It is important to understand briefly how swimming pool solar covers work.  They are generally made of polypropylene or other similar materials, which are flexible and resemble sturdy bubble wrap. They come in large sheets without seams if possible, are custom-cut to the shape of your specific pool, and are meant to adhere directly to the water’s skin for the best complete surface area coverage. They are both effective insulators and producers of heat. While regular swimming pool covers merely trap heat from a pool that has been exposed to the sun’s rays all day, solar pool covers are capable of producing heat as well. First, the “bubbles” in the wrap lock in heat energy from the sun. The bubbles lay directly on the surface of the water and transmit that heat into the water by diffusing the thermal energy of ultraviolet rays downward.  In addition to the absorption and refraction of the sun’s energy, a solar pool cover also traps the heat that is already in the water, slowing the rate at which heat is lost to the atmosphere.  Evaporation requires a significant amount of energy to change the state of a water molecule from liquid to vapor, and that process rapidly decreases the temperature of the remaining water. The swimming pool solar cover slows the rate of natural evaporation by completely covering the water’s surface and eliminating the heat that is lost when evaporation occurs.

Solar covers are useful in a number of different applications. They are practical methods for trapping heat in hot tubs and saunas, indoor and outdoor pools, and even above ground pools. There is an assumption that an above ground pool solar cover is not effective; however, that assumption is not true.  Above ground, pools lose even more energy through their sidewalls than in-ground pools, so the ability of the pool to maintain heat becomes even more critical. Most above ground covers encase the top and wrap around the sides, sealing in heat and increasing the potential for thermal transmission. Likewise, while evaporation may not seem like an initial concern for an indoor pool, the addition of a cover will decrease the moisture trapped at an indoor pool facility, and reduce the chlorine smell because less of the chemical will evaporate into the air.

Solar covers for pools offer a significant list of benefits at a relatively low cost. Solar covers can provide you with a prolonged comfortable night swim temperature, which would otherwise be impossible to achieve in an unheated pool. The primary advantage for a heated pool is obviously the ability to keep heat in, which gives you a warmer pool for a longer period and potentially reduces your pool’s heating requirements. This contributes to a lower bill for you and greater energy conservation for the planet.  You may even be eligible for a tax incentive for installing energy efficient mechanisms, so check with your state or local government offices to inquire. In addition, you will conserve water and the sometimes significant cost of pool chemicals.  Evaporation causes the chemical makeup of water to change, and you are required to monitor the pH and acid levels of your water constantly in order to keep it free of contaminants and not too chlorinated for your swimmers. Less evaporation requires less monitoring, and in turn requires less chemical additives for your pool.  It will prolong the “life” of your water, which can become chemical-saturated and need replenishing from time to time.  You will also reduce your cleaning time and effort if you keep the cover in place, since it will easily catch debris and leaves blown into your pool area, which can be cleaned when the pool cover is rolled up or gathered during pool use.

The easiest way to remove a pool cover is to invest in a solar pool cover reel.  Removing covers manually can be very cumbersome and dangerous because of the weight of the material. It can also damage the surface of the cover as it scrapes on the poolside, and can get dirty when removed and laid on the deck, which will return dirt and debris into your pool when it is replaced on the water. The reel is a relatively simple but sturdy device that will greatly save the wear and tear of a pool cover.  Most models remain in place at one end of the pool, and the cover is tethered to the reel or inserted into a slotted panel that runs the distance of the rod.  Electric versions roll up easily, but can be less reliable than their mechanical counterparts.  There are single and double-handled reels, though the double-handled versions, which require two people on either end, are easiest to use and provide the straightest rotation onto the rod.  Smaller sauna, hot tub, or above ground pool solar covers can be managed much easier without concern, and can be stowed away from debris by hanging them in an above-ground sling.  These can be purchased for minimal cost at pool supply stores.

Websites like epinions.com and consumerreports.com conduct solar pool covers reviews and list a number of available products.  The current top two listings on opinions are for an Intex solar pool cover for above ground pools, which touted as being both durable and affordable. It is preferred over other brands because it is designed to have holes throughout the liner, which allow rainwater to flow into the pool instead of accumulating on the surface of the cover, weighing it down.

