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Cover up your
assets!
Whilst fitting a pool cover won't allow you to enjoy all year round swimming, it will provide you with a number benefits plus save you a lot of time, effort and ultimately money in the long run.
Covering up your pool is an obvious energy saver. Swimming pools lose heat in a variety of ways, but evaporation is by far the greatest source of energy loss. 70-90% of heat loss is due to evaporation so a pool cover of some kind is the first step towards energy savings.
The type of cover you go for will depend on your budget, but as with most things in life, you get what you pay for.
The simplest is an instant ‘cover’ like Heatsavr, a bio-degradable liquid which prevents the water from evaporating. The liquid is dosed into the pool on a daily basis and works by forming a one molecule thick layer on the surface of the pool whenever it is sufficiently calm. Although this microscopic layer can’t be seen, it is sufficient to reduce evaporation.
Heatsavr breaks apart whenever the water is disturbed but reforms as soon as the water becomes calm again. Thus Heatsavr is a flexible cover, working whenever and wherever the pool surface is not too disturbed by swimmers. The other good thing is that this type of cover suits any size or shape of pool and by using a programmable dosing system its use is fully automatic.
The next step up in covers are the solar ‘bubble’ covers which will reduce evaporation and maximise heat gain from the sun. Choose a good quality cover of 500 or 600 microns which is chlorine resistant so that the cover retains its colour and does not go brittle and crack before the season is out.
The better quality solar bubble covers also contain UV protection which will prevent the sun from bleaching the cover. Choosing a light colour allows the sun’s rays to heat the pool more quickly. Heat retention covers are generally only used for indoor pools as the opaque darker colours do not allow the sun’s energy/light to pass through.
If you have a more to spend, a material or fixed slatted roller cover will also prevent evaporation aswell as heat loss and provide additional safety benefits too, giving you all year round piece of mind, particularly if yours is a family pool. If money is no object, at the top end of the market, a number of these covers will be fully automatic meaning that material roller covers close in just a couple of minutes with slatted covers not far behind.
Fitting of either type of a roller cover can be carried out on existing pools of almost any shape or size including more recently infinity edge pools although some retro fits may have to have the stoage of the cover above ground at one end of the pool. For a new pools, this shouldn’t be a problem as any design should incorporate in-ground storage for a cover into initial plans.
Particularly environmentally friendly covers are those which are fitted with a small solar panel on the end of the reel. Although these covers still need alternative energy (battery or electricity) it does mean their operation demands minimum traditional energy in sunny weather.
Whichever type of cover your budget allows for – be it manual or automatic, slatted roller or material – there are of several companies in the UK which supply a fantastic range of covers and by having one, your pool water will be cleaner. That means a saving of your time, your money and the environment too!
Whilst fitting a pool cover won't allow you to enjoy all year round swimming, it will provide you with a number benefits plus save you a lot of time, effort and ultimately money in