EQUIPMENT
The cover or slats are stuck
Stop pressing the button the moment it jams — each extra press is what breaks the belt or the motor — then switch the key isolator off and look for what is fouling the track.
An automatic cover has a lot of torque and will keep pushing or pulling against whatever is in its way. Almost all the expensive damage to these systems happens not when they jam, but in the four or five presses of the button after they have jammed.
Let go of the button and switch the system off at its key isolator or breaker. Do not try one more time to see if it will go.
Walk the full length of both tracks. Leaves, twigs, a child's toy and seed pods in the channel are the commonest cause.
Clear whatever is in the way by hand or with a stick. Never lever it out with a screwdriver.
Check the water level. Too low and the slats scrape the wall; too high and they bind against the coping.
Bring the level back to the middle of the skimmer before you drive it again.
Look at whether the bank of slats is square. If one side is clearly running ahead of the other, do not drive it further — get a technician to re-square it.
On a roller cover, check the fabric is winding evenly rather than bunching to one side.
Check the ropes are still seated in the pulleys at both ends.
With the tracks clear and the level right, switch the power back on at the key isolator.
Drive it in the opposite direction to the one it jammed in. If it stuck while closing, open it first.
Work in short bursts, watching it the whole time.
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