Pool owners choose to invest in pool covers for when the pools aren’t in use. For many, safety is the primary driving force, but do they offer any other benefits? In short, yes, they do. Here are some of the key benefits to safety pool covers.

Pool safety covers offer a tight and secure cover over your home’s swimming pool. They’re strong enough to hold the weight of an average adult attempting to walk from one end of the pool to the other.

Their strength, without a doubt, makes them the perfect option for pool owners who have small children and pets living with them in the household.

As we mentioned in the introduction, safety covers are designed using highly durable materials to withstand all types of weather changes. A typical cover comes backed by at least a 10-year warranty.

Pool owners can have the covers custom-made to fit the shape and measurements of their in ground pool to guarantee a perfect fit. The panels of the safety covers often vary based on your pool’s dimensions. For example, some pools will require 3’ x 3’ squares, while a rectangular shape may use 5’ x 5’ squares.

Brass hardware and stainless-steel springs are used to secure the covers. These are then anchored around the pools’ exterior. Pool cover installers can install them in wood decks, concrete decks, and interlocking brick decks.

In some cases, installers may have to install them as lawn or landscape anchors. This is a common installation tactic used in properties having less than 3-feet of decking.

Another major benefit offered by a pool safety cover is that you can easily fold it up and store it in the rafters in your garage when not using it. Apart from serving as an easy storage option, storing it in an out of the way location like the rafters also helps prevent it from getting damaged.

Traditional winter pool covers tend to create a saggy mess comprising pooled water covered in rotting leaves. Such an environment can easily attract ducks and frogs or create a viable habitat for chipmunks and squirrels. Safety covers are taught, making them easier to blow off the debris and keep away any unwanted critters.

Safety covers also come in a variety of colors, allowing you to choose the one that fits in well with your home décor. Common colors include black, blue, gray, tan, and green. You can choose to go with a color that matches well with your home landscaping and exterior color scheme.

For example, gray is ideal for a backyard with lots of stonework, while tan looks great with patio stones.

Pool owners using standard vinyl winter covers know all too well that such covers can get grimy, making them difficult to clean. Safety covers are much easier to clean and don’t require a lot of time or effort.

All you need is a garden hose to use in hosing down any material lying atop the cover. You may need a brush to help you scrape off any dirt or debris present on it. Before putting it away for pool season, remember to allow your cover to dry before storing it.

Pool covers are an essential accessory for every property with a pool (that isn’t open year-round). They’re designed to be strong, better looking, and safer than the typical pool covering. Clearly, there are a lot of reasons they have become quite popular with pool owners in the past decade.

Considering that not all safety covers are created the same, there’s a need to know what to look for when shopping for one. Below are a few things to things to think about as you make your purchase decision.

The difference between the two is that mesh covers can allow water and natural light to pass through them, while solid pool safety covers can’t. Water passing through can be helpful because if it builds up it can put a tremendous strain on the cover and the anchors. Light getting through, however, can be problematic as it can allow greater algae growth. To combat this, you can add some algaecide over the winter. Mesh covers tend to have a variety of options for how well they filter sunlight and fine debris. In general, you’ll typically have more clean-up when you reopen a pool with a mesh cover than a solid safety cover.

Solid safety covers block the sun, water, and everything else from entering your pool. That sounds like a no-brainer, right? Well, there are some drawbacks. As mentioned above, without allowing anything to filter through, ice, snow, water and debris can build up on top of your cover, requiring you to use a pump to remove excess water. Solid covers also tend to be more expensive, so that’s something to consider as well.

Secure covers will either come with a 3’ or 5’ grid. In short, they either have 3’ squares or 5’ squares. Although this seems like a small difference, the reality is that the difference in their cover strength can be huge. For very large pools, that added strength can provide additional peace of mind. But for most mid-sized or standard pools, 5’ squares are more than enough to suffice.

3’ grid secure covers are deemed the best for pools having an odd shape due to them having extra anchor points. The additional point assists in increasing its strength and preventing it from sagging, ensuring you can easily blow away any debris that accumulates on it.

Hopefully, you’ve found this post helpful as you try to find the right safety cover to fit your pool. Once you’ve made that decision, have a look at our many American-made pool accessibility products and accessories. Global Pool Products manufactures the highest quality pool slides, handrails, ladders, and in ground pool swim up bars available on the market. Get in touch with a local dealer to learn more!