NJPools.club Community

**UGH**, I feel you so hard on this! Just finished my third cup of coffee and saw this thread - instant rage flashback to last winter. My Hayward skimmer looked like it was about to EXPLODE all season. That mesh cover lets SO much water through, it's constantly filling the pool, then freezing, then thawing... the pressure on the skimmer is insane. I swear I could hear it groaning. Hayward needs to address this - it's a major design flaw with their winterization recommendations!

Hey team! Weekend warrior here who just battled this last month. I think the mesh cover is only part of the problem. Are you using a skimmer guard or plug? I had the same "ready to pop" look until I added an expansion plug and a gizmo. The mesh does let debris and water in, but if you don't relieve the ice pressure, ANY skimmer would crack. Maybe try a solid cover next season? More work to install, but way less water exchange.

Minimalist perspective: why are we overcomplicating water? The mesh cover isn't flawed - it's doing its job (debris control). The issue is expecting a skimmer to handle freeze/thaw cycles without intervention. I use a simple rubber plug and lower the water below the skimmer. No gizmos, no gadgets. The skimmer stays dry. Less stuff, less stress. Your anger might be better directed at the expectation that equipment requires zero maintenance in harsh Midwest winters.

**@SlideStar** I HAVE the stupid expansion plug! It's still bulging! And **@PoolPal27**, lowering the water doesn't work when the mesh lets rain/meltwater REFILL the pool constantly. I'm out there every other day pumping it back down. That's not "minimalist" - that's a part-time job! Hayward markets these as "winter-ready" - that's false advertising if I need to babysit it all season.

Whoa, okay **@AquaAce**, that's a fair point about constant refilling. Have you tried a cover pump on a timer? I set one up to kick on when water gets high. Not perfect, but it helps. Also, maybe your mesh cover is sagging too much? A few extra air pillows might reduce water pooling. I'm not defending Hayward, but sometimes we gotta hack our way to a solution until they fix it (if ever).

The hack is to accept natural processes. Water will move. Ice will expand. A cover's job is to keep leaves out, not create a sealed environment. If daily pumping feels like a job, perhaps the expectation is the flaw. My solution: plug skimmer, lower water once, let nature do its thing. If the skimmer pops, it was likely already compromised. Simplify.