Buffalo Blizzard Blocks 12 Pack | Secures Winter Pool Cover to Oval or Rectangle Swimming Pools with Ultra Strong Water Blocks | High-Density Black Polyethylene Material

Update: Just opened our pool after a rough winter that included 16+ inches of snow. These blocks performed beautifully. Not one cracked nor did I lose any lids. Opening the pool was much faster using these vs the water bags. Definitely recommend.I ordered 30+ blocks to close a large in-ground pool. Immediately upon opening I noticed that 4 blocks were severely cracked and unusable. I contacted the seller and they shipped replacements out immediately. This seems to happen frequently, so plan ahead and check your order ASAP. That being said, I was very pleased with the seller working quickly to right my situation.As far as the product:These are just basic plastic containers with lids. Not super high quality, but they seem like they will do the job. They are 1000x easier to place and fill than using the water bags. Last year, two of us spent hours filling and lining the pool with those bags. Not to mention the hours spent draining them and cleaning them this past spring upon opening the pool.With the blocks, I lined, filled, and closed them myself in a total of 30 minutes. I imagine the opening of the pool will be just as easy.Some people have complained about the lids. I’d say out of 30+, about 5-6 gave me a hard time closing. They are similar to a really difficult Tupperware lid. Frankly, I am OK with the tightness because that tells me they should hold in place all winter.My pool is subject to some pretty harsh winter conditions, so I will try and update this after I make it through a winter with them.

This is a new product for me and time will tell whether or not it was a good choice. I ordered two cases of the Blizzard Blocks and three of the box bottoms were damaged. It is a bit tricky to get the lids to snap on but I finally managed. I am curious how well the blocks will hold up in freezing weather. I may update this review after the winter season has passed.Update to my original review...this is my second season using the blizzard blocks to hold the pool leaf net in place. I have been happy with this product. As I mentioned in my original review, the lids are sometimes tricky to properly snap into place. I had one lid that came loose and blew away on a very windy day. I ordered a replacement and received it promptly. I do recommend the blizzard blocks.

We were tired of using the water-filled tubes that develop mildew, split, leaked and become brittle after one to two years. We purchased an entire set of blocks using the block calculator, which, in my opinion, under sells the number you need (we had to re-order more). The covers have a learning curve to secure correctly, the blocks are not sealed tight with the covers in place (the water will empty out), and though they "seem" lighter than the tubes, they hold the pool cover in place without issue. We had significant wind (50-60mph gusts) with a tropical storm that came through and had no issues. Looking forward to an easier pool opening and storage of these blocks in the Spring.

I did a test this year using half water bags and half of these water blocks. The bags work much better. The tops of these blocks are very difficult to pop on tight. I had the wind knock a couple over which drained them where I had no problems with the water bags. I also worried that because the tops don't seal tight that mosquitoes could easily slip by on warmer days and lay eggs.

This product does what it says. It weighs down your pool net. However, the lids are not perfect and water does slosh and spill around when you move them. Fill them where you need them and leave them there. Maybe some sand instead of water will do the trick instead. Also, they are not heavy enough to keep your net off water. I am using these on the deck (where I do not want to bore holes for anchors) and in combination with some anchors/stakes placed on the dirt/grass around my pool. These are definitely better than bricks or other abrasive weights that will damage your net in the long run.

Last year I replaced the water bags usually use with a different brand of water blocks. They worked great but I needed a few more. This year I decided to try the buffalo blizzard blocks to add to the ones I had. I’m a little disappointed in these. One had a cracked lid when they arrived. The rest were difficult to put the lids on. They are doing the job now, minus the cracked one, but I have also noticed a few have popped the lids and had to be resecured. Not the same quality as the ones I bought previously.

Two arrived cracked. I was able to use them to close the pool. Since then, I found a 3rd floating in the pool with a large crack in it. I'm guessing it broke during the freeze, not that freezing should excuse it! I had hoped that the extra cost over water bags would have meant more longevity. Nope.

These work very well. Previously, we had used those rubber bags that you fill with water, THEY ROLL & leak; hard to get them to stay put. These boxes are Perfect! You fill a little and get everything situated and then add water as needed to keep everything stable.