Are Winter Safety Pool Covers The Best Winter Pool Cover?

A Deep Dive Into Winter Safety Pool Covers

Winter safety pool covers are the easiest and safest way to cover your pool for the winter months. Safety covers give you absolute peace of mind knowing that your pool, kids, pets, and any animals or critters that may show interest in your pool over the winter are kept safe.

In this article, we are going to dive into all things winter safety covers and explain in detail the following points.

• What is a winter safety cover?
• Safety Cover Options
• Pros & Cons
• Cost
• Alternative winter cover options
• Is a winter safety pool cover the right winter cover for you?
  

What is a winter safety pool cover?

A winter safety pool cover is used to cover your pool during the winter months when you are not using your pool for an extended period. Safety covers are made from a strong yet lightweight UV-treated polypropylene mesh or solid vinyl material. Straps are sewn onto the mesh or vinyl material in a grid pattern and spring buckles are applied to the ends so that the cover can be attached to anchors fastened into your pool deck.

These brass anchors are permanently fastened into your pool deck but during the summer months, the anchors can be lowered down into the pool deck using an Allen key so they sit flush with your pool deck out of sight and out of mind.

Safety covers come in standard sizes or can be customized to fit any pool shape. If you have features surrounding your pool such as a raised spa, pillars, water/fire features or anything else the winter safety pool cover can be made to fit around these features.  

Safety Cover Options

• Colour – Options include Black, Blue, Green, Grey, Tan
• Shape – Rectangular or custom fit to your pool’s shape
• Material – Solid or mesh materials available

Solid safety covers are far less popular than mesh safety covers but both have their benefits. Here at Hipel Pools, we include a mesh winter safety cover with every pool installation

• Solid Safety Covers – Solid covers are just that… Solid. They do not allow for water to flow through them so you will need to use a cover pump from time to time to pump the water off of the cover. If water sits on top of the cover it defeats the purpose of having a safety cover. Solid safety covers do however block 100% of the light from entering the pool which helps prevent algae growth.
• Mesh Safety Covers – Mesh safety covers on the other hand allow water to flow through into the pool so you don’t need to worry about pumping water off of the cover, making them easier to maintain. Mesh covers do however allow some sunlight to go through which can increase the chances of algae early in the spring. Mesh safety covers can be purchased in a standard mesh or high-density mesh. Standard mesh covers typically block out around 90% of sunlight whereas high-density mesh covers can block as much as 99% of sunlight.
  

Pros & Cons Of Safety Pool Covers

Winter safety pool covers have several amazing benefits that make them better than every other winter cover on the market. They also have limited faults which are rare amongst most things today and add to the true value that safety covers provide.

Pros

• Safety – Winter safety covers can easily support the weight of an adult, child, or even a large animal and keep them from falling in the pool when unattended.
• Cleanliness – Safety covers keep debris like leaves, sticks, bugs etc. out of your pool throughout the winter and unlike traditional tarp-style covers they are fast and easy to rinse off and clean come springtime.
• Simple to install – The initial installation of a winter safety cover requires installing anchors into your pool deck, but every year after that the installation is simple, fast, and worry-free
• Simple to remove – When the winter has subsided and you are ready to open your pool winter safety covers are simple to clean, remove, and store for the summer
• Longevity – Winter safety pool covers are strong, durable, and typically last over 15 years
• Customizable – Safety covers can be customized to fit any pool shape and to fit around other features on your pool deck like water features, raised spas, pillars, etc. Safety covers also come in a variety of different colours with black being the most popular
• Appearance – Safety covers keep your pool space looking clean and tidy even in the winter months

Cons

• Initial Cost – The initial purchase and installation of a safety cover will cost between $1500 – $4000 depending on the size of the cover and the complexity of the installation. The average initial cost is between $2000-$2500

Cost

As we just mentioned in the pros and cons section you can expect to spend somewhere between $1500-$4000 to purchase a winter safety cover and have a pool professional do the initial installation with the required anchors in the pool deck. The average cost typically lies somewhere between the $2000-$2500 range.

Alternative Winter Cover Options

To know if a winter safety pool cover is the right option for you, you need to know about the other winter cover options so you can make the right decision. Other than safety covers there are two other types of winter covers available.

Tarp Style Cover

Tarp-style covers are essentially a large tarp placed over your pool for the winter months. Typically water bags are placed around the outside of the cover on the pool deck to hold it in place for the winter. Water will sit on top of the tarp-style cover making them substantially less safe than mesh winter safety covers. Tarp covers are also very difficult to clean and maintain after every winter. They are however a very inexpensive winter cover option with an initial cost of between $100-$500

Lock-In Covers

Lock-in covers only work on vinyl liner pools with a dual liner track but are very similar to the tarp-style winter cover. Instead of using water bags to hold the cover in place for the winter, they are locked into the second liner track exactly like the pool liner would be. This holds the cover in place during the winter months. These covers will hold water on top of the cover making them less safe than a winter safety pool cover and can also be difficult to clean and maintain after use in the spring. Ranging in price from $700 – $1250. Lock-in winter covers are a mid-price range winter cover.

Is A Winter Safety Pool Cover The Right Winter Cover For You?

A winter safety cover is the right winter cover for you if you prioritize safety and want peace of mind throughout the winter knowing that your pool and anything that could fall into your pool will be safe. A winter safety cover is also for you if you like easy maintenance and fast simple installation and removal every spring and fall. A winter safety cover will cost $1000-$3500 more than the traditional tarp-style cover but with the benefits, it provides you may find that the extra money is well worth it.