We get a lot of questions on pool covers. We find people commonly get confused regarding the benefits that one cover may provide over another. In this post we’re going to discuss the 3 basic types of pool covers for your pool. Depending on what cover you choose, pool covers can offer protection, convenience, and improved efficiency. Some (but not all covers) can save people from falling in your pool and drowning. Moreover, pool covers keep leaves and debris away from the pool, which reduces maintenance considerably. Certain pool covers are a crucial addition worth buying since safety is a major priority for all pool users and owners.
Mesh Winter Safety Covers
A mesh safety pool cover is one of the most recent styles of pool coverings for in-ground swimming pools. This cover varies from a standard solid tarp cover, in that it enables water and melting snow to travel past the mesh and then into the swimming pool. Because it allows rain water into the pool instead of shedding it away, a mesh cover will help conserve water and will keep out any waste that might normally find it’s way into your pool, simplifying maintenance. Because mesh covers don’t have to carry a lot of water weight, they tend to last longer. Thanks to strong heavy-duty anchors pins installed in the pool deck material or in surrounding lawn, these covers can handle a lot of weight. The anchors and spring accessories and can be custom-tailored to fit the the contour of any pool.
Solar Covers
The primary objective of a solar pool cover is by insulating your swimming pool instead of protecting it. It accomplishes this by forming an air barrier that traps the heat and reduces evaporation. Solar covers are inexpensive and ideal for pool users who want to optimize the heat conservation of their pool. Furthermore, as with the previous pool covers, they do an excellent job of preventing water loss. A solar pool cover is sometimes referred to as a bubble pool cover since it is typically a thin cover with air bubbles all around it. It captures solar heat and can raise the temperature of your pool by up to 8 degrees. Installation is uncomplicated, and after the cover has been sized and trimmed to fit the design of your pool, it can be used immediately. Furthermore, it aids in reducing the volume of filth and debris that enters your pool. With a solar cover, many owners install a vault at the end of the pool where the cover is neatly rolled up and stored away. This not only keeps the cover out of site, but makes installing and removing the cover much easier. The vault comes with a sleek aluminum lid which sits flush with the surrounding grade, making it less obtrusive. It’s important to know that solar covers are not safety covers. These covers are meant to float on the surface of the water and cannot hold any additional weight.
Automatic Pool Covers
An automatic pool cover makes sense for a variety of safety and budgetary reasons. Yes, it will significantly increase your budget for a new pool or a renovation. But it has the potential to offset maintenance costs over the years. These heavy-duty covers also help create peace of mind, especially in homes where you cannot monitor children and pets 100 percent of the time. In most cases you just flip a switch, and watch as the cover seals your pool. And while you cover your pool, its saving money on heating costs, minimizing water loss from evaporation, and keeping the water clean. An automated pool cover can also help extend your backyard swimming season while also saving money. You don’t want to pay for extra energy costs when it’s chilly outside. Even in the summer, nightfall in certain geographic regions brings a dramatic dip in temperature. As a result, a cover can lower pool heating costs by up to 70 percent, and they may save as much as 50 percent on overall electricity costs.
An auto cover can help lower your electric bill in another way: As explained above, by keeping your pool cleaner, you will need to run your pool cleaner for less time—saving energy. And cleaner water means shorter filtration run times, so your pump doesn’t have to operate as many hours per day to circulate water through your filter. The piece of mind you get will cost you somewhere in the neighborhood of between 20-30k depending on which brand and system you choose. Because automatic pool covers are strong and durable, they offer the highest degree of safety when it comes to keeping people—especially children—and pets from falling in. So, one of the greatest rewards of investing in an automatic pool cover is how easy it is to use. These covers essentially store themselves—usually in less than a minute! Your automatic pool cover conveniently puts itself away whenever you are ready.
An automatic cover should only be used as a winter cover if it has the proper slack. Proper slack is determined by where the cover touches the water. When the water level is lowered, the cover should normally touch the water no more than 12” from the edge of the pool.