Save 50% on Pool Heating & Chemicals
Whether you heat your pool or not, using a pool cover of some sort can definitely save you money over the long haul. However, how much you save is directly tied to the type of cover that you install (and whether you actually use it consistently).
The fact is, consistently using a solar blanket or pool cover of some sort during the swimming season can reduce heating costs by as much as 50%. And, even if you’re NOT heating your pool, a solar blanket will make it more likely that you’ll use your pool more regularly, because the water will be warmer. Moreover, any sort of cover (unless it’s mesh) will significantly reduce water/chemical evaporation, which will reduce the costs of chemically treating your pool as well.
Make it Easy or Don’t Bother
But, let’s face it. Covers that are too much of a pain to use, won’t get used. No matter how much of a good idea they are in THEORY, if we don’t bother to use them, they are a waste of money. So, whatever type of cover you use, make sure it is easy enough to put on and off, so that you’ll actually use it.
Automatic Covers Are Awesome – But Really Expensive
Automatic covers are great, but they are extremely expensive to install and also quite costly to maintain as equipment repair and cover replacement costs can be very high and frequent. Of course, if you’ve got more money than you know what to do with, the costs may be irrelevant to you. In that case, go for it. The convenience is REALLY awesome!
K.I.S.S. (Keep it Super Simple)
As for the rest of us, chances are we’re not going to spring thousands of dollars for an automatic cover. In that case, since we’re going to have to put it on and off manually, it better be simple, and the simplest, least expensive option is generally a simple solar blanket to cover the pool.
ideally, you can cut it to fit down inside the edges of the pool so that it lays right on the surface of the water and covers the water’s surface completely. This will be most effective.
However, if you’re less concerned about looks and are willing to sacrifice a bit of efficiency for simple convenience and cost savings, simply buy a blanket that’s a little larger than the pool, don’t cut it down and stretch it across the entire pool with extra hanging over the edges.
If it’s an above ground pool, you’ll need to find some way to fasten it down to prevent the wind from blowing it off. If it’s an inground pool, you’ll still need to secure it down, but, the method will likely be different.
A Reel Can Make Things Much Easier
In either case, you can put the blanket on a reel to make it easier to roll up and roll out, but it’s not an absolute necessity if you want to save the money.
Again, most important is to use whatever method will make it most likely that you’ll actually USE the solar cover. If you don’t use it, you simply wasted the money.
I guess, in simple terms, if you want to save money on chemicals and pool heating (or you just want to keep the pool a few degrees warmer so you’ll actually USE it more often), don’t skip the solar cover.
Liquid Pool Covers?
Yes, this is actually a thing and, believe it or not, it’s actually quite effective – not to mention much easier than manually putting a pool cover on and pulling it off of your pool. One thing that such a product will not do is attract heat from the suns rays, so you won’t gain any heat this way (in contrast to a solar cover which actually does bring in some heat from the sun).
But, in terms of lessening evaporation loss (which saves on chemical and water refill costs AND heat loss), this option can work quite well. So, if you think covers are unsightly (both on and off the pool, in most cases) and/or you just don’t want to deal with the hassle, this might be an option worth considering.
A quick Google Search for “liquid pool cover” or “liquid pool blanket” should give you all you need to find a product to try, if you’re so inclined.
Disclaimer: Pool ownership and maintenance is very complicated, and we know every situation is unique. While we’ve done our best to cover the best practices here, we encourage you to reach out to ProTuff directly at info@protuffproducts.com with any specific questions you may have.