Many pool owners consider a pool cover in order to keep their pool more clean, but do they really? Unfortunately many of them won’t actually do much in the way of keeping your pool tidier.
Pool covers can also be used as safety measure to keep children from falling in, although many pool owners opt for a locking fence around their pool instead.
3 Types of Pool Covers to Consider
Each type of pool cover has their own set of pros and cons. If your goal is to keep the pool clean, the most important things are that the cover is solid instead of mesh and that it’s attached to the deck around the pool. If it sits on top of the water or if there’s a gap between the cover and the deck, it will basically defeat the purpose altogether since leaves and other debris will still make their way into the pool.
Mesh Pool Covers
These types of covers are used as a safety precaution to keep children from falling in and won’t really do anything to keep your pool clean. In fact, they can actually cause your pool to become dirtier since they filter out light while still allowing the pool to be heated by the sun (creating an ideal environment for algae growth). Depending on how thick the mesh is, they can also still allow lots of debris to fall into the pool. If you’re considering this type of cover as a safety measure, it can be worthwhile to consider a locking fence around the pool instead since they don’t promote algae growth and don’t need to be removed/replaced each time you use the pool.
Solid Pool Covers
Solid pool covers can work to keep your pool clean, but only if they don’t have a gap between the edge of the cover and your pool deck where debris can fall into the pool. If the cover sits on the surface of the water, it won’t do much to keep debris out of the pool. Pool covers that sit on the water are difficult to remove without dumping the debris on top of them into the pool and can be cumbersome to store. Solid pool covers that are anchored to the deck without a gap work much better but can also be a hassle to remove, replace and store. Also, some solid pools covers are partially transparent, allowing filtered light and heat into the pool that will promote algae growth. Water and debris can also accumulate on top, which can sometimes require a cover pump to keep them clean.
Retractable Pool Covers
By far the best covers for keeping a pool clean, retractable pools covers are the easiest to remove/replace without any debris falling into the pool. They retract automatically into themselves using a hand crank or an electric motor that pulls the cover, usually along a set of rails. These can be the most expensive cover, but cheaper hand-cranked options are available. Watch out for some of these though, because if the cover sits on top of the water or if there’s a gap between the edge of the cover and the pool deck, debris will still get into the pool. Certain materials can also let filtered light in, promoting algae growth. Like non-retractable solid covers, a pump cover can also sometimes be needed for keeping water and debris from accumulating on top of the cover.
The Bottom Line
If your goal is keeping your pool clean, having no pool cover is often the best option, so long as your pool receives consistent weekly service. But if you’re intent on a pool cover, a retractable solid cover with non-transparent vinyl is usually going to work the best. Just make sure the cover does not have a gap around the edge or sit on the surface of the water and is instead on a rail system suspended above the water level. And if your concern is safety, a locking fence around the pool can be more ideal than a mesh pool cover.