At a cost ranging from $30 to $100 the addition of a solar pool covers appears to be well worth the price.  The longevity of the product means that the product has the ability to pay for itself over time, and the long list of benefits will undoubtedly increase your swimming quality of life for many years to come.

Related posts:

1. How to Use Swimming Pool Covers
2. Why You Should Own a Pool Cover

Placing a pool cover over your pool when you’re not using it is one precautionary measure that doesn’t take a lot of effort and will increase the lifespan of your pool by many years. Simply by covering your pool during the off season you are saving yourself a ton of wasted time and money.

What to Look for in a Pool Cover

When you think about it, all a pool cover really is a giant sheet of plastic. You could head over to your local Home Depot and get a plastic sheet big enough to cover your pool and consider that a pool cover but it probably isn’t the best option available. You can find a ton of different pool cover types online and at pool supply stores.

When you’re out shopping for pool covers keep in mind that a pool cover is going to keep out the heat from your pool. If you’re looking to the sun to heat your pool you should look for a transparent pool cover made of thick plastic rather than vinyl. You can also find specific solar pool covers that are designed to lock in heat and heat up your pool as it is covered.

What Do Pool Covers Protect Against?

Weather Damage

An inground pool cover.

You had the inground pool installed in your New England home because the spring and the summer is gorgeous right? But what happens to that same pool when the winter comes and the blizzards begin to hit? Well, if you don’t properly prepare your pool by covering it with one of the many winter pool covers you will soon find your pool in disrepair.

Pool covers shield the innards of the pool from weather damage. Heavy rains can overflow the pool and ruin the filtration system. Snow and ice, as it settles and thaws, can expand and contract the walls of your pool and cause serious cracks to develop.

Silly Children, Abusive Neighbors, Tiny Woodland Critters, and Pets

A swimming pool safety cover will keep that dog out!

You might not think about it when you’re first buying your pool but if you own an exposed pool in a neighborhood full of kids and mooching neighbors you’re going to have to fight them off. You don’t want these pool owner wannabes to get into your pool and start splashing around uninvited do you? If you put up a pool cover when you’re not in the house you can rest easy that no one is going to be getting into your pool without you knowing it.

Automatic Pool Covers or Manual Pool Covers?

Without pool cover pumps you will have to cover your pool manually…your choice!

Covering your pool every night can be a lot of work if you’re doing it manually. Luckily there are some automatic pool covers that can cover the length of your pool with just a flip of a switch. The automatic covers use a motor that sits at the edge of your pool. When you turn on the power it will unfurl the pool cover over your pool and lock it into place. You will often see above ground pool covers with automatic motors but it is uncommon to see them for inground pools.  Getting a good pool cover pump will be useful for both manual and automatic pool covers.

Another good idea would be to get yourself a retractable porch awning to go over your pool.  This obviously won’t offer as much protection as a pool cover, bit can offer a little bit if you don’t own one.  Its also great for blocking against the sun, and if you want to be in the sun, you can just retract it back!

Swimming pool covers are some of those basic pool maintenance things that you just have to deal with as a pool owner. You’re shooting yourself in the foot if you’re not covering up your pool some how during the off seasons because you will spend a whole lot more money and time dealing with the damage caused.

Related posts:

1. How to Use Swimming Pool Covers
2. Protect Your Hot Tub with a Hot Tub Cover
3. How Solar Pool Covers Work

You can always hire a pool boy to do all of that general maintenance stuff for your pool. He’ll probably charge you an arm and a leg to do stuff that you can just as easily do on your own but at least you won’t have to worry about it right? Well, if you’re like me and you’re struggling to make ends meet in these trying economic times, you probably want to save a little money. Get rid of the pool boy and learn to do the pool maintenance yourself! Here’s the first step: Learn how to use your swimming pool cover.

The swimming pool cover is the foundation of pool maintenance. Your pool cover is going to protect your pool from weather damage, it is going to keep things like branches and squirrels from falling into the water, and it is also going to keep the pool’s waters at an even temperature and level. If you fail to cover your pool properly at the necessary times you are going to end up with a broken down pool that will cost you a lot of money to fix up.

So What is a Pool Cover and How Does it Work?

Swimming pool safety covers protect the pool from all kinds of potentially damaging things. 

There are a few different types of swimming pool covers but they all basically serve the same purpose: protect the swimming pool from danger. The basic swimming pool cover is a large plastic sheet designed to fit the form of the pool exactly. It covers all points of the pool and shields the water (or the empty basin) from anything that might fall in.

A swimming pool winter cover is designed specifically to protect against the harsh temperatures of the winter months. You might not need one of these in places like Florida and California, but if it snows in your area you want to put a winter cover over your pool. As the temperature falls and the water freezes, snow is going to start to come down. If snow gets into your pool it is going to cause some serious damage. Ice tends to expand and contract as it freezes and melts. This expansion process can crack your pool and cause some serious weather damage. You don’t want that to happen.

Winter swimming pool covers will keep your pool from freezing like the pool pictured above.

Solar swimming pool covers serve just the opposite purpose as the winter covers. A swimming pool solar cover is designed to trap the heat given off by the sun inside the pool. You can use a solar cover to heat up your pool so that it is nice and warm when you dive in.

Enough Jibber Jabber! How Do You Use the Pool Cover?

Using a swimming pool safety cover is pretty simple really. All you have to do is unfurl the plastic or vinyl sheet and fasten it down on all sides of the pool. There are three types of pool covers: the manual pool cover, the semi-automatic pool cover, and the automatic pool cover.

Manual pool covers are going to require the most amount of work because you have to unfurl it when you want to cover the pool and you have to fold it up when you want to uncover the pool.  With automatic ones all you have to do is flip a switch. When you flip the switch a swimming pool cover pump will automatically reel in the cover.

Related posts:

1. Why You Should Own a Pool Cover
2. How Solar Pool Covers Work
3. Protect Your Hot Tub with a Hot Tub Cover

Indoor hot tubs don’t necessarily need hot tubs covers, but they might come in useful in case of little kids, pets, etc.

Hot tubs require general maintenance, and they can become problematic if not taken care of properly, so be sure to read up about hot tub chemicals. Often, people will hire outside companies to maintain their pools and hot tubs but if you’re on a budget you have to do all of it yourself. If you want a clean, well-kept, good looking hot tub you need to take good care of it and the first step in taking good care of your hot tub is purchasing a hot tub cover.

Hot tub covers are a necessary evil if you own a hot tub. They can be a real pain in the neck to move on and off your hot tub but using one properly is essential to its upkeep. Without a hot tub cover regularly protecting your hot tub you could be looking at debris falling into your hot tub and serious weather damage. Even in good weather conditions, if you don’t cover your hot tub when you’re not using it you will soon find the exterior faded and cracked by the heat of the sun.

You could always get a used hot tub cover if you want to save some money.  Serves the same purpose right?

Hot tubs are supposed to be all fun and no work right? So, how can you make sure that you are protecting your hot tub with the least possible effort? Hot tub covers come in a variety of forms, some of them are easy to handle and others are more trouble than they are worth. Here are a few of the kinds of hot tub covers you can buy and you can decide how much work is too much.

Hinge Hot Tub Covers

This is a soft hot tub cover.

Sometimes you just want to sit in the hot tub by yourself. Unless you’re a giant of a person you probably don’t need all of that extra space to just sit and stew so why bother getting a hot tub cover that needs to be completely removed each time? Hinge hot tub spa covers have a hinge running down the center of the cover that allows you to open up a portion of the hot tub without completely taking off the hot tub cover. You can open up the hatch and sit in the hot tub perfectly comfortable without exerting any extra effort taking the cover off.

Roll Hot Tub Covers

If you use your hot tub regularly you’re not going to want a heavy hot tub spa cover that takes a lot of time to get off and on. Roll hot tub covers are made of vinyl or other elastic fabrics and usually have a spinning wheel that they can be wrapped around. Simply roll up the cover before you get into the hot tub, it only takes a few minutes while you wait for the water to heat up, and then stretch it back out over the hot tub when you’re done with it.

Use a Hot Tub Cover Lifter

Hot tub cover lifters are like miniature mechanical cranes that can be installed on the pool deck that will automatically pick up the heavy hot tub covers and place them on top of the hot tub. You just flip a switch and the hot tub cover lift does all the work for you. The only problem with these lifts is that they can get kind of expensive and you have to have them installed on your patio or deck but when you’re face with the choice of either buying a lift or doing heavy lifting on your own, what would you choose?

Related posts:

1. Why You Should Own a Pool Cover