The Benefits & Risks of Floating Solar Pool Covers

black and white dog jumping into pool
black and white dog jumping into pool

You have a variety of covers to choose from for keeping your swimming pool safe and clean. Floating pool covers are a popular option, and floating solar pool covers can even help keep the temperature warm.

Although they may be good for the water, floating swimming pool covers are not safety devices for children or pets. Learn about the risks and benefits here with expert insights by All-Safe.

What is a Solar Pool Cover?

A solar cover floats on top of the water of your pool. Floating solar pool covers don’t usually have anchors attached to the sides of your pool deck, though they may be reeled in and out similar to a leaf cover. These covers can also come in rings that don’t require a reel but are connected to each other via magnets.

The biggest benefit of using a solar floating swimming pool cover is, of course, the way it helps heat your pool. Solar pool covers come in a variety of options:

  • Clear, bubbled
  • Clear on top and dark on the bottom, bubbled
  • Dark, thin
  • White and reflective, bubbled
  • White and reflective, thin
Floating solar pool cover

The effectiveness of each of these types of blankets will vary, but the best is usually clear on top to let the sunlight in and dark on the bottom to transfer the collected heat to the water. White and reflective bubbled covers can retain heat fairly well but don’t collect much, and the dark blankets collect well but don’t retain much.

The Benefits of Floating Solar Pool Covers

two children holding pool’s edge

Solar covers can help reduce your heating costs by saving energy. Additionally, they help prevent evaporation, meaning you have to refill your pool less often. Because expensive pool chemicals evaporate along with the water, floating covers help retain levels of chemistry like chlorine.

These energy-efficient covers can also have some benefits for keeping debris out of your pool. To take advantage of this feature, be sure to get a complete blanket, rather than the individual rings.

The Danger of Floating Swimming Pool Covers

Floating pool covers are not safety devices. Similar to leaf covers, solar covers do not have the tension necessary to prevent a child or pet from falling into the water. Floating covers are especially dangerous because they can make it harder for a child or pet to get out of the water if they do fall in.

It’s essential to utilize other methods of pool safety to prevent unauthorized access to your pool and avoid a tragic accident.

Pool Nets

Adding a pool net over your solar cover is an easy to use, effective safety measure. Because the solar cover rests directly on the water, placing the net above the cover means your pool is secure and remains aesthetically pleasing. Pool nets have approximately three-inch holes, allowing sunlight to pass unobstructed to the solar cover but preventing children from falling through.

Pool nets are essential safety barriers to keep children and pets out of the water. All-Safe nets are ASTM compliant, meaning they can hold up to 485 pounds or more without breaking. The pool net, placed over your floating solar pool cover, is only removable with our proprietary tool. This means that unless children are specifically taught how to use it, they will not be able to remove the net and access the pool.

Pool Fences

A pool fence is another piece of safety equipment you can use. Mesh pool fencing means the holes are very small, deterring children from climbing them. They are easy to remove and store when not in use, though you can leave them up while you swim if you desire.

Additionally, pool fences are easy to adapt to complex water features and pool shapes. No matter what your pool area looks like, a pool fence can provide an extra boundary between your child and the water.

child in front of pool fence holding ball

When using a pool fence as a security measure for a swimming pool with a floating cover, ensuring that the door latches securely every time is essential. All-Safe offers self-closing and self-latching gates so you don’t have to worry about curious children nudging open an unattended door.

If you decide a pool fence is best for you, we recommend adding a pool alarm. Even the most well-intentioned adults can make mistakes, so if something blocks the self-closing gate or a particularly precocious child manages to gain access to the pool, an alarm can make all the difference.

You can choose to have an alarm that sounds when the water is disturbed, when your door is opened, or even an alarm that your child wears like a watch. Make sure you can hear this alarm throughout your home and yard, because when a child falls into the pool, seconds matter.

Floating Solar Pool Covers from All-Safe

All-Safe has been working to protect the lives of children for 25 years. We provide fences, covers, nets, and alarms to do just that. Solar pool covers help conserve heat, energy, water, and pool chemicals, and can save you money and materials. However, they are not safe when used alone. Contact us today for a free consultation, and your local All-Safe dealer will personally assess your pool and recommend the best security measures to keep your family safe.

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Color Variations

Colors on your screen or brochure may not match the actual color of your product.

Due to the many variations in monitors, phones, and browsers, color samples and product examples may appear different on different screens. Computers and mobile devices are not all calibrated equally and color reproduction on the Internet is not precise. The same is true for printed items such as brochures and other sales literature. 

In addition, the colors of our products photograph differently under different lighting conditions. For example, photos taken in full sunlight will vary from photos taken on a cloudy or overcast day. Similarly, shadows from nearby objects can affect the color and transparency of our products. If a precise color or specific shade is important, please inspect the actual color of your product prior to installation.

Colors will vary from batch to batch.

Many of our products’ materials are not available through typical stores and vendors and therefore must be custom manufactured specifically for our use. In order to control costs and provide you with the best value possible, our raw materials are produced in large batches and can often take several months to receive. The colors of our materials can, and often do, vary slightly from batch to batch. Although we make every effort to minimize color variations, we cannot be responsible for these differences when they occur. If a precise color or specific shade is important, please inspect the actual color of your product prior to installation.

Color names are subjective and may not be what you think the color should be.

For example, we use the name “putty” to describe some of our products. Your idea of the color “putty” may be different than someone else’s idea of “putty”. In addition, products may have the same color name but may not be the exact same color. For example, we have different shades of “black”. Please do not order using color names as your only guide. If a precise color or specific shade is important, please inspect the actual color of your product prior to installation.

Inspect the actual color of your product prior to installation.

If it is important that your product be an exact color or shade, it is highly recommended that you inspect the actual product prior to its installation and address any concerns with your local independent installer. Most independent installers do not offer refunds or accept returns due to color variations.