Loop loc pool covers (price, shop, assess)

[hortense1919]

Anyone have any advice about where to get the best price and installation quality for loop loc pool covers? I'm looking for the solid cover called Ultra loc. Thanks.

[rocafeller05]

Pretty much all pool companies install these. I would just shop around for pricing. The installation part is pretty much standard as its just drilling the holes for the stakes.

[bubbathedog]

The installation is not standard. Make sure you quiz the companies you're talking to about a loop-loc cover, because they do cut corners for installation.

About a year ago, I noticed my paver bricks the loop-loc anchors were embedded into, were pulling. This was literally creating waviness in the pool surround. After talking to Loop-loc corporate, the anchors need to be at least 15" deep in the ground when using pavers. The guys who did my installation sank copper tubing only 4-5" deep. The idea is the tension is distributed across the length of the anchor tube. If the anchor tube is too short, it will exert more tension across the surface, there by pulling the bricks.

BTW, Loop-Loc will not honor the warranty if the anchors are not installed according to their specs.

In addition to the depth and length of the anchor tubes, ask what they use for the anchor tubing. The best is the Loop-loc aluminum tube, which is 15" and has a recessed ring designed for the brass anchor. Next best would be copper or pvc tubing. My Loop-Loc guy did come back to fix the way too short anchors, but he replaced copper tubing with cheap electrical conduit, which will rust over time.

In retrospect, if I had to do it all over again, I'd go with a concrete surround and a rectilinear pool. Concrete is much more solid with loop-loc anchors (which do not need to be sunk quite as deeply as with pavers), but will be assessed by the town. My pool is a free-form pool, so I have anchors all over the place, making it a headache to install the pool cover.