Coverfree liquid cover’s main ingredient is Cetyl Alcohol a fatty-based alcohol that when combined with the water in your pool forms an incredibly thin one-molecule thick layer on the surface of the water that is invisible to the naked eye, odourless, and impossible to feel. This ultra-thin layer on the surface of your pool is enough to help aid in the prevention of evaporation and heat loss which helps to conserve water and save energy. Liquid covers are the most cost-effective pool cover option for the summer costing about $30 per bottle and it is required that the chemical be added weekly to your pool with a bottle of chemical typically lasting several weeks. Although liquid cover can be the cheapest summer cover option in the short term it is the least effective cover option according to a study conducted by California Polytechnic State University reducing evaporation rates in swimming pools by only about 15%. Here at Hipel Pools we try and steer pool owners away from liquid pool covers due to the low overall efficiency and the repeated need to re-apply and purchase the liquid cover. If you don’t yet own a summer pool cover and are looking for a cheap temporary solution until you can get a more permanent cover then a liquid pool cover may be a great option.
A solar blanket is essentially a plastic roll of thick bubble wrap that covers the entire water’s surface when the pool is not in use. Solar blankets help to dramatically reduce evaporation in your swimming pool which in turn helps to reduce heat loss in your pool’s water. The same study conducted by the California Polytechnic State University found Solar Blankets to be nearly 95% effective at reducing evaporation and its harmful effects. Solar blankets are probably the most common way of covering your pool in the summer months and can be purchased for as little as $300 with more advanced options such as a Cleardeck System costing between $4000-$7000 to have installed. Although solar blankets are low-cost and very effective they do come with some drawbacks. The solar blanket itself typically will only last for 3-5 years before it starts to deteriorate from the sun’s harmful rays and need replacing. A lot of pool owners also find the solar blanket roller to be unsightly on their pool deck when the solar blanket is rolled up and not in use which is why on a lot of new pool builds customers will opt for the more expensive Cleardeck Solar Blanket System. Overall though we feel the solar blanket is the best choice for a summer pool cover option as far as the cost of ownership and overall effectiveness.
Solar sun rings are essentially small circular solar blankets that are inflated and set side by side throughout the pool and float on top of the surface of the pool. Although not very popular and not as effective as many types of summer covers some people do find them easier to handle than the traditional solar blanket. The California Polytechnic State University study found solar sun rings to be about 50% effective at reducing the effects of evaporation. Solar sun rings cost about $50 per ring so depending on the size of your pool you’re looking at an overall cost of between $400-$1000. We don’t recommend the use of solar sun rings unless you do find them easier to handle because they will likely cost a little bit more than a solar blanket and they are about 45% less effective than a solar blanket at preventing evaporation because they do not cover the entire surface of the pool. So why spend more for less efficiency?
Automatic covers are the Cadillac of swimming pool covers. They are high-quality, very effective, expensive and unlike any other summer, cover add an exceptional level of safety. Auto covers which are typically only installed on new pool builds act much the same as a solar pool blanket but are obviously automatic and utilize a high-quality canvas instead of a plastic bubble-wrap type material. The California Polytechnic State University study found auto covers to be around 94% effective at reducing evaporation. Not only are auto covers great at reducing evaporation, retaining heat, and improving energy efficiency they also help to substantially reduce chemical usage by blocking the sun’s harmful rays and by preventing rainwater from entering the pool which negatively alters the pool water chemistry. Auto covers are also one of the few if not only summer covers that provide a high level of safety by preventing children, pets, or anything else from entering the pool without supervision. Automatic covers are a very attractive option to most potential pool owners but the price tag is typically what steers people away. In our area (Ontario, Canada) Automatic covers typically cost between $22,500 – $32,5000 to install on a new pool. The biggest flaw with auto-covers outside of the price point is they require continued maintenance from qualified professionals to maintain the electric motors, track and pulley system and many other mechanical components that keep the cover operating smoothly. You should expect to spend $250-$750 per year on general cover maintenance and over time as the canvas and mechanical components wear you will incur additional expenses to have these repaired or replaced.
Standard winter covers are essentially a large tarp placed over the top of your pool and weighed down with water bags to help hold it in place for the off-season. Standard winter covers are a very low-cost option for covering your pool in the winter ranging in price from $100-$600 and with proper care last a fairly long time. Standard winter covers are a very common type of pool cover due to the low cost but are most commonly known as the least convenient type of pool cover you can buy. The water bags used to weigh the cover down can be easily punctured and leak water causing the cover to blow around in windy conditions. If the water bags are overfilled with water when the outside temperatures drop below freezing the water inside the bags freezes causing the water to expand as it turns into ice bursting the water bags again leaving you with a cover that is not properly held down. Other Objects such as cinder blocks can be used as an alternative to holding the cover down but can be inconvenient to store during the summer months if you don’t have the space. Standard winter covers are also more difficult to remove in the springtime without introducing a lot of debris into the pool as well as being difficult to clean before storing away for the summer.