Use a swimming pool cover
Using a swimming pool cover is an important part of owning a swimming pool. In general, pool covers serve two main purposes. First, they can reduce your pool’s maintenance costs, and second, a safety cover, in particular, can serve as an excellent preventive measure against accidental drownings. The four main types of pool covers are solar covers, winter covers, leaf nets, and safety covers. They are each designed for different reasons, so deciding which pool cover is right for you depends on your specific needs. This article should help you make the right choice for your own backyard pool.
SOLAR COVERS
Solar covers, also known as solar blankets, can significantly reduce the amount of energy you use, as well as reduce the amount of water that evaporates from your pool. Solar covers raise your pool’s water temperature by an average of ten degrees by absorbing sunlight during the day and keeping that heat in the pool at night. A solar cover will reduce your water and chemical evaporation by up to 70 percent which can save gallons of water each month. If you use a pool heater, the heat retained by a solar cover helps to reduce your heating costs which can mean a savings of up to 90% in the summertime. Other advantages of solar covers are that they help keep debris out of your pool, and they reduce the run time of your filter pool pump.
WINTER COVERS
Winter pool covers provide protection for your swimming pool from winter weather, but they also help prevent tree limbs, leaves, dirt, and other debris from falling into the pool. For an in ground pool, a solid cover is held in place with water bags placed around the edge of the pool inside sleeves attached to the cover. An above ground pool uses the same type of solid cover but it is held in place by a combination winch and cable assembly that runs through grommets in the cover. Inflatable air pillows rest on the water under the cover to make stick and leaf removal easier and helps water to run off the cover. A winter cover also blocks sunlight and, as a result, inhibits algae growth. A winter cover is the most important part of winterizing your pool, and it makes your spring time pool opening much easier to accomplish and less expensive.
LEAF NETS
So what does a leaf net do? Leaf nets are lightweight covers made of an open weave material that fits over your winter cover or solar cover and helps you avoid accumulations of wet, heavy, saturated leaves and twigs on top of your winter cover. Leaf nets ensure a quicker removal of leaves and helps prolong the life of your winter or solar cover. They can be used in any season and are a big help if your pool is located in an area surrounded by trees. The open weave allows water to pass through the net, but it will block twigs and trash. Leaf nets help make it easier to remove your pool cover.
SAFETY COVERS
Safety covers may be the most expensive type of pool cover, but they are also the most essential in the prevention of drowning and submersion accidents. A safety cover acts as a maintenance cover as well as a safety barrier over your pool. All safety covers must meet the requirements in the ASTM standard F1346-91 (1996); this means a cover must be able to support much more than the weight of a small child or animal should they walk out onto the cover. A proper safety cover is securely anchored into the deck area surrounding the pool and lies flat so there are no gaps between the pool and the cover that could allow a child to get under the cover and into the water. Safety covers give the pool owner peace of mind.
No matter which pool cover you select, ensuring that some kind of pool cover protects your swimming pool is an important part of properly caring for a pool. A covered pool will experience less freezing over the winter months than an uncovered one. A covered pool will take less time and will be more cost-efficient to open up in the spring time. And safety covers, in particular, will protect children and animals from tragic accidents should they wander too near the swimming pool. The right pool cover for you can only be determined by your own needs and personal situation.
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