Pool covers help to prolong the swimming season of Gulf Coast pools. They also reduce pool heating costs by retaining the heat. But if you are confused about which one to use while closing your new swimming pool, here is a guide to various designs of pool covers.
Benefits of a Pool Cover
When you close your pool for the offseason, a pool cover helps to keep it healthy. It ensures that no bugs, leaves or debris enter the pool when you are not using it. However, the efficiency of a pool cover depends on how taut it remains. Even in such cases, some critters manage to get in through the smallest openings. Gulf Coast pools also face the loss of energy due to evaporation, which you can save by using a pool cover.
How to Use a Pool Cover
Not just as a part of winterizing the pool, you can use a pool cover even during the swimming season. Take off the cover before swimming and replace it after using the pool. However, if you swim only at night, the pool remains covered during the day. This means your pool cover should withstand the heat loss due to evaporation and similar energy losses.
When closing the pool for winter, you check the water levels, clean the pool tools, add chemicals and then cover the pool. Here the requirement for all the Gulf Coast pools will be more or less the same. However, you have to choose between various designs available that fulfill different functions. So, have a look at the types of pool covers below.
Standard Winter Pool Cover
This keeps out the sunlight and debris out of the pool and helps prevent algae formation. But a tarp-like solid durable material is used to make it. But you can use it only in winter, which means it is short-lived.
Mesh Security Cover
Mesh pool cover supports a great weight, in addition to keeping debris and leaves out. This means it can hold heavy snow loads. But the rainwater passes through, making the pool water get dirty when you open it in the spring.
Solid Security Cover
It comprises of solid vinyl material which doesn’t allow water to pass through. However, you should adjust them periodically and they need a pump on top. Solid covers also do not last as long as mesh covers do.
Automatic Pool Cover
It comes in various forms and is the simplest to use. You can operate it just with a button and keep unwanted swimmers out of the pool any time of the year. It is also very easy to maintain the pool with an automatic cover. However, it is quite expensive and its components tend to break down often.
Solar Pool Cover
It heats your pool by using the UV rays of the sun. It floats freely on the surface of your pool and helps prevent evaporation. Solar pool cover cuts down energy costs and decreases chemical consumption.