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Types of Pool Covers Explained

Written By: poolgeek.com

Pool covers are some of the most important elements of proper pool maintenance, keeping your pool safe from damaging UV rays, the elements, and against accidental falls. They are divided into solar covers, safety covers and winter covers.


Solar Covers


Solar Cover

Solar covers are essential to keep your pool properly sanitized as well as help retain heat. They block the suns UV rays from breaking down pool chlorine, leading to unsafe pool conditions and dramatically higher chlorine usage. Solar covers, when used with a compatible solar reel, are very easy to deploy and retract, eliminating any need to get into the pool. Solar covers even come in liquid formulas for those who want to avoid purchasing extra equipment.



Safety Covers


Safety Cover

Safety covers are another great addition to any in-ground pool, protecting the pool from the elements during the off-season while ensuring nobody can accidentially fall into it. This cover is made of extra strong materials to withstand great weight and then securely attached to anchor points along the pool decking. This forms a tight seal to prevent animals or children from crawling underneath it. We offer an extensive selection of mesh and solid safety covers to fit most in-ground pools, even those with integrated steps.


Winter Covers


Winter Cover

Winter covers help keep your pool safe from rain, snow, falling leaves, animals and other threats during its winter slumber, making re-opening your pool in springtime much faster and hassle-free. Made from durable materials, it will provide protection for your pool for years to come, regardless of weather exposure or temperature extremes. When used in conjunction with air pillows and water tubes, your winter cover will let water roll right off it, preventing any possible buildup that can cause the cover to collapse. We offer several excellent winter cover models to fit your oval, round or rectangular pool.

Questions and Comments
by CyndiMims, FL   on 7/22/2009

Title: Cooling A Pool In Florida

Can we use a silver cover and reverse it so the silver side is up to reflect the sun, thereby maintaining a cooler water temperature?



Answers
by Matthew, Brighton, MI on 7/22/2009
Title: Re: Cooling A Pool In Florida
“Cyndi, all solar covers heat in pretty much the same way. They prevent evaporation and most, if not all, heat is lost during the evaporation process. So, sorry to say, reversing a solar cover will not cool the pool. In fact, it will heat the water! The only way to cool the water is to run without a solar cover at all. Hope this helps. ”

by BobGardnerville NV  on 8/20/2009

Title: Pool owner

I have a 16 X 32 above ground pool that I put in the ground..I need a winter cover and want to know what are water loops?



Answers
by Aurelie Martins, Brighton, MI on 8/21/2009
Title: RE: Pool Owner
“Hi Bob! Do you have a decking surrounding your 16 X 32 pool? If so, I would recommend a winter cover for inground pools. This will allow the cover to overlap on your pool decking just as an inground pool would, and then you can secure it with water tubes. Water tube loops are reinforced fabric straps that are built into inground winter covers, allowing you to use a water tube to weigh them down. You simply fill the water tubes and use the loops to hold them in place.”

by Margery ByrdErlanger  on 9/16/2009

Title: Mesh winter covers VS standard winter covers

Will a mesh winter cover keep the water from turning green since it allows rain water in? Is this the only winter cover you need if you are switching from a regular winter cover to a mesh winter cover?



Answers
by Aurelie Martins, Brighton, MI on 9/16/2009
Title: RE: Mesh winter covers VS standard winter covers
“Hello Margery! When you switch to a mesh winter cover, that is the only cover that you will need. While a mesh cover does allow water from rain and melting snow into the pool, the amount is small enough that it will not pose a problem. It's primary benefit is to eliminate the need to use a cover pump to remove the water that has gathered on the cover. If you are currently having problems with a green pool, that is almost always caused by algae growth. To prevent this from happening, I would recommend using an algaecide specifically formulated to remain effective in low temperatures, such as BioGuard's Winter Algaecide 40 or, even better, a winterizing kit. These kits include a shock to kill off any bacteria and an algaecide to prevent algae growth throughout the winter. ”

by JoeMiddletown, NJ  on 10/18/2009

Title: Removing water from a mesh pool cover

Do you have to remove the water that accumulates on top of the mesh cover? What happens if it freezes?



Answers
by Aurelie Martins, Brighton, MI on 10/19/2009
Title: RE: Removing water from a mesh pool cover
“Hi Joe! If your winter pool cover is mesh then it should drain into your pool within a day or so. However, if you have had a large amount of rainfall in a short amount of time, you may want to help it out by pumping off the water. Do you happen to know what make and model your winter cover is?”