how much does a pool cover cost

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With the summer soon coming to a close, it’s the right time for you to get started with pool covers. Any savvy swimming pool owners will know the benefits of installing one of these outstanding resources. That said, others might also be curious about the choices that are available on the consumer market.

In this guide, we highlight various vital factors, including how much does a pool cover cost. Why is covering your pool important? Well, it makes up for a convenient way to maintain the functionality of the pool and any other costs relating to its maintenance. It’s a useful technique for ensuring the pool is free from debris, dirt and more. Plus, the options available in the consumer market are outstanding, and you will benefit by making an informed choice.

As for maintenance resources, pool covers are excellent for saving up on repairs and everyday expenses such as the cost of chemicals.

Popular Types of Pool Covers

Regardless of the type of pool cover you prefer, all these resources have several benefits: to conserve water. All adequately sized pool covers are perfect for regulating the loss of water due to evaporation. In fact, various studies have shown the significant impact of using pool covers – thus making them an imperative for any savvy pool.

That said, the figures on most research vary in relation to factors such as the temperature, relative humidity and the wind. Furthermore, aside from all these benefits, it’s also good to look at the drawbacks associated with each type.

Let us get started:

Winter Pool Covers

In most cases, it’s not possible to use your pool covers all year round, and it makes sense that you should protect your pool during the cold months. Priced reasonably, winter covers are often made using high quality woven material, which costs between $40 to $80. That said, the high-end types that are made for pools that might have heating aids might average at $300 and above.

Winter covers have the role of ensuring snow or icy rain from getting into your pool. Plus, it can also function as an excellent algae and bacteria control. Furthermore, they are also compact and simple to install, with minimal maintenance required.

Like all the everyday pool care products, winter covers also have their specific drawbacks. For instance, even if they are essential pool care accessories, they are often compact and act as a safety barrier for various issues. These include negligent children, intruders and even pets from accessing the pool. Also, to ensure you get the most value out of your pool covers, you may have to store them indoors between seasons. Why? It’s because the excessive exposure to elements such as the sun, dust and more can compromise the longevity of the cover.

Solar Pool Covers

Even if the feeling of a cold pool on a hot day can be refreshing, the same would not be the same when the temperatures drop suddenly. Besides that, options such as heating pools are expensive options, which is why you would need a solar pool cover. It’s an excellent resource you can use to extend the pool season by several days.

Falling between the $40-$160 range, solar pool covers are also excellent investments. Good pool covers should help increase the temperature of your pool by an average range of between 9 to 15 degrees. How do they do this? They work by creating the “greenhouse effect”, which includes small bubbles underneath the pool cover layer. The bubbles are responsible for trapping the heat.

The other benefit of solar covers is that they ensure debris does not get to the pool and to control evaporation levels. That said, they are not suitable when used as safety mechanisms. The low-end types are suitable to use for a few seasons and can deteriorate over time, thus requiring replacements.

Safety & Security Pool Covers

Ranking as the most effective pool cover types, safety and security pool covers provide various benefits. However, with such high-end features and benefits, you can also expect these pool covers to be on the costly end of the price scale. It’s the only key drawback associated with owning a solar pool cover. Expect to spend between $450-$550 for the high-end types. Why? Its because some come with several unique features such as spring-loaded mechanism, and can average at as high as $2000.

While such a price seems outrageous for some, it provides a host of longevity benefits for your pool. They include preventing the growth of algae, heating control and most crucially – peace of mind! Most brands also make to be safe enough to carry large weights to make them perfect for issues such as negligent falls in the pool.

Automatic Pool Covers

Proving various pool care benefits in a convenient package, automatic pool covers are also excellent. They also provide high-end luxury options and expect to spend between $1000-$12,000. Plus, expect to perform high levels of maintenance and repair of these covers, as they often have various features and components. The common parts that are prone to damage include the motor, reel, the cover and more. While these components make these covers serious contenders in the pool care products category, they are also costly to replace.

These covers are only suitable for commercial pools, or people that have the funds to spend large on pool care mechanisms. You may also have to invest in a professional service provider to help with the installation process. It’s because the covers have several components that are delicate, and you need the right prowess to get the job done right. Even a DIY toolbox might not suffice when it comes to getting the best out automatic pool covers – and they are among the best!

Cover Reels

Even if pool covers are excellent accessories, they also have several drawbacks, especially when it comes to aspects such as storage. To be specific, you have to store your pool covers the correct way to promote their longevity. Thus, this is why cover reels would be an excellent recommendation. It’s a mechanism you use to store the cover when in use, and also makes reinstallation convenient.  Cover reels also work great to prevent issues such as wrinkles and damage from the sun.

The good thing is that cover reels are available with many different features, including those made with high-quality PVC materials. Some of the high-end brands feature automated mechanisms, which you can operate by just touching a button. The cost of cover reels can range between $200 to $400. Plus, you will also find it easy to embed these types in the ground or to place them above ground pool. Remember to go for one that is suitable for the structure of your swimming pool.

Other Accessories

Pool covers are excellent investments, and you can make things better by getting secondary accessories to complement its functionality. For instance, the common types include tarps, which work well for protecting covers, especially the off-pool seasons in the winter. Also, you can get pool alarms which inform you of when a trespasser or a negligent child gets to the pool area.

Furthermore, getting alternative solar heating aids would be an excellent way to save cash on pool maintenance costs. For instance, heating aids can regulate overheating issues during the summer months, and also help to address low pool temperatures.

Mesh vs Solid Pool Covers: Which is Best?

For those who have inground pools, owning the correct safety mechanisms such as pool covers can have several benefits. Safety covers are ideal for ensuring pets, children and any other negligent individual won’t drop into the pool. It’s also an excellent mechanism for keeping your pool clean, and in the right condition for the upcoming year.

The two common types of covers are solid and mesh types. Each has its benefits, and drawbacks that you should consider. Below is a comprehensive guide to help get you started on the selection process and they all relate to the price of the given cover:

Appearance

Installed correctly, each of these types of pool covers will sit over the entire top section of the pool. Plus, they also have to be anchored along the length of the pool for the best fit. Each type is available with different characteristics, including shapes, colours and more. The most significant variation in the appearance of the pool would be the consistency and texture of the surface.

Usually, the solid pool covers have a robust appearance and are smooth to touch. On the contrary, mesh pool covers have a fine texture and highly permeable fibres which you have to consider. That said, mesh covers won’t let debris pass through.  If you are concerned about aesthetics and other relative factors, then you can always consult with the brand maker of the mesh covers. You can expect more options if you go for the high-end models which are not always affordable.

Installation

The mesh covers are relatively compact than their solid counterparts. Thus, this means that you will find them easy to install DIY. Therefore, these types are perfect if you know you have regular pool users.

The solid covers are heavy, and this makes them relatively hard to move around. You may have to get an extra pair of hands for the process. Hiring a professional service is not always necessary as you can do the installation process DIY.

During the installation process, the pool decking material would be the biggest challenge to manage as you may have to drill through to make holes. If you have this hardware already in place, then the set-up process will become way easier.

You just have to pull the cover over the pool and place straps on the top sections which you will integrate with grommets. The ideal set up includes straps that are strategically positioned around the pool.

For those who don’t have the right hardware, the right pool deck should indicate the type of bit you need to develop grommets and install the equipment. To complete this process if you don’t have DIY skills, consider getting a professional service provider, especially if you have an irregular pool structure.

Costs

On average covers might cost significantly less than solid covers, and are also convenient to set up. Besides, expect a mesh cover to cost between $1,100 and $3,000 depending on the size and pool structure. A solid cover should also average between $1,700 to $3,700, and this also relates to the size of the pool. Also, expect installation costs to average between $300 to $1000.

Expect the price of a solid cover to range between $1,600 to $4,000, which is slightly higher than those of mesh covers. Furthermore, the installation process might average between $500 to $1000, and it relates to factors such as the size of your pool.

Pumps

The mesh pool covers have a design, which is permeable to water. As such, rainwater never collects on the top section and falls directly into the pool. That said, a solid cover is non-permeable, and water might accumulate on the top part. You might have to get a pump or find a way to remove any water that collects. The good thing is that pool covers are available with pumps, with some being automatically controlled for convenience. Usability

Usually, mesh covers are compact when compared to solid covers, especially since they are manufactured using vinyl fibres. Thus, installing mesh covers is a convenient and straightforward process. On the other hand, installing a solid cover might require the assistance of more than one person. Why? Because setting up the tension on the straps during installation is a delicate procedure. On average pumps cost between $120 to $1000.

Chlorine

Solid covers are non-permeable and will block UV light completely, while mesh covers are permeable and might let some light pass through. Since chlorine will break down when exposed to light, you have to add some chlorine after using the cover. The addition depends on factors such as the time of year, the path of the sun and the levels of chlorine. Expect to spend $500 to $10000 on chlorine.

Dirty Water

The main benefit of a solid cover is that it’s not permeable, and can prevent dirty water or debris that might compromise the water quality. Even if mesh covers can block large particles from getting to the pool, dirty water and decomposing leaves can easily find their way to the pool. Thus, when you reopen the pool in spring, you may come across dirt that necessitates cleaning.

In most cases, mesh covers are treated to ensure sunlight won’t get in, to prevent the development of algae. That said, if you live in places that experience excessive sunlight, then the light could promote the development of algae. Thus, owning solid covers will help stop sunlight from penetrating, which is crucial in controlling the development of algae.

Safety

Since solid covers are not permeable and might lead to the accumulation of water, it can pause as a safety hazard in many ways. For instance, children might easily get to the top surface and slip, which can lead to injury. Furthermore, the accumulation of water and sediment on top is not necessarily the cleanest place for children to play. As such, it would be good if you would get a pool pump to help ensure the water and sediment never collects on top of the surface.

Should I Get A Contractor to Help with My Pool Cover?

Well, there are several suitable answers to this question, and it’s a good one, especially since covers are relatively modern accessories. If you have a mesh cover, you can easily install it DIY as it’s often compact and has a relatively small number of components. Plus, if you have a solid pool cover, you may need an extra pair of hands to help with the installation process.

Why?

It’s because solid covers have a relatively large number of components that you have to consider. For those who don’t have any experience in DIY projects, you may have to consult with a professional contractor service. The price of the installation may vary depending on factors such as the size of the pool, the cover type and more.

Finally 

Being able to cover your pool is a great way to save up on cash, and to make the pool environment safe for your kids. While pool covers are excellent, there are available in different types and features that you have to consider. The good thing is that investing in a suitable brand for your needs is a simple process when you have the right information. Thus, this is why this guide has been all about identifying how much does a pool cover cost and any associated factors. Doing so, will put you in a better position to manage the functionality of your pool, and make it safe for your family.