Most swimming pool owners understand the benefits of using a pool cover. As well as keeping leaves and debris out of the pool, it can save time on maintenance and money on chemicals. The question many pool owners are asking is, “What type of pool cover should I get for my pool?”
One option that is becoming increasingly popular for swimming pools in Auckland is the solar pool cover (sometimes called a solar blanket). But what is a solar pool cover and how does it work?
What is a solar pool cover?
A solar blanket is a pool cover that looks like a giant sheet of bubble wrap. You may have seen these when you’ve visited the homes of friends or at public pools. They come in a range of thicknesses and sizes. Even if your pool has an odd shape, a solar pool cover can be custom made to suit.
The air within the bubble wrap means the cover floats on the surface of your pool. More than that, however, the cover utilises the warmth of the sun to warm the water in your pool.
How does a solar pool cover work?
The cover floats on your pool’s surface. During the day, the bubbles in the cover are heated by the sun’s rays. This warmth, which is trapped in the bubbles, helps heat your pool and maintain its temperature once the sun goes down.
Using a solar pool cover, the sun can raise the temperature of the water in your pool by up to 8OC. Obviously, the longer the pool cover is in place the more effective it is and so we recommend it is left on as much as possible when the pool is not in use.
Benefits of a solar pool cover
1. Save heat – that means you save money
A solar blanket or pool cover means the sun is heating your pool. That means, if you usually use an electric heat pump or gas pool heater to heat your pool’s water, when the heater comes on, the sun has given it a head-start. And, because you will be using less energy, your pool heating costs will go down. That means money saved!
2. Save water – that means you save money
Yes, you can save money on heating and on water. A solar pool cover will help minimise water evaporating from your pool.
In the height of summer, pools can lose 3 – 4 cms of water every week. It’s less in the cooler months but evaporation still occurs. The amount of water disappearing from your pool may not seem like a lot but over a long period it all adds up and refilling your pool costs money.
Using a solar pool cover can prevent up to 97% of the potential water evaporation from your pool. Save money by not having to top up your pool as often by using a swimming pool cover.
3. Save chemicals – that means you save money
Water isn’t the only thing your pool loses due to evaporation. When the water evaporates, expensive chemicals will be taken with it. What’s more, when you have to top up your pool because of evaporation, the chemicals in the water will be diluted.
That’s why it’s important to use a solar swimming pool cover. It will help prevent the loss of chemicals from your pool water, which will, once again, save you money.
You can probably see a theme here. The benefit of using a solar pool cover is that it saves you money. Of course, a solar cover also provides the same benefits as a regular pool cover including saving maintenance time and helping to keep your pool clean and the water safe to swim in.
It makes sense to talk to the team at Poseidon Pool Products about a swimming pool cover for your swimming pool.
Poseidon Pool Products specialises in the manufacture and supply of high-quality pool covers and accessories across New Zealand.
Solar Pool Covers
Solar pool covers save the sun’s natural warmth, eliminating evaporation and reducing running costs.