For most pool owners, a pool cover is an optional pool necessity that you can do away with until the weather changes abruptly or the climate in their area shifts. For some, the cover is a savior that comes in handy in protecting their swimming pool. And that might be the reason behind the question ‘Should I cover my pool.’
Well! Covering your swimming pool can benefit you in a couple of ways. A pool cover is a handy necessity that can help:
- Reduce evaporation, thus preventing water and chemical loss
- Reduce pool heat loss
- Protect your pool against debris and leaves, and
- Improve your pool safety
The benefits of covering your swimming pool extend to both seasons, summer and winter. It’s essential to understand when to and not to cover it, something I will discuss hereafter, elaborating on the points I’ve listed above. Be sure to read this post to the end.
Why Cover Your Swimming Pool?
Those who have used a swimming pool cover before can tell you it can help you care for your pool a lot. It’s one of the underrated pool necessities that you might adore once you realize what it can do for you and your swimming pool.
Prevent Pool Water and Chemical Loss
If you have ever experienced a pool water loss, one of the culprits is evaporation. When the pool water is heated either by the sun or using a pool heater to a point where the air temperature around it is lower than the water temperature, the water turns into vapor and escapes into the atmosphere. When this is repeated daily, your swimming pool water level will certainly reduce.
The bad news is, the water doesn’t escape alone; it flies away with some pool chemicals that dissolve in it. But when you cover your swimming pool, you reduce evaporation and, in the process, prevent water and chemical loss.
Can Help Reduce Energy Bills
If you warm your pool, you might want to know that leaving it open can lead to heat loss during the night. When the air temperature around the swimming pool goes below the swimming pool, the heat will start to radiate to heat the air.
When this happens, you’re forced to reheat your pool water come the next day. Covering the swimming pool adds a heat preservation layer that prevents the water from losing warmth.
According to the US department of energy, evaporation is the leading cause of heat loss. And as I mentioned earlier, a pool cover is an excellent way to protect a swimming pool against evaporation. If you cover your swimming pool, you can save yourself 50%-70% of energy costs.
A solar pool cover can also help heat your swimming pool during the day and prevent heat loss during the night. This cover is designed to allow the sun rays to enter the swimming pool and traps them there.
In return, they heat the pool water. A solar blanket can heat your pool water and raise its temperature by five degrees.
Increases Pool Safety
Do you have kids? If you do or have free-running pets in your home, consider improving your pool safety with a pool safety cover.
Covering the swimming pool gives you some peace knowing that your kids and pets can’t fall into the swimming pool while playing in the backyard.
The same applies when keeping the wild animals away from your swimming pool. If these animals were to enter your pool water, they might leave droppings and introduce other things, including microorganisms that could wreak havoc on the water chemistry.
Besides this, if they were to die, that could lead to a whole new problem for you. Covering your swimming pool can help keep your pool water out of reach from such animals and make it safer for them in the process.
Protects Pool against Debris
A pool cover might not be your favorite now, but it would be if you used it on your swimming pool. It can help you keep your pool water clean – free of leaves and other debris.
Installing it can help save a lot of valuable time to clean the debris out of the pool, especially during the spring or fall.
It can also take away the skimming strain of a pool skimmer and prevent frequent pool filter cleaning or backwashing.
If the leaves fell during the closed period and sank into the pool bottom, it can lead to a messy situation that can be an algae-inviting factor. By covering the swimming pool, you prevent these from happening.
And as you well know, autumn comes with tones of seeds, leaves, and acorns. If this debris were to find its way into your swimming pool, it can wreak havoc on your pool water chemistry and staining on the pool surfaces.
A pool cover can make sure it never happens. In return, it’ll be saving you time and money you’d have used to get the stains off. You might even consider covering the pool with a leaf net until the leaf falling season passes.
Protects Against Winter Elements
Covering your swimming pool can protect it from harsh winter weather conditions. It will also help protect your pool line for damages caused by things like tree branches, twigs, and ice the falls a lot in the winter.
Ice can damage any swimming pool. But a winter cover can help hold it above the water, thus preventing freezing.
Protection from UV Rays
If your swimming pool uses a vinyl liner, covering it can protect it from the sun’s UV rays. Prolonged exposure to these damaging rays will reduce the liner’s life. It can cause it to become stiff and brittle, and with time it will start to fade.
When Should You Cover Your Pool?
Pool covering is always the best idea. It’s one way of taking all the hassle of cleaning your pool, but you don’t have to keep the cover on all the time. It’s essential to understand the best time to cover it; it will help you avoid the unnecessary hassle of removing it every time you want to swim.
When Your Swimming Pool Is Not In Use
If you don’t plan to use your swimming pool in the coming couple of days, covering it is the best move. It will help keep it clean until your next cleaning. It will also help maintain the pool chemistry by keeping away things that can cause unbalance.
Installing the pool cover every day can be a hassle unless you’re using an automatic pool cover, which uses a remote function and an automatic retracting system. For such a case, you can cover it every time you’re out of the water.
During Winter Closing Period
When you close your swimming pool for the winter, you cannot leave it open, or it’ll collect all kinds of stuff that could cause severe damages like ice and snow.
Covering the swimming pool can ensure nothing enters your swimming pool as you keep your eye away from the pool water.
During the Day When Heating Your Swimming Pool
One way of saving on heating bills is using a solar pool cover to heat your pool water during the day. Such covers allow the sun rays to pass through them to the pool water but trap it inside and, in return, warms the water. That takes away the need to reheat your pool, saving you on heating bills.
Related Questions
Should I Keep My Pool Cover On Or Off During the Day?
It depends on the weather and the type of your cover. If it’s a sunny day and you’re using a solar cover, during the day is the best time to heat the pool water. During a windy day, a solar cover won’t do you any good. The same applies during a storm. Read more.
Can a Solar Pool Cover Cause Algae?
Not really. A solar cover is designed to warm the pool water and protect against light debris. It doesn’t contribute to algae growth. But if you leave it too long, it can raise the pool temperature to a level that algae spores have been waiting for and boost their growth. Read more.
Cover Your Pool – Save Water, Electric Bills, and Your Energy
Should I cover my pool? Yes. If you want to remove some of the cleaning hassles, save your pool water, and reduce the heating bills, a pool cover should be your next investment. Remember to remove the cover during a storm to prevent damage.
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