Swimming Pool Closing Winter Cover Ice Equalizer Air Pillow

DETAILS

What Is a Pool Pillow?

It couldn’t be any simpler. It’s a small, vinyl, inflatable pillow you place in the middle of your above ground pool, between the water and the winter cover.

What Does a Pool Air Pillow Do?

In this case, using a pillow isn’t about comfort. Well, unless we consider not having to replace your above ground pool as being comfortable, because that’s exactly the situation you may find yourself in if you don’t use a pool pillow. Sometimes also called an ice compensator, a pool air pillow is used to compensate for the accumulation of rain, snow, and ice that may build up on the pool cover over the winter months. By placing an air-filled pool pillow under the winter cover, you create a void in the water and on the top of the cover. When rain, snow, and ice accumulate, and pressure builds on the cover, the ice will expand inward toward the pillow. Without the pool air pillow, ice would expand outward, putting pressure on your pool walls and causing potential damage to your cover, liner, and pool walls.

How to Use a Pool Pillow

It’s easy to integrate this into the process of winterizing the pool

1. Inflate the pool air pillow to only 50% of its capacity to allow for compression.
2. Tie strong string or thin rope to both ends of the pillow loosely; it should have grommets on the edges for this purpose.
3. Place the pillow in the center of the pool.
4. Secure the other ends of the strings loosely to the edge of the pool to keep the pillow in place.
5.  Pull the winter cover over the pool, being careful to keep it above the pillow. (This may be easier with the help of a friend or two.)
6. Secure the cover.

If the pool pillow moves while you’re putting the cover on, you can slide a pole under the cover to move the pillow back into place. Just make sure it doesn’t have a sharp point that can puncture the pillow, the cover, or both! Also try using a Pillow Pal