Why a Pool Solar Cover Will Make Your Swimming Season More Enjoyable
Many homeowners — especially here in the Midwest — bemoan just how short our swimming season is. It seem as though you barely have time to get the pool prepped for summer before it is threatening to become a skating pond again.
And, if you do try to brave the elements and stretch your swimming season by several weeks, you will always find that it is so cold in the mornings when you try to go for that swim, and it seems to take all day for the pool to get to a tolerable temperature.
Some pool owners pay extra for a pool heater. However, these heaters can be rather expensive to have installed, and, once installed, are expensive to run.
A pool solar cover can change all of that.
To understand how a solar cover works, you need to first understand a little bit about its design. These covers really are nothing more than a clear or blue sheet of vinyl. We want the vinyl to be as clear as possible so that the sunlight can easily pass through it.
Then, to trap the heat into the pool, the solar cover is infused with hundreds of air bubbles. These bubbles help the cover float on top of the pool and create n insulating layer of air, trapping the heat inside the pool.
Surprisingly, these covers capture solar energy efficiently enough to increase the temperature of the pool by as much as 15 degrees Fahrenheit. While it might not make the early-morning dip more pleasant, it can certainly get the pool warmed up to a much more tolerable level earlier in the day.
Plus, by covering the pool, the solar cover breaks the surface tension of the water and helps to decrease the amount of evaporation. This can save a pool owner a lot of time that would otherwise be spent refilling the pool. More importantly it can cut down on the amount of pool chemicals you otherwise have to replace and re-balance.
The important thing when choosing a solar pool cover is to buy the heaviest one you can afford. The thinner pool covers are cheaper and break down sooner, while the heavier ones will last longer. While the cost-per-year between the lifetime of the two will be approximately the same, a heavier pool cover will warm the pool much more efficiently.
Finally, don’t be a cheapskate. Go ahead and choose an easy-to-use storage device so that the pool cover can be easily rolled up between swim times. If you have children who access your pool, make sure that your pool cover reel is easy for them to use as well.
Your storage choice will have the greatest effect on the life of the solar cover. Having a warm place, away from the sun’s damaging UV rays will make all of the difference in helping your cover survive winter after winter. Plus, if it is already on a reel, it is pretty easy to wheel across the yard to your garage or storage shed.
Quinton Hamp is a writer for TheSolarEnergyFacts.net