How To Choose the Right Inground Pool Cover
Inground Pool Covers: Pros and Cons
With the late spring soon finding some conclusion, the opportunity to cover your pool for the winter months soon approaches. A large number of you may, as of now, have a winter cover that you’re content with. Others may be interested as to alternatives that are available. This article will discuss the three principle sorts of pool covers, and the advantages and disadvantages of each.
Standard Tarp Winter Cover: Value Range $100-$300
The Pros
This cover makes a good showing of keeping out sunlight that can grow algae and, organic matter like leaves and twigs from trees.
The Cons
Standard covers are made of a “tarp” like material and are held down with water bags. This material will only last somewhere around 1 and 3 seasons before it must be replaced. One of the other fundamental downsides of this kind of cover is the way that it holds almost no weight, so it has no safety feature to it. If a puppy, animal or individual ventures on top of the cover, they will get exceptionally wet and could even drown in some situations. Standard covers also need a pump, which implies that one must be careful all through the off-season as to guarantee any excessive amount of water does not develop on the top, causing the cover to collapse and take all of the water bags, leaves, and green water into the pool for a fun cleanup.
More Cons
Other than the way that their life span is so poor, standard winter covers can be an awful eyesight to bear for seven months out of the year, as their appearance is not what we would call “aesthetically pleasing”. Additionally, the water bags will mold and can stain your new concrete if you have a new pool.
Safety Cover: Value Range $1500-$4500
The Pros
Around 90% of our inground pool clients use a safety cover. These covers have a degree of a trampoline appearance, with spring-stacked straps joined with the cover, and drilled down into the concrete, to hold it during our professional install. There are two kinds of safety covers. The primary one we offer is made of a cross-section material called our Mesh Cover. This cover is extremely successful in keeping leaves and debris out, and can also support a great amount of weight, including heavy snow loads. Since it is cross-section, no pump is needed on top (the downpour water just goes through), thus once it is on for the off-season, there is normally no extra upkeep to stress over. These mesh safety covers ordinarily last somewhere between 10 to 15 years. Our second type of safety cover is a solid safety cover which is constructed with a strong vinyl material. The primary advantage of a “Solid” safety cover is that it does not permit any water to go through, which can keep the water clear until spring opening season. Solid safety covers typically last somewhere between 6 to 10 years.
The Cons
The principle disadvantage that some find with cross-section mesh safety covers is that they permit water to go through, which implies the pool water has a chance to turn green when it comes time to open it in the spring. If this happens, water is typically clear inside of 2-5 days of opening with the right chemicals. However, this can be prevented by opening the pool early before the heat and sun can grow algae in the water. When we are looking at a solid cover, the fact that the homeowners will experience a much prettier opening in the summer months, the downside is the maintenance your pump on top of the cover will need to pump the water off (which must be balanced intermittently all through the off-season). These cover pumps, in view of the wear and tear from the chilly months, typically just last 2-4 years before having to buy a new one, and their replacement cost is around $225. Solid covers also don’t last as long with wear and tear as a mesh safety cover will.
Overall
In view of my experience, I truly can’t list any of the downsides of safety covers as “real cons just differences”.
Automatic Pool Covers: Value Range $5000-$15,000
The Pros
Automatic covers come in numerous options, and this is the purpose behind their wide value range. Their two greatest advantages are the way that they have outstanding sunlight resistance and they offer consistent assurance against undesirable visitors/swimmers. They also help keep the leaves and trash out of the pool all season, possibly eliminating time spent cleaning/keeping up the pool. The cost savings is big with this cover – 90% reduction in evaporation, 70% in heating cost, 50% in electricity cost and 70% in chemical use. But when it comes to children and pets, it is also the source of safety concerns. No parent can be watching over the pool every minute. No fence or alarm can prevent a child from getting access to an unsupervised pool, but an automatic safety pool cover can help. At the touch of a button, and your automatic safety cover will create a barrier over your pool that no child or pet can penetrate.
The Cons
Auto covers are made of a vinyl material that generally needs maintenance or replacing around every five years. The expense of replacing this material is entirely lavish ($2000- $4000), and considering their initial expense, can be very unwanted for homeowners. Another issue with these covers that numerous individuals don’t understand is that, in light of the fact that they are such great sun based covers, at some point they can warm the water excessively. This particularly happens during the months of July and August when most pool owners don’t need their pool water to be any hotter. There are always situations when an auto cover brings the pool over 90 degrees, which feels like taking a bath, and is not very refreshing at all.
Overall
The most serious issue with auto covers is their ability to breakdown. With such a variety of segments (engine, ropes/pulleys, vinyl, aluminium track, and so forth.), numerous parts can break down or need maintenance. We find that after 3 to 5 years auto covers can have mechanical issues quite often, which can be extremely disappointing, particularly if the cover breaks and it cannot be removed from the pool, prohibiting anybody to swim. I have seen this happen a few times and it’s never a lovely ordeal. The other issue with auto covers is the way that they are not “genuine” winter covers. In spite of the fact that they are designed to hold around 2,000 lbs, a substantial snow burden can cause these covers to collapse. At times, it is vital for property owners to open their cover before a noteworthy snow storm as to take out the capability of any collapses from happening.
If you don’t have a cover for your pool, come to any of our 5 locations, and one of our pool specialists will help you in choosing the right cover for your pool.
