One of the largest expenses that swimming pool owners have is keeping the water in their pools at a comfortable and reasonable temperature. Fortunately, there is an easy and effective way to keep the water warm at an affordable cost. When you use a solar pool cover it keeps your pool at a comfortable and constant temperature, which makes it much more enjoyable to use your pool. Using solar power also saves you money at the same time.
How to Save Money Using a Solar Pool Cover
Solar pool covers look like big sheets of bubble wrap floating on the surface of the water. They are designed to trap heat from the sun in the water when the pool isn’t being used. In general, the trapped heat causes the temperature of the water to increase from ten up to fifteen degrees, which means you won’t have to spend as much money on heating your pool.
The cover also helps to decrease evaporation substantially. This helps you save a great deal of money on heating your pool (since evaporation is the biggest cause of losing heat in pools by far), and it also saves on cleaning chemicals and water as well – so you won’t need to top off your pool as frequently. When everything is taken into account, having a solar pool cover can decrease the heating costs for your pool by fifty percent or even more.
Solar pool covers are available in both semi-opaque and transparent plastic. Usually it is better to have a clearer cover. Covers that are more opaque allow less sunlight in, which reduces their effectiveness. In order to get the maximum use from your solar pool cover, you should use it anytime you are not using your pool. The cover floats freely on the surface of the water, so no ties or anchors are needed. That makes it very easy to put the cover on and take it off. However, it can be hard for one individual to manage on their own since a solar cover needs to be big enough so that it covers the whole pool. There are cover reels that can be used to make it easier to handle the cover.
Final Thoughts
One important thing that needs to be noted is that solar pool covers have not been designed to be used as safety covers or for winterizing. The main purpose is to keep the water in your pool warm. A winter pool cover should be used once you are done using the pool for the year.