom
Sprinkle pool salt (safe for water) across the surface of the cover to assist with melting, and reduce freezing overnight
Leave your pool cover pump on to pick up melted snow

IMPORTANT TIPS:

Keep checking water level (3 to 9 inches best)
Prevent snow from melting and refreezing by removing it every 12 hours

Removing 5+ inches snow from your pool cover

snow on above ground pool cover how to remove — Image via Zager’s Pool and Spa

If you’re expecting heavy snowfall, there are a few things you can do ahead of time to lighten the load on your pool cover:

Purchase a waterproof heat cable, power it on, and run it across the surface of your cover and around the pump.
- This will melt snow and create a drainage path for your cover pump
Sprinkle pool salt across the cover’s surface to fend off initial snowfall

Once the snow has started piling on the cover:

Use a brush or leaf blower to remove buildup
Leave pump cover on to assist with melting and drainage
Sprinkle more pool salt on remaining snow to speed up melting.

Quick recap: Removing snow from your winter pool cover

As you know now, dealing with snow on your pool cover is much easier with the right approach. It’s a good mix of preparation and using the right tools for the job.

Here are the key takeaways from this post: