The Benefits of the
Solar Pool Cover

The Solar Pool Cover is becoming an essential element for a better maintenance of the swimming pool, it serves more than one purpose as you can see bellow, and eventually it returns the investment in a very short time by reducing water evaporation and heat loss

Solar Pool Cover works in more than one way

A cover on a swimming pool serves more than one purpose.

• The cover reduces water evaporation from the pool surface

• It keeps away falling leaves, water insects and other debris from dropping onto the water
• It reduces heat losses by evaporation and by radiation, to keep the pool warmer
• If made from the right material it adds heat to the pool using the direct Sun radiation
• It saves on pool chemicals

Evaporation

Evaporation from the oceans’ surface is the generator of rain clouds and eventually the rain enriches the fresh water reservoirs, lakes and rivers. Evaporation from water reservoirs, lakes and aqueducts causes the loss of good drinkable water. Evaporation from the swimming pool surface had 2 bad effects:

• Loss of water; a typical swimming pool can easily loose 10,000 gallons in one season through evaporation; with the increasing price of water, there is a strong incentive to avoid water loss.
• Loss of heat, more than 50% of heat losses are through the evaporation of water. Reducing the evaporation can indeed reduce the energy cost involved in pool warming.

The Solar Pool Cover Heat Gain

Covers made of transparent to sun light materials allows the Sun radiation photons in the visible wavelengths to warm up the water. Warm water emits heat waves in the invisible infrared wavelengths and if the pool blanket is opaque to infrared than the heat is trapped in the pool’s water (greenhouse effect). Most materials transparent to visible light are opaque to infrared, such as many plastic sheets and glass.

Pay a bit more

A solar pool blanket cost less than a solar pool heater, it can be a complementary to the heater or in lieu of it. Pay a little bit more for quality and warranty and buy the retracting mechanism to roll the blanket in and out. To be retractable, the cover must be rectangular, might be a bit tricky to use a redactor for a swimming pool with exotic, not rectangular shape

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A word on Above Ground Pool Covers

Above ground swimming pools can be covered too. Today's above ground pool covers are sturdy and will last for many years, serving the purposes outlined above. To assure longevity of the pool cover, clean it thoroughly using a water hose, dry it up, fold it and store it in a shed for the winter. Before the swimming season, unfold it, clean it using a water hose and cover the pool.

click to view the solar swimming pool heaters FAQ page