About Swimming Pool Covers
Covers for the Swim Season
A solar cover is the one you use while the pool is open. It floats on the surface, holds the day heat overnight, and cuts evaporation, which is where most of a heated pool warmth and water go. The trade-off is handling, since a solar cover has to come off before anyone swims and go back on afterwards, which is why most people who use one pair it with a reel.
Covers for the Off Season
Once the pool closes, the cover has a different job: keeping weather and debris out for several months without being touched. Winter covers lie over the water and are held down around the edge. Safety covers anchor into the deck and are built to take weight, which matters for households with children or pets. Both protect the water, but only one is designed to hold it.
Inground and Above Ground Fit
Covers are cut to the pool, which is why the catalog splits them first by pool type. Inground covers are sized to the water and to the deck around it, since safety and automatic covers anchor outside the pool edge. Above ground covers go over the top rail of a round or oval pool and are held with a cable and winch. Shape and measurements matter more than material.
Swimming Pool Covers FAQs
What is the best pool cover to buy?
+Work backwards from when you will use it. If the pool is open and you want to keep it warm, a solar cover does that and nothing else does it as cheaply. If the pool is closing for months, choose between a winter cover and a safety cover. If you want the pool covered daily without handling anything, an automatic cover is the only option that does it on its own.
What is the difference between a safety cover and a winter cover?
+Both keep debris out over the off season, but they are built differently. A winter cover lies across the water and is weighted or clipped around the edge, which makes it the cheaper option. A safety cover anchors into the deck with straps and springs and is made to hold weight rather than float. Safety covers come in mesh, which drains through, and solid, which needs a cover pump.
How much does a typical pool cover cost?
+Cost tracks three things: the size of the pool, the type of cover, and whether it needs installing. A winter cover for an above ground pool sits at the low end. Safety covers cost more because they are cut to the pool and anchored into the deck. Automatic covers are the largest investment, since the price includes a track system and professional installation.
What are the potential drawbacks of a pool cover?
+Every cover trades effort for protection somewhere. Solar covers have to come off and go back on around swimming, which is why a reel is close to essential on anything larger than a small pool. Winter covers need water removed from the top through the season. Safety covers take longer to install the first time. Automatic covers add a mechanism that eventually needs servicing.
What can be used instead of a pool cover?
+Tarps and other improvised coverings get used, but they are not cut to the pool and they are not made for the load. A purpose built cover matches the pool shape, anchors properly, and is rated for months of snow, rain, and debris. An ill-fitting tarp tends to sag into the water, collect debris underneath, and let exactly what you were trying to keep out back in.
When should a swimming pool be covered?
+During the swim season, cover the pool whenever it is not in use, especially overnight, when most heat and water are lost. For closing, wait until the water temperature is consistently below 65 degrees Fahrenheit, then clean, balance, and treat the water before the cover goes on. Covering warm water is what turns a spring opening into a cleanup job.