Swimming Pool Covers

Whether you choose a winter pool cover or a safety pool cover, both are available in either mesh or solid. So why would you choose one over the other? Which one is right for your pool?

Solid Pool Covers

A solid pool cover acts as an impermeable barrier for your pool water. It keeps leaves, twigs and other debris out of your pool and prevents evaporation of your pool water so the water maintains its chemical balance throughout the closed season. In addition, a solid pool cover prevents sunlight from getting to your pool, thus preventing algae growth. This makes opening your pool in the spring a matter of removing the cover, checking the chemical balance of the water and making any necessary adjustments.

However, because the solid cover is, well...solid, rain, snow and ice have nowhere to go, so they puddle on top of the pool cover. This creates a safety hazard for any small animals, pets or children who accidentally find themselves on the pool cover. Add to that the decomposing leaves and other debris that can collect there and you have a stinky, slimy area where disease carrying insects can breed. Yuck! This is why you are REQUIRED to use a pool cover pump with any solid cover.

The pool cover pump is basically a sump pump that connects to a garden hose to remove standing water from the swimming pool cover. You may also choose to use a leaf net to keep leaves and debris suspended above the collected water to prevent clogging of your cover pump and decomposition and to make the pool cover easier to clean and remove in the spring.

HPI pool covers are superior quality covers made from Armorkote, a material developed and patented by HPI Industries for its strength and resistance to damage from ultra violet rays. As a result, HPI covers carry one of the longest warranties in the industry. Check out the product reviews for HPI pool covers at Swimming Pools Made Simple.

Mesh Pool Covers

Mesh pool covers have several advantages over solid pool covers. The mesh is lighter in weight than solid covers, making them easier to put on and take off. In addition, because they are mesh, water, snow and melting ice can filter through the mesh and into the pool water below. This eliminates the stagnant water odor and drowning hazard. You will not need a pool cover pump with a mesh cover. Leaves and other debris will dry after the water drains through and will then blow away or can be easily swept away.

Two downsides of mesh pool covers are:

• The mesh will filter sunlight, but will not completely block it, so you may have to deal with some algae growth


• The mesh will not completely stop evaporation, so you may have to adjust your chemical balance a bit more in the spring when you open the pool

Here again, HPI stands out as a leader in mesh pool covers with their EnviroMesh covers for both above ground and in ground pools. Arctic Armor also makes high quality mesh covers for both above ground and in ground pools. Both companies have an eight year warranty on their mesh pool covers.

The primary difference between above ground pool covers and inground pool covers is the way they are secured to the pool deck. In either case, the goal is to secure the pool cover to the outside of the pool so that it will not blow off in winter storms or sink from the weight of water and leaves that may collect there over the winter.

Above Ground Pool Covers

Above ground pool covers have loops along the edge that you pass a cable through. The cable is attached to a winch that you use to tighten the cover around the outside edge of your pool. Think of it like the elastic around the edge of a shower cap. In areas where there is a lot of wind, you may want to add water bags that thread onto the cable or clips that clip to the top rail of your pool to secure the cover.

Inground Pool Covers

Inground pool covers have loops along the edge too. These loops are used to secure water bags, long tubes filled with water, that are laid along the pool deck to hold down the cover. Water bags are available in different lengths as well as curves and corner ells so they will conform to the entire perimeter of your pool. An in ground pool cover can also be secured with AquaBlocs, cinder blocks or any other heavy object that will prevent the cover from blowing off or being submerged in the pool.

Both winter pool covers and safety pool covers go on in the fall and remain on until pool opening time in the spring or summer. Both types of covers are available in mesh and solid, above ground and in ground. Beyond those similarities they are very different.

Winter Pool Covers

Winter pool covers lie just on top of your pool water (solid) or are suspended a little above the water surface (mesh), but below the level of the pool deck. Where there is a lot of freezing winter weather, the water level is lowered below the level of the skimmers before the pool cover goes on. Mesh covers need a still lower water level so that as rain water and melted ice and snow drain into the pool the water level remains below skimmer level. These winter pool covers, being only secured by water bags or blocks, will not support enough weight to be rated as safety covers.

Safety Pool Covers

Safety pool covers, on the other hand, are secured to the pool deck by brass anchors (in ground) or special brackets (above ground) and kept taught at deck level by reinforced webbing strips that reinforce the pool cover and attach to the anchors or brackets. Safety covers are available in standard sizes and shapes as well as custom computer aided designs (CAD) for irregular shapes and sizes of pools. This is because the purpose of a safety cover is to provide an impenetrable seal for your swimming pool that will keep children, pets and small animals out of the pool. They also come in a variety of colors to complement your landscape design.

All safety covers must conform to the Standard Performance Specification set by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). According to the ASTM, a safety cover must be able to support a certain amount of weight, not permit gaps that a child or pet could squeeze through, and remove standing water.

To comply with ASTM specifications, safety covers are available as mesh covers, solid covers with mesh drainage panels and all solid covers that are sold with pool cover pumps.

If you live in an area where there are wild animals or small children (even if they are not yours), you should seriously consider a safety pool cover. Yes, they do cost a little more, but they will last much longer than most winter pool covers and they definitely save lives. They are also more attractive than winter pool covers and will not collect debris.

There are two types of year-round pool covers that deserve mention here: automatic pool covers and solar pool covers.

Automatic Pool Covers

Automatic pool covers are installed on rails or a track that runs along the sides of the pool. At the deep end of the pool is an automatic cover reel that rolls the cover on and off by means of a motor. Usually the entire assembly is enclosed in a housing that blends into the pool surround. Automatic pool covers are often installed when the pool is constructed but can also be retrofitted to an existing pool.

Solar Pool Covers

Solar Pool Covers are not intended primarily to keep your pool clean or safe. Their primary purpose is to catch and retain the sun's heat and focus it to heat your pool's water. They will also act as insulation to retain the heat generated by your swimming pool heater. Think of them as "bubble wrap" for your pool.

Solar pool covers are available as solar blankets that cover the entire surface of the pool, as"sun rings" that float on the surface of the pool and keep heat in while allowing the pool to "breathe" to stay healthier, and as a liquid solar blanket, a biodegradable liquid that floats on top of the pool water.