Pool Covers Comparison: Which Should You Choose?

Choosing the best cover for your inground pool can be just as time consuming as deciding on the look of the pool itself. Each cover brings its own advantages and disadvantages to the table, and we want to help make your selection process a little bit easier. Here are the four main types of pool covers and what features you can expect from each.

Solar Pool Cover

A solar cover is great to use during the summer because it will soak up the heat and warm your pool, as well as keep debris out. After summer though, when it comes time to close the pool, this cover won’t do you any good. Plus, many people complain that these covers can be a pain to take on and off every day. It’s definitely better than nothing, but this isn’t a swimming pool cover that will keep your pool totally protected all year round.

An inexpensive alternative to a solar cover is to create individual lily pad solar covers that you can spread across your pool. They may not offer as much protection as a traditional cover, but they will still help absorb heat and catch some debris. 

 Winter Pool Cover

If you’re looking for a more substantial cover that’s pretty inexpensive and you don’t mind replacing every couple seasons, a winter cover is for you. The tarp-like material does a good job of keeping out excess water and debris, but it can also be a little temperamental and move around because it is only being held down by sandbags. Expect to keep a watchful eye on the pool and perform some occasional maintenance all winter if you choose this route.

Safety Pool Cover

Safety covers, or security covers as they are sometimes called, are the safest option for most pool owners (no pun intended). Not only can they support concentrated weight and keep your family safe around the area, but they also can be customized to any pool shape unlike other types of covers, so you won’t have to worry about any guess work for finding a pool cover for your freeform pool. Although installation can be a little complicated and challenging, the lifespan and low maintenance for this cover makes it well worth it.

Automatic Pool Cover 

Why spend the time manually putting on a cover when you can just put it on with the touch of a button? Automatic pool covers are great because of how easy they are to use and also because they offer protection against unwanted visitors, like animals, getting into your pool. In many cases, however, automatic pool covers can only be installed into rectangular pools and also have the ability to break, which can lead to not being able to use your pool for a couple of days. If the cost and shape of your pool isn’t an issue, however, these covers can be well worth the investment.

What kind of cover do you have or want for your pool? Let us know in a comment!

Want A Pool By Summer? Here’s 3 Things To Do Right Now

Although summer is still pretty far away, if you are considering purchasing a pool, now is the time to start your research. We’re giving you a jumping off point for the process with these three things you need to do before you buy your pool.

1. Figure Out Your Motives For Wanting A Pool 

This isn’t as simple of a process as it seems. Really ask yourself why you want a pool. Do you want it for family to enjoy and play in, or are you a swimmer and want a place to train? If you want it for family fun, are your children younger or older? Younger children are probably going to need a shallow end, and older children may want a deep end to dive into or play games in. Pools, especially in-ground pools, are large commitments; are you willing to keep up with the maintenance? Looking at your motives for a pool will help you to better determine if a pool is the appropriate backyard accessory, because we don’t want it to end up being an unused space that you sank a lot of money into.

2. Establish Your Budget 

You’ll need a pretty penny to be able to purchase a pool, so planning out your budget for this expense is a necessity. You can’t plan out your pool if you can’t pay for it. Begin looking at your accounts and seeing what money you’ll be able to put into it out of pocket, what you’ll need to finance, etc. While you’re planning, start looking at financing options and make sure you are eligible and meet the terms of the loan options in your current financial state. While you won’t be able to plan out exactly how much the pool is going to cost without actually going through the purchasing process, knowing how much you are able to spend will be helpful for you and your contractor.

3. Begin Researching Your Desired Size, Shape and Material 

This step is a lot more fun than the previous two, because it involves envisioning and brainstorming about your dream pool. Think about the pool shape you’d like to have: maybe rectangular, kidney-shaped, or custom? Do you like the look of concrete pools or fiberglass more? You can find images of pools that you like and compare them all to see which features you would like from each of them. Have some fun with this part, but be sure to keep your motives and your budget in mind while brainstorming.