If you're set on Anchor, the lighter, the better. It's been my experience to see them fade in color withing a couple years when exposed to full sun for more than a few hours per day.

Be careful with this brand. There are extra "bells and whistles" such as sewn in wear protection and heavier gauge material that do actually enhance the durability of these covers. They do make the cover heavier and somewhat more bulky when storage time comes. They also become more costly.

When I say heavier, it's not unusual for one of these covers to weigh over 200 lbs.! Since most covers need to be carried, not dragged to a storage location, this is a lot of work! While it only comes in green with black, Loop-Loc's Ultra-Loc will come in at about 1/3 lighter or about 140 lbs. for the same pool and need about 1/2 the holes drilled.

Whether you chose springs or the rubber straps, expect about twice as many anchors to be set in your deck when compared to other brands such as Loop-Loc, Merlin, Meyco, etc. These other covers typically have anchors spaced at three foot intervals on free form pools. Anchor uses 18" to 24" intervals.

Anchor covers also use a larger overlap from the edge of the pool, making the cover larger. The longer perimeter means more holes, more material used and a more costly cover.

Anchor covers tend to float on the surface. If a hole forms, pool water is likely to make it to the top and get pumped off by the cover pump. Then the cover will slowly lower itself in the pool because the pool level drops. Eventually, the rubber straps break or the springs, if used, will slip off the straps. I have seen this happen more than once, and it usually is teamed with Murphy's laws in that it will go unchecked because nobody will be home to notice for the greatest number of hours or days. Now the cover pump is in the pool pumping out the pool the rest of the way. Patches are usually very visible.

Every other brand of safety cover I know of is stretched tightly over the pool's surface. The only time these covers hit the surface when properly installed is under a snow load or failed cover pump condition. Once the load is removed, they pop back up over the the surface.

Empty gunite pools may become buoyant if the water table rises. I've seen this happen too! If a pool has hydrostatic valves, these can relieve the pressure by letting ground water in, but if they have been in place for years, the seals or gaskets will deteriorate and when the water table lowers, the valves leak water out. If hydrostatic plugs are used instead of valves, then it's a pop goes the pool shell.

Most cover manufacturers' anchors have a 5/16" hex opening in the top. This allows standard screwdriver bits turned upside down in a cordless drill to be used for raising and lowering the anchors quickly. Anchor's use a 1/4". Most opening and closing teams don't carry a bit for the drill in this size meaning they have to do it by hand with an Allen key. That's a lot of anchors to do by hand.

I readily admit I don't like Anchor's covers. I think I am justified. It's why I don't sell them. If someone insists, then they will go elsewhere. I don't like losing a customer but I also don't like selling products and supporting products that I feel aren't in the customer's best interest.

Scott

Scott

Thanks for the info Scott. I'm leaning back toward a Tan cover, all of my pavers and aggregate decking is kind of Tan. I'm just thinking it may stain or discolor? Does anyone have a solid light color cover? And can you keep it clean? I'm down to Green & Tan. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

We ordered the cheapest, which was green. I wish we ordered blue, because it would look like the pool water. The loop loc cover looks so nice. Last winter was the first with our new pool, and over the winter as I looked at it wistfully thinking of the good weather, I couldn't help thinking that a blue cover would have looked so much nicer!

For Anchor, the tan seems to keep it's color better. The green will change.

As for cleaning, Simpler Green or a pool cover cleaner and a pool brush work well. Hose it down and let the cover pump do it's thing. Then rinse a second time.

Scott

Does anyone know anything about the blue mesh loop loc cover? The blue seems to be a light blue, so I am concerned about staining and dirt. I can't decide between the green and the blue. We had the green for 12 years, but it is damaged and needs to be replaced, so I am thinking that the blue might be nicer, but am concerned about staining. The swatch I have is small. Any comments or advice would be helpful.. Thanks!

We are just replacing our Anchor cover after 19 years. We have rough edges (no coping- cantilevered deck) so it has reinforced (basically double material sewn on the outer 2 ft of perimeter). I went with Anchor again because I have never had any issues in 19 years with this cover. I live in Pa. and it gets very cold here in winter and cover often fills with ice and snow when pump cant work. . I am going with same color, tan, one because it matches my deck, but two, because I think the lighter colors may reflect sun better and last longer (I heard a pool service guy say this in another posting site as well.)