An Automatic Pool Cover You Can Walk On, Do They Really Exist?

Retractable pool covers are an excellent safety feature for any swimming pool. Convenient and easy to use, they glide open and close smoothly, allowing for frequent access while preventing heat loss and reducing water evaporation. While this does allow you to easily close and secure your pool when not in use, it’s the strength of an automatic pool cover for your pool that really drives home its potential to help prevent accidental drowning injuries.

What Sets Safety Swimming Pool Covers Apart

Safety swimming pool covers are not the same as leaf or evaporation covers, although they tackle both functions equally well. These retractable pool covers are made of a strong, rip-resistant mesh fabric that is securely anchored to rails along the pool deck, recessed into the pool deck, or recessed under the coping, allowing your cover to virtually disappear when the pool is opened up. Driven by an electric motor or hand crank, the material is guided along the rails with the flip of a switch. This makes it extremely easy for even a single swimmer to open the pool for their laps, then close it when not in use to keep others safer.

The fabric of an automatic retractable cover for your pool is stretched tightly across the surface. In the event a child, pet, or an adult stumbles and falls toward the pool, an ASTM compliant pool cover serves as a barrier, keeping them out of the water and allowing them to make their way to the edge of the pool and back to safety. If needed, another person can even purposely walk out onto the cover to help them get back on dry ground. Whether used alone or in conjunction with a removable swimming pool fence, a pool safety cover helps reduce your liability and limit unsupervised or unauthorized use of your pool area.

Safety Looks Good!

With the fabric stretched across the pool, secured by rails and supported by the water underneath it, your retractable pool cover can look almost like solid ground. The feel of it under your feet, however, is more akin to walking on a large waterbed. As someone walks or crawls, there is give to it, and you can feel the “wave sensation” as the water moves beneath you. While it is a great way to help prevent accidental pool entry, it would be a poor place to set up your next barbeque. 

Keep The Fun In The Water

While it may feel like a waterbed, which kids love to play on, retractable pool covers aren’t trampolines. They are designed to accept occasional weight in the case of emergency, and taking a step or two out to clear leaves or other detritus is fine during normal use of an automatic retractable pool cover. They are not meant to bear loads frequently or for extended periods of time, nor are they designed to accommodate an excessive amount of weight or horseplay, such as jumping on the surface of the cover. Improper use can damage the material, rails, or motor of your retractable pool cover.

Is There A Cover Made For Heavier Use?

The short answer is no, there isn’t. While you may be able to find pictures or videos of retractable floors that have been installed over pools, these are extremely expensive, custom-built, and would be better considered as extremely elaborate pool decks, not as swimming pool covers. Most pool owners chose their pools for the fun and exercise they can have in it, however, not on top of it.

Benefits Of An Automatic Retractable Cover For Your Pool 

• Peace Of Mind – Because they can bear the weight of someone who may be falling toward the pool surface and they can be easily secured, preventing access by children, pets, or other unsupervised swimmers, safety swimming pool covers can prevent accidental drownings.
• Ease Of Use – You can open or close your pool with the flip of a switch, making using your pool less of a chore without sacrificing safety.
• Reduced Maintenance – Retractable pool covers keep your pool water cleaner and prevent the entry of trash that may harbor bacteria. 
• Less Evaporation – A covered pool loses less water to evaporation, stays warmer because it’s protected from chilly wind, and maintains better chlorination because your water level is more stable.
• Beautiful Appearance – The smooth appearance creates a neater pool that doesn’t detract from the relaxing watery oasis you’ve created.

Getting The Right Cover For Your Pool

Our ASTM compliant covers use materials and installation techniques that have been tested and approved to meet the most stringent safety standards. Each one is individually designed and fit to the pool it’s meant for, creating the safest possible barrier for our customers. The first step to creating a safer pool area is calling one of our local pool safety professionals for a free onsite consultation and quote. 

A time will be scheduled for the technician to come survey your pool site and take measurements. New builds will look at the land, the structures surrounding your proposed pool area, and your landscaping features. If you’re renovating an existing pool, they’ll also take into account features like step placement, handrails, slides, and diving boards. They’ll also talk to you about your intended pool use and the installation options available.  

Request Your Free Estimate

While the average automatic retractable pool cover cost can be higher than alternative pool safety barriers, the peace of mind you get from knowing your swimming pool is secure and your friends, family, and pets are safer can be invaluable. Each pool is unique, and only an All-Safe Pool installer can give you an exact estimate that lets you make an informed decision about the right safety features for you. Call today and find out how reasonable a safer pool can be for you.