Above Ground Winter Pool Covers – Mesh or Solid?

above ground winter covers mesh or solid

Winter covers for your above ground pool: you know you need one, but how do you choose the right one? There are many quality grades available for each type of pool cover, but beside your pool cover budget, how do you select between the solid pool covers and the mesh pool covers for an above ground pool?

Solid or Mesh Winter Pool Covers: Which is Best?

above ground solid winter cover

Solid Winter Cover

above ground mesh winter cover

Mesh Winter Cover

Solid winter covers

Nearly airtight, solid winter covers will prevent dirt, water, debris, and sunlight from entering the pool. Blocking the sunlight aids in preventing algae and other organisms from growing in the pool during fall and winter months. A good solid winter pool cover ensures that your pool water will be as nice in the spring as it was in the fall.

A solid cover does require a cover pump to remove accumulated water and melted snow from the cover’s surface.

Both solid and mesh pool covers are different than a solar cover in design and construction. You can easily narrow your search by pool type; above ground covers are very different from in-ground pool covers. Solid covers are more expensive than mesh covers as they are more durable and ensure clean pool water in the spring.

Mesh winter covers

Mesh covers provide excellent winter protection and are perfect if you live in an area that receives heavy snow fall during winter months. These covers are porous, so that melting snow, melting ice, and rain will drip through the cover into the pool, preventing puddles on the surface of the cover. Those particles of debris can be easily cleaned out in the spring with a pool vacuum. Mesh covers are less expensive than solid covers and are lightweight, so they are easier to install and remove.

Winter Pool Cover Maintenance

Winter covers need some small amount of maintenance during the off-season. They should be checked periodically, especially after snowfall, and drained if necessary. It’s a good idea to check the cover’s tension and make any necessary adjustments where needed. A proper fit will help you get the full benefits of a quality winter pool cover.

Leaf Nets

leaf net pool cover

No matter what type of cover you choose, you can supplement the effectiveness of your pool cover with a swimming pool leaf net. Leaf nets are designed to go over your winter pool cover to prevent leaves and other debris from collecting on the cover or settling into pooled water.

If you have a lot of trees around your pool, a leaf net makes it easy to clean leaves and debris from the pool cover. This is a fast and easy way to keep the cover clean and remove unnecessary weight and unwanted debris.

Place your leaf net on the pool when you cover the pool for the winter, then remove the leaf net after the trees have lost their leaves. It’s so easy to pull all the leaves off your pool cover in under a minute.

Having a winter cover will save you time and money in the spring, so choose carefully! You will need specific accessories for your cover. When ordering, be sure to ask your salesperson about the right accessories for your type of above ground pool cover. For specific information about getting the most out of your winter cover, you’ll want to check out our 5 Above Ground Pool Winter Cover Tips!

12 thoughts on “Above Ground Winter Pool Covers – Mesh or Solid?

  1. I have a mesh pool cover. Pumping off the water on top of the pool cover is draining my pool so I need to keep refilling it. If I do not remove the water on top of the cover the water gets green and breeds mosquitoes. We had no rain last night so the water on the pool cover must be coming from the pool water itself. Is there a way to prevent the pool water from seeping up from the pool to the top of the cover?

    • Hi Fifi, with aboveground pool mesh covers (not to be confused with mesh safety covers for inground pools), they should be pulled tightly across the pool, to keep it above the water level. Easier said than done, but some things that can assist is using an air pillow (or two) under the cover, using Cover Clips in addition to the cable, and/or using cable weights (Wall Bags or milk jugs), to pull down on the cover cable. If you can keep it mostly taut, that should keep the cover from touching the water surface, which yes – warms the water, grows algae and attracts mosquitoes…

  2. Johnnie J. Hoffman

    I have a 24 foot round that has many many trees and vines that fall year around. I live in Pensacola Florida. My first year and I wonder what the consequences would be to just leave it and deal with the results in the spring. I have a leaf mesh but there are so many leaves. I would order a solid cover..no problem…just really at a loss. Are there any companies that I could hire to close? 72 years old…any suggestions or websites really appreciated

  3. Thank you for the information!

    I purchased a mesh winter cover, but water is sitting on top of the cover, it is not draining into the pool. Is this normal? Above you state ” Mesh covers are porous so that melting snow, melting ice, and rain will drip through the cover into the pool, preventing puddles on the surface of the cover”

    This was one reason I purchased the mesh, but water is sitting on it like it is a solid cover.

    Thank you in advance if you answer. I appreciate it.

  4. Patricia Price conway

    Hi. I live in southern Louisiana and it rarely reaches freezing temps, mostly at night but quickly warms up during the day. Do I have to use air pillows under mesh cover in my above ground pool?

    • Hi Patricia, great question. And I would say… probably not. With an overnight freeze of just a few degrees below 32F, the water surface will freeze solid, but not very thick. It takes several days of solid freeze in a row, before the surface ice sheet expands to a thickness that could cause skimmer or wall problems. And if you use a Skimmer Plug, aka Aquador skimmer cover, the skimmer is protected anyway, or have the water safely below the skimmer opening.

  5. Hi, I was wondering if I use a solid cover that sits on the water, do I put stretch the leaf mesh tight across the pool? or should it sit on the solid cover, that will collect the water?

    • Hi John, most people put the leaf cover slack across the surface, no need to pull the Leaf Catcher tight. If you did, it may not ‘catch’ the leaves very well, many may blow off, into your yard, more work for you I would think. For maximum longevity, we recommend that Leaf net covers be removed after all of the leaves have fallen, and stored indoors for winter/spring/summer.

  6. Patty Wood

    Recently moved to NC and have a 24 ft above ground pool. Can I just put a mesh cover on for the winter.New to the whole pool thing. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

    • Hi Patty, depending on what part of NC you are in, winter is mild or wild. But if you get freezing temps regularly, better close the pool properly. To winterize a pool, the equipment and hoses are disconnected and drained completely. The wall return and skimmer is plugged with a Skimmer Gizmo and Plug. Plugging the front opening of the skimmer, with the Skimmer Plug for aboveground pools, is also a good idea, to keep ice out of the skimmer. If you don’t use a Skimmer Plug, the water level is lowered below the skimmer. Then an air pillow or two for a 24′ round is inflated and placed in the middle of the pool. Pull the pool cover over and secure it tightly around the edge. Cover Clips and Cover Seal are popular to keep wind from getting under the cover, which can damage the cover, and pull it off. you will also need a small cover pump to remove rain water. Oh, and I almost forgot, you have to get a winter closing kit, which has the chemicals to keep the water from turning bad. The pool should also be clean and balanced, before covering, for best results. And I prefer the solid covers, the mesh covers allow a lot of sunlight and dust to enter the pool, and if you have leaves, turns the water to tea. Oh, and if you do have lots of leaves or trees near the pool, the Leaf Net covers are really a worthwhile purchase, goes over top of your solid cover until after the leaves have all fallen (December-ish).

  7. We have a oval 18×33 above ground pool, do we need pool pillows if we use a mesh winter cover? Cindy Goodman

    • Hi Cindy, yes you still need – the pillow is to keep the surface of the water from freezing solid across, which puts pressure on the pool walls and could damage the liner. If you live north of the Mason-Dixon line, air pillows are important, and for your size pool, I would use two or four, depending on size. They can be roped together with the grommets, so they will stay in place, in the middle of the pool.

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