Shoppers' Guide to Pool Covers
By Carolyn Cerbin
Investing in a pool cover serves many purposes, from protecting your family and your investment to saving you hard cash in reduced costs for chemicals, maintenance, energy and water. Swimming pool covers are available in choices that range from solar, solid vinyl, and mesh safety covers to fully-automatic devices, and each category offers a variety of benefits and features.
Mesh Covers
If safety is a top priority, look for covers that meet requirements by the American Standards for Testing and Materials. The ASTM standard-F1346-91-requires that a cover hold a minimum of 485 pounds per 5 sq. ft. to qualify as a safety device.
Safety was a big factor for Jill Kaufman of Dix Hills, N.Y. "I was concerned about other people coming into our backyard," she says, so she opted for a mesh safety cover for her 1,200 sq. ft. L-shaped pool. Kaufman's mesh cover anchors into her pool decking with spring-loaded straps and pulls taut across the water. Such swimming pool covers require at least 2 ft. of decking around the pool. A curious toddler or pet could walk out onto the mesh (which gives a little like a trampoline) and not be in danger of drowning. "Your feet might get wet, but you'd never fall through," Kaufman emphasizes.
Another benefit of a mesh cover is that it requires little maintenance. Leaves and debris simply blow off the mesh, while chemicals stay effective longer. An added advantage: Mesh swimming pool covers, which are made out of polypropylene, come in various colors to match backyard decor. The covers can easily be designed to fit any pool shape and can accommodate rock features, built-in spas and other custom features. When the cover is removed, the hardware simply recesses into the pool decking. "I'm so happy with mine," says Kaufman. "I recommend it to everyone."
Solar Covers
The solar cover is the simplest type of swimming pool cover. It can reduce the need for adding chemicals and for water replacement, while also holding down heating costs. Think of a solar cover as industrial bubble wrap, with bubbles that insulate your pool water, trapping heat from the sun and raising the temperature of your water. At the same time, the plastic cover reduces evaporation. A solar cover can be folded up and stored while bathers swim, or it can be rolled up on a large reel and wheeled out of the way.
In warm climates, solar swimming pool covers can be an easy way to keep heat from escaping your pool, particularly after the sun goes down. Solar covers can also extend your swim season by keeping water warmer in early spring and in late fall. Remember, although solar covers help retain heat and reduce evaporation, they are neither designed for safety nor for keeping debris out of your pool.
Solid Vinyl Covers
Peter and Anita Paul, residents of Eliot, Maine, opted for a solid safety cover for their vanishing-edge pool that overlooks the Atlantic Ocean.
Their cover came equipped with two drains. "All the snow and water just goes right down through the two holes," explains Anita. "It's very user-friendly."
"Aesthetics really meant a lot to us," Anita remarks, describing her 4,000 sq. ft. contemporary dream home. The Pauls selected a black-and-white striped cover to enhance the good looks of their home and also to offer protection and security for their two small children.
"We have a beautiful home, nicely landscaped, and the swimming pool cover really finishes it off," Paul says proudly. "Our cover actually adds to the beauty of the property."
Although mesh and solid vinyl swimming pool covers can be used during the swim season, pool owners usually put them on if they need to close their pools in the fall; then, they remove the covers when they open their pools in the spring.
Automatic Covers
Automatic and semi-automatic swimming pool covers keep debris out, which means that pool owners may pay less for chemicals to keep their water balanced.
Semi-automatic covers offer consumers the benefits of automatic swimming pool covers for less money. These devices run on tracks and are powered not by motors, but by tools such as hand cranks, cordless drills or poles.
Brad Bjorndal, owner of Intermountain Aquatech, a pool construction company in South Jordan, Utah, says he's not only a pool builder, but he is also a pool cover consumer. "For safety's sake, I would not recommend having a pool without a cover." He offers this advice: "An open body of water can be attractive to a toddler, but a covered body isn't all that appealing."
Bjorndal chose to install an automatic cover on his 20 ft. x 45 ft.-rectangular pool. "If we have a large gathering, when it's time for dinner, we close the cover. We don't have to worry about toddlers wandering into the pool. Then, after dinner, we open it up to allow swimming again. I don't have any fears at all when the pool is covered," he comments. "I am completely satisfied."
These tyepes of swimming pool covers operate with a key switch, which closes the pool in 30 to 45 seconds. Wireless switches are also available, eliminating any need to cut into existing walls for wiring.
Bjorndal says he likes the fact that he has control of the pool cover at all times. "If we leave and go up to our cabin, we take the key with us, or we lock the key in our safe. It keeps unwanted guests out."
Bjorndal's cover opens and closes using tracks recessed under the edge of his pool. "In new construction," he says, "90 percent of covers are recessed in the deck." The pool cover and motor are usually housed at the end of the pool, sometimes under a bench. New technology allows the cover to be rolled into a sunken housing that is topped by a lid on which bathers can walk.
A welcomed benefit: Since he has had his automatic cover installed, Bjorndal estimates that his chemical costs have been 80 percent less than they had been before he had the cover.