You might not realize the exact reason to use pool covers, but you are about to find out just how important these little covers are, why you really should use them and the different types of covers available. But, before all that let’s look at some stats for different US cities that use heated pools versus using a cover or not using a cover. For example:
Miami
With a cover your bill could be around $416 for 78 degree weather in 1/1–12/31. That seems pretty good, right?
Without a cover your bill could be around $2136 for the same weather (78 degrees) in 1/1–12/31.
Approximate savings: $1,720
Phoenix
With a cover your bill could be around $96 for 78 degree weather in 3/1–10/31. Fantastically low.
Without a cover your bill could be around $1384 for the same weather in 3/1–10/31.
Approximate savings $1,288
Los Angeles
With a cover your bill could be around $168 for 78 degree weather in 5/1–10/31.
Without a cover your bill could be around $1864 for 78 degree weather in 5/1–10/31.
Approximate savings: $1,696
Now obviously these are just numbers. But, it’s just a pool cover. It costs you a little bit of an investment to essentially save a lot of money on your heating bills. Also, another thing to remember about pool covers, is that they can even reduce the size of a solar pool heating system which could also be saving you a lot of money. Swimming pools tend to lose energy in a variety of ways, but evaporation is one of the biggest. In fact, outdoor pools lose about 70% energy from evaporation and indoor pools lose around 50-70% as well. But, by using a pool cover you are keeping the water from evaporating which in turn helps you save money on your heating bills.
Pool covers come in a variety of shapes and sizes so if you’re worried about your specific pool design in Greenwich CT because it’s a small/larger pool with an odd/normal shape – don’t worry about it. Pool covers will essentially fit any pool no matter if you have a small kidney shaped pool or a large lap pool. Essentially a pool cover is just a piece of plastic. But, the important thing here is to buy a quality product. For instance, if you just want to the local hardware store and bought a piece of plastic – it would probably only last a month. On the other hand, if you buy a pool cover which is also made of plastic but meant FOR swimming pools, it would last much longer. Plus, a lot of swimming pool covers have extra special materials like YV stabilizers or vinyl.
Vinyl Covers
These tend to save you more money and last much longer because they are made of a much heavier material. These also come in regular vinyl or insulated vinyl. The insulated covers will help keep your pool warm to a certain extent, but they also fight the good fight against evaporation. These vinyl covers also tend to be a heavier investment, but they are definitely worth it.
Bubble Covers or Solar Covers
This is a very thin material. Think of bubble wrap when you think of this material. It’s also very cheap, but it doesn’t have any features like vinyl does. Obviously of the two, I would choose the more expensive route, because it’s a good investment. But, that depends on you and what your budget for your pool is. If you do choose bubble, you will have to purchase a new one quicker than you would have to purchase a vinyl one.
Once you figure out your cover you want, you then need to consider what type of pool cover you want;
Manual: You do it yourself. You pull it up, roll it away, fold it and place it somewhere safe where it won’t get ruined or scratched or get holes put in it.
Semi-Automatic: These use a motor reel system that is usually built into the deck. You will still need to put some elbow grease into it, but it can roll itself up.
Automatic: These have permanent reels that are mounted and reel the cover in automatically – no work for you and it does so at the push of a button. It’s the costliest option, but worth it for most people.
Modern Pool Designs by Shoreline Pools 