Oct
8
Swimming pool covers serve some very useful functions that make them the most important of all swimming pool accessories. Covers keep swimming pools clean and free of rainwater, snowmelt and debris such as leaves and sand, thereby reducing cleaning effort and pool maintenance. They also serve function as heat guards, limiting the amount of heat that escapes from the pool due to radiation and evaporation, thereby reducing heating costs. And finally, specially designed pool covers provide extra safety by supporting the weight of a person (or a pet), who would otherwise fall into the water.
Swimming Pool Covers to Keep the Dirt Out
The most basic swimming pool cover is a sheet of vinyl or similar material that stretches across the pool and held down at the edges to prevent the wind from blowing it off. The edges can be secured either by tying them with special anchors, or by weighing them down with items such as sand bags. Many of these covers are loose fitting. To avoid rain water, or other precipitation, from forming puddles and sinking these down, place a floating ball under the cover. For best protection from dirt and debris, these covers need to extend no less than 5 feet from the edges of an in-ground swimming pool.
Pool Covers as Heat Guards and Energy Savers
Swimming pools tend to gain energy from the sun and heat up during the day, and then radiate it out at night. Pools also lose heat when water evaporates out of them. Swimming pool covers will reduce both of these effects when the pool is not in use. Heated pools can especially benefit from covering, because not only will the cover result in warmer water temperature once the pool is opened in the morning, but also in significantly reduced heating costs. Unheated pools can of course benefit from heat preservation as well. A good pool cover can mean the difference between a comfortable water temperature in the morning and a bone chilling freeze. Any solid swimming pool cover will reduce the amount of heat escaping. But some are specifically designed form increased insulation, such as solar covers that use air pockets to trap the sun’s energy.
Pool Covers to Keep Us Safe
Regular pool covers, the ones not specifically designed for safety, do not provide any safety at all. In fact, they make matters worse. Not only will they not prevent a person who falls or jumps from going into the pool, but they may also completely collapse trapping someone underneath water filled folds, unable to get out. Therefore, if safety is your concern, a swimming pool cover specifically designed for the task is required. The best of these covers will support the weight of a heavy person waling on them. Since safety covers need to be firmly secured at the edges, their manual installation tends to be difficult and time consuming, thereby restricting their practical use to the off-season.
Automatic Pool Covers
Even the lightest of swimming pool covers can be cumbersome to fit and remove, and that’s why automatic covers were invented. An automatic cover includes a system that automatically covers and uncovers the pool, typically using a rail mechanism and a motor. If you wish to use a safety cover on a regular basis during the swim season, then an automatic system is a necessity. The down side of automatic covers is their price, which can be thousands of dollars and ten or more times greater than the price of a simple vinyl cover.
