There’s nothing like lounging in or around your backyard pool with family and friends on a hot summer day. But it goes without saying that most pool owners don’t love the maintenance and endless pool accessories that come with it.
Plus, it can be challenging to know what equipment is actually worth the money and what is just an easy upsell from the local swimming pool store when it comes to maintaining your pool.
If you are assessing whether or not to invest in a swimming pool cover, it is practical to know precisely what benefits it will provide for your pool and the drawbacks. With that being said, let’s further investigate the pros and cons of using a swimming pool cover.
Pro: Ensures Your Pool Temperature is an Ideal Warmth
A swimming pool cover can keep the water at a higher temperature and lower heating expenses in contrast to an unprotected pool. A pool cover will boost heat retention by up to 75%, whether using a pool heat pump or a gas system. Additionally, if you choose to use your heating system, it will not have to work as hard, saving you money and reducing the time it takes for the pool to heat up. For homeowners who want to use their pool all year-round with a heat pump, a swimming pool cover is non-negotiable.
Pro: Pool Covers Decrease the Amount of Water Evaporation
Evaporation is a significant source of water loss, and since most backyard pools are located in direct sunlight, your pool water will quickly evaporate. Therefore, to ensure your pool loses the least amount of water due to evaporation, ensure that when your pool is not in use, utilising a pool cover to stop the intense sunlight heat from reaching the water. Plus, with your pool preserving as much water as possible, you won’t have to worry about filling the pool with water with the hose anymore; the time it takes to refill the pool and your water bill will be reduced.
Pro: Save Money by Purchasing Pool Chemicals Less
Any pool requires various chemicals to ensure the water is hygienic for swimmers, which need to be topped up from time to time. However, the sun’s UV rays deteriorate the amount of chemicals in the water for outdoor pools, meaning owners have to purchase and add pool chemicals more frequently. However, a pool cover acts as a barrier to protect the water from the sun’s UV rays, ensuring a longer life span of the pool’s chemicals, saving time refilling and money to purchase the chemicals.
Pro: Keeps Debris Out of Your Pool
Leaves and other debris can easily float into your pool if there is no cover on it, and since a skimmer basket can’t always remove all the rubbish, they can result in flow blockages if the debris is neglected. As a result, flow blockages will negatively affect the efficiency of your pumps, filter, and chlorinator, which may have to work harder over time. In addition, the added pressure on your pumps can cause your pool to turn a horrible green shade, poor water quality, and can lead to equipment failure, which means more problems and possible replacements.
Pro: Allows Pool Owners and Guests to Better Enjoy the Water!
Overall, a cover creates a more self-sufficient pool, from less water evaporation, reduced pool chemical use, and a lower risk of flow obstructions. Your pool requires less supervision and maintenance when it is not in use. As a result, this allows your family and guests to spend more time in the pool than with upkeep over the summer. Most excitingly, all these pools cover benefits means that if you’re on vacation, out running errands, or just busy, you can chill out knowing you are less likely to have troubles with your home’s pool.
Con: Pool Covers can be Annoying or Difficult to Take Off & On
Even with all the great benefits that can be endured from a pool cover, pool users still have to go through the process of taking the heavy cover off whenever they want to use the pool. The time and effort of manually removing the cover make them less appealing. However, this process can be made easier with a modernised roller system.
Con: Pool Covers Can Take Up A lot of Space
With blocks of land becoming smaller and smaller, finding space for everything in your backyard can become a challenging game of Tetris. Your backyard pool often takes up more space than you thought, from fitting in a pool cover, its rolling system, other pool accessories, and the strict safety requirements of pool fences.
However, you can better organise your pool area to consider storage space with some innovative thinking. Most coverings, for example, can now be installed under or even as part of a deck to save room. However, if your space is limited, you may be unable to instal any type of swimming pool cover.
Con: Some Pool Designs Require a Bespoke Cut Cover
Many pools are not designed in a simple rectangle shape since pools can come in all sizes and shapes, which can prove to be difficult when finding a cover that fits. So, if you have an oddly shaped pool, you will have to find one that fits the unique dimensions or get a custom pool cover made. Nevertheless, numerous companies can custom manufacture a pool covering to suit your fantastic pool in today’s market, but this is often a costly solution.
Con: Pool Covers Don’t Always Have the Best Look
One of the main reasons homeowners avoid installing a swimming pool cover is that people can think they affect the overall aesthetics of a home’s outdoor space. However, as mentioned above, nowadays, there are many companies available in the marketplace who can custom design your pool cover to make instead it a design feature of your garden to produce a visually cohesive environment that won’t compare to anyone else’s on your street!
Should You Invest in a Solar Pool Cover?
Solar swimming pool covers are a fantastic method for ensuring that your pool is kept clean and warm. However, assess your budget, overall needs, and environment to decide if a swimming pool cover is the right fit for your home.
