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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sensory swim time adapts your normal pool routine to those who may be more sensitive to sound and motion levels, such as those with autism. Swim activities are a great way to engage every child, and we’ll walk you through creating a welcoming environment.
Pool algae can stain your pool while freezing winter temperatures try to damage it. Learn how to winterize your pool and protect your investment from frost damage, even as you protect your loved ones from unsupervised access and the risk of accidental drowning.
Learn how to take care of safety nets for pools and your pool net leaf cover. From keeping it clean to checking for damage, we’ve got six tips to keep your net in tip-top shape.
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