Taking Your PowerLock Cover On & Off
It's the motion you'll do most often. Here's the technique, start to finish, and one person can handle the whole job.
⚠️ Two safety rules that never bend
- When the cover is on, every anchor must be secured. A partly-anchored cover does not meet the ASTM safety standard.
- When the pool is in use, the cover must come completely off the water and stay away from the pool's edge. A cover left partly on is an entrapment hazard.
Every PowerLock is custom-sewn to your exact pool, and you were shown the right technique at install. Don't let anyone open or attach the cover until you've shown them how it's done on your pool. Keep removal tools and the PowerLock drill out of reach of children.
Removing the Cover
On most pools you can do this by yourself. Work slowly and methodically. Slow and steady wins every time.
- Never remove a cover with standing water on it. If there's rainwater on top, pump it off first.
- Using the PowerLock drill and extension tool, remove the male threaded anchors from the two longest sides and the side opposite from where you'll pull the cover off. The threaded portion stays with the cover.
- Remove enough anchors from the final side (usually two to six) so you can fold the long sides in over the top of the floating cover, then fold the remaining side in. Each fold should reach at least 2 to 3 feet onto the top of the cover.
- With three sides folded onto the top, remove the final anchors and pull the unfolded edge onto the deck about three to five feet.
- Place one foot on the cover on the deck, two or more feet from the edge. Pull the cover about three feet past your foot, then move your foot onto the new layer. Repeat, "fan-folding" onto the deck.
- Work slowly so the folded brass-anchor edges stay on top. Once it's off, move it to storage if you like.
💡 Why the folds matter: the brass anchors are heavy. Keeping those edges folded in 2 to 3 feet keeps their weight off the fold line. Otherwise it pulls the cover under the water.
Putting the Cover Back On
- Pull the top folded edge (keep it folded) onto the water and float the cover across the pool surface.
- Feed it out until the anchors on the last, unfolded edge line up with the matching deck anchors. Reattach those with the PowerLock drill and extension.
- Unfold the remaining sides and reattach every anchor. Confirm all anchors are secured before you walk away.
Make It Even Easier: the Heavy Duty Roller
The optional Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Roller takes most of the pulling and folding out of the job. It makes any cover far easier to handle, especially on a larger pool.
- Move the roller into position and bolt it to the deck anchors first. (Skipping this can let it roll toward the pool and fall in.)
- Remove the cover anchors and fold the edges in, exactly as above.
- Clip the roller straps to the correct grommets and roll the cover up.
- Storing more than a week? Keep it out of the sun under an opaque tarp, covered patio, or garage.
- To reinstall, bolt the roller back to the anchors, float the cover back across, unclip the straps, and re-anchor.
Thinking about buying? Ask us whether the Heavy Duty Roller makes sense for your pool's size. For many homeowners it turns taking the cover on and off from a chore into a quick habit. See the full PowerLock safety cover.
Watch It Done
The whole process, start to finish. Watch it once before your first try and the written steps above will make a lot more sense.
A Closer Look
Up close at deck level, and the finished result.
Learn How It Works and How Much You Can Save
Every PowerLock is custom-built to one pool: yours. The fastest way to get real numbers is a free, no-pressure estimate.
Phoenix: 623-869-6015 · Tucson: 520-232-2434