In Ground Winter Covers

The right in-ground winter pool cover is the difference between opening in April to clear water and opening to a swamp. This collection covers rectangle pools from 12' x 20' up to 35' x 50', in both solid and mesh, so you can match your pool, your tree cover and your climate instead of settling for whatever size the big-box store had left. Every cover here is sized by pool dimensions, not cover dimensions, so you order the number painted on your pool.

Solid or mesh? A solid winter cover blocks 100% of sunlight, which starves algae completely and keeps every leaf and speck of dirt out of the water. It needs a cover pump to move rain and snowmelt off the top. Mesh safety covers let rain and melting snow drain straight through while screening out debris, so nothing ponds on the surface and there is no pump to babysit through a freeze. Mesh models anchor into the deck and are built to hold weight, which matters if children or pets use the yard in the off-season.

The lineup runs three brands. GLI Pool Products supplies the Classic, Estate and Estate Plus solid covers along with Secur-A-Pool and ProMesh safety covers, with warranties from 8 to 20 years. Swimline builds the SuperGuard, SupremeGuard and SilverKing solid covers, including left- and right-step layouts for pools with a set of stairs in the corner. PoolTux Royal Mesh rounds out the safety cover side. Anchored covers are one piece of a layered approach to off-season pool safety, the kind the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance promotes alongside fencing and alarms.

A cover alone will not close a pool. Pair yours with winter plugs for your returns and skimmer lines, and add water tubes to hold a solid cover down along the deck. Everything else on the closing list, from winterizing chemicals to cover pumps, lives in pool winterizing and closing supplies. Running an above-ground pool instead? Those sizes are in above ground winter covers.

Measure your pool at its longest and widest points, order that size, and let the overlap do the rest. Browse the full range of in-ground winter pool covers above, or start with mesh safety covers if you want a cover you can walk on.