Tag Archives: Pool Cover

Pool and Spa Equipment, Pool and Spa Safety, Uncategorized

Considering a Safety Pool Cover?

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An alarming statistic shows that drowning is the second leading cause of death for children 1-14 years old, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and an extensive study performed by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) found that “75 percent of the children involved in swimming pool submersion or drowning accidents were between 1 and 3 years old.”

It is no surprise that The American Society for Testing and Materials [ASTM] F1346-91 (1996) standard requires that a pool cover hold a minimum of 485 pounds per five square feet to qualify as a safety pool cover.

One of the most crucial safety devices any swimming pool owner should have, though, is a Safety Pool Cover.  Please note that solar pool covers and winter pool covers are not safety covers.

Safety pool covers usually come in two varieties:  Mesh & Solid.   Both types of safety covers are anchored to a deck with straps that pull the cover taut over the pool; the straps usually attach to stainless steel springs and are anchored to recessed brackets in a deck surface.

Mesh safety pool covers are designed for long-term use, such as when closing a pool for winter. Mesh safety pool covers require little maintenance because debris that lands on them blows off the top, and rain and snow drain through the mesh panels; however, with the screen-like material of mesh, some silt and dirt may get through the webbing. On the other hand, because puddles cannot accumulate on the surface, having a mesh-style safety pool cover eliminates the risk of toddlers or pets unexpectedly coming in contact with shallow water.

Solid safety pool coverswork similarly to mesh covers in that they can be secured to a deck by anchors. Solid safety pool covers may not be best for use in areas that receive heavy rain or snowfall. Unlike mesh covers that allow water to drain through the cover, precipitation can accumulate on a solid cover, creating a puddle of water over the pool. The collected water may tend to sag the cover and present a hazard to any small children or pets who, if unsupervised, wander onto to pool cover. To combat this problem, some manufacturers incorporate drain panels into solid vinyl covers.

Safety Pool Covers

Safety Pool Covers

Pool and Spa Chemicals, Pool and Spa Equipment, Pool Closing and Winterizing

Winterize Your Pool and Save Big

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Did you know that paying a professional pool company to winterize your backyard swimming pool can cost upwards of $500?  With just a few items and a weekend afternoon, you can winterize your own pool for much less and save hundreds, even thousands, of dollars throughout the life of your pool.

By winterizing the swimming pool, you prepare it for long months of sitting untouched.  Because of this, the water must be chemically balanced using winterizing chemicals, which will help prevent corrosion and scale build up over the course of the winter.  Also, the pool must be cleaned of any dirt and debris which may have collected over the swimming season.  Finally, a protective cover should top the pool.  Many home owners choose a winter pool cover for their above ground pool or in ground pool, while others choose to cover the pool all winter with a safety cover.  Growing in popularity are leaf nets, which are mesh covers that go on top of your winter cover or safety cover.  Leaf nets collect a majority of autumn leaves and other debris and make spring clean up a breeze.

Click the links to find detailed instructions for how to winterize your above ground pool or how to winterize your in ground pool.

Pool and Spa Equipment, Pool Closing and Winterizing, Pool Opening

Leaf Nets in Autumn Make Spring Clean Up a Snap

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Once the weather grows cooler and pool owners decide to close the swimming pool for the winter, the most common procedure is to cover the pool with a winter pool cover.  Soon enough, Autumn leaves drop from the trees surrounding the covered pool, and they cascade gracefully through the air and settle gently on top of the pool cover…only to be forgotten until it is time to think about opening the pool again after the long winter months are over.  Those lovely Autumn leaves spend the winter decaying on top of the winter pool cover, and they make the removal of said pool cover a sloppy, dirty, heavy mess.  How does a pool owner prevent this problem and save some time during the Spring or Summer re-opening of the pool?  With a leaf net, of course.

A leaf net is a mesh cover designed to go on top of the winter pool cover until all the leaves and other debris have fallen from the surrounding trees.  Before the first hard frost, the leaf net should be removed by slowly dragging it off of the winter cover.  The leaves and other debris are removed with the leaf net.  At this point, leaves can be easily removed from the leaf net and added to the compost pile.  The leaf net should then be dried completely and stored in a cool, dry place until next Autumn.

Pool and Spa Equipment, Pool Closing and Winterizing

Super Strong Winter Pool Covers

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When choosing an in-ground or above ground winter pool cover, most people  will consider quality along with  price.  An  in-ground winter cover  constructed of  high-grade woven polyethylene will give you the quality and durability you are looking for.  The super-strong woven strands of this type swimming pool cover will give you unsurpassed quality along with an affordable price range.   It should also be triple-laminated with a specially designed inner scrim that is extremely tough.  Premium coating is U.V.-protected to shield a cover from the damaging effects of sunlight.  Make sure the pool cover comes with loops every four feet to secure water bags, and strong corner grommets that allow for extra anchoring options in windy areas.

Arctic Armor In ground Winter Pool Cover

Pool and Spa Equipment, Pool and Spa Safety

What is a Safety Pool Cover?

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Safety pool covers are one of the most important safety features that every backyard swimming pool should have.  Homeowners may already own a solar pool cover and/or a winter pool cover, but these types of pool covers are not safety pool covers and should not be used as such.  A pool cover must be able to support a minimum of 485 pounds per 5 square feet before it can be considered a safety pool cover, according to the American Society for Testing and Materials’ (ASTM) F1346-91 standard.

Two choices for safety pool covers include mesh covers and solid material covers.  Both varieties of cover are anchored to a pool’s deck with straps that pull the cover tight over the pool.  The straps attach to stainless steel springs and are anchored to recessed brackets in the pool deck’s surface.

Mesh safety pool covers require very little upkeep because debris that may fall on the covers usually blows off the top, and rain and snow drain through the mesh panels; however, because mesh is a screen-like material, some dirt may penetrate the webbing. Alternatively, having a mesh-style safety pool cover prevents the danger of small children or pets coming in contact with shallow water because puddles cannot form on the surface.

Solid safety pool covers are similar to mesh covers in that they can be secured to a pool’s deck by anchors. The difference is that solid safety pool covers may not be most suitable for pools in areas that get heavy rain or snowfall. Precipitation can accumulate on a solid cover which creates a puddle of water over the pool. The puddles of water may weigh the pool cover down enough to create a sag.  Even a small puddle of water can be a danger to small children or pets who, if unsupervised, wander onto the pool cover. To reduce this potential problem, some manufacturers of solid safety pool covers include drain panels in the covers.  If no drain panels are present, a small cover pump that automatically pumps water off the cover as soon as it is detected may also be used.