Many homeowners prefer to use a safety cover rather than a winter cover when preparing the pool for the winter months.  Safety covers protect the pool, but they also help prevent submersion and drowning accidents should a child or pet wander out onto the cover.  A proper safety cover can support a minimum of 485 pounds per 5 square feet, according to the American Society for Testing and Materials’ (ASTM) standard F1346-91.  If that safety cover is torn or in any other way damaged, though, it is no longer a reliable barrier.

Purchasing a new safety cover to replace a damaged one is not always necessary.  Safety covers can be repaired for much less than a new cover would cost, so investigating this as a viable option is recommended.  Make sure that the company who will perform the repairs is well-recognized for quality workmanship.  And, use a company that will pay for the shipping of your safety cover in both directions — from you to the company, and then back to you again once the repairs have been made.

If damage to a pool safety cover is beyond repair, then purchasing a new one is necessary.  A safety cover cannot be trusted as a reliable safety barrier if it is damaged in any way.