Securing Your Investment
Pool covers are key in protecting swimming pools during the winter months, but daily use during the peak swim season can also save money on maintenance, chemicals and heating. In addition to keeping debris out of the pool and reducing evaporation and heat loss, many pool covers provide a safety barrier that prevents children and pets from entering the pool. There is more good news: the latest pool covers can be made to fit any swimming pool configuration, such as freeform, rectangle, negative edge and even pool-and-spa combinations.
Though some swimming pool covers are designed primarily for winterizing, others are intended to be used whenever the pool is unsupervised. As similar as swimming pool covers might seem, there are significant differences that you should note before paying a visit to your local pool dealer. Keep in mind, too, that not all swimming pool covers are considered safety covers. To qualify as a safety cover, products must meet strict ASTM International (American Society for Testing and Materials) standards.
Attachment Types
The most dramatic difference is in how the cover attaches to the pool and deck. Inground swimming pool covers either tie to anchors or glide along tracks.
A tie-down version covers the pool with a sheet of reinforced vinyl or mesh. It is tied down by attaching spring-loaded straps to deck-mounted anchors. These swimming pool covers can be quite heavy, although new lightweight vinyl is making them less cumbersome. Tie-down swimming pool covers typically have been used for winterizing pools, but thanks to the lighter weight material, they are becoming more practical for day-to-day use. Also, you can pay more to have a tie-down cover custom-designed to fit over steps, raised spas, water features or most any other pool characteristic.
A good choice for everyday use is a track-style pool cover. These covers consist of a roll of reinforced vinyl stored on a reel system and are attached to tracks that run the length of the pool. Depending on your budget and how much physical energy you want to exert, you can opt for manual, semi-automatic or fully-automatic versions. A manual version requires someone to crank the cover open and pull it shut. A semi-automatic version needs someone to pull the cover closed over the pool, but it is rolled back up using a motorized reel system. A fully-automatic cover uses a motorized reel system to both open and close the pool cover.
Manual covers require a lot of arm power to operate, even with the lighter weight material. They tend to work best on smaller pools. If you are considering a manual cover, try handling one before purchasing it. Then imagine cranking it open and closed every time you leave the pool unsupervised. If you find it even slightly difficult to operate, you are not likely to use it consistently- negating its value as a safety cover. In that case, think about paying more for a semi- or fully-automatic cover.
Some cover systems can be converted easily from manual to automatic at a later date. If you are considering such a system, note that it will cost you more to upgrade later than it will to purchase an automatic cover initially.
With a growing number of options in pool construction-from gunite and fiberglass to vinyl-lined and on-deck-cover manufacturers have designed systems to accommodate almost any pool configuration.
Most existing pools are easily covered using deck-mounted tracks, but new pools can be designed to conceal the tracks beneath the pool coping so that the cover does not detract from the overall aesthetic. Along these lines, many pool owners opt to have the cover reel system installed in a vault below the deck to keep it out of sight. Some suppliers offer vault lids that can be covered to match the rest of the pool deck, completely disguising the cover reel system.
If aesthetics is also important to you when the cover is closed, consider ordering a custom color. This allows you to choose the cover system that blends best with the rest of the poolscape.
Cost vs. Savings
Pool covers are valuable tools for preventing accidents, but they are not cheap. Fortunately, their cost is continually offset by savings in the areas of water preservation, chemical use and heating costs.
Pools lose water to evaporation in varying degrees, depending on several factors, including air temperature, water temperature and wind speed. Under normal conditions, an uncovered 16-ft. by 36-ft. pool can lose about 180 gallons of water a week to evaporation. That may not sound like a lot, but it is enough to close your pool if there is a drought and water restrictions prohibit you from refilling your pool.
In addition to water, pool covers save on chemical usage. Chlorine, for example, loses most of its sanitizing capabilities after just a few hours under a hot, sunny sky. A pool cover can extend the efficacy of chemicals. By some estimates, a pool cover can reduce chemical consumption 35 to 65 percent.
Plus, a covered pool acts like a giant solar collector, absorbing heat and transferring it to the water, thereby saving on heating costs. By one estimate, a covered pool can have a solar heat gain of 10 to 15 degrees.
By greatly reducing evaporation, swimming pool covers save a tremendous amount of energy. According to the US Department of Energy, when compared to evaporation, all other sources of energy loss are small. The reason evaporation has such an impact is that it takes only one BTU to raise a pound of water one degree, but each pound of 80-degree water that evaporates takes a whopping 1,048 BTUs of heat out of the pool.
Whether you are looking to add a pool cover to an existing pool or incorporate one into the design of a new pool, you cannot go wrong with a well-constructed, easy-to-operate, energy-saving safety cover. Like your pool, it is a sound investment - you will reap the benefits in more ways than one.
Pool covers are key in protecting swimming pools during the winter months, but daily use during the peak swim season can also save money on maintenance, chemicals and heating. In addition to keeping debris out of the pool and reducing evaporation and heat loss, many pool covers provide a safety barrier that prevents children and pets from entering the pool. There is more good news: the latest pool covers can be made to fit any swimming pool configuration, such as freeform, rectangle, negative edge and even pool-and-spa combinations.
Though some swimming pool covers are designed primarily for winterizing, others are intended to be used whenever the pool is unsupervised. As similar as swimming pool covers might seem, there are significant differences that you should note before paying a visit to your local pool dealer. Keep in mind, too, that not all swimming pool covers are considered safety covers. To qualify as a safety cover, products must meet strict ASTM International (American Society for Testing and Materials) standards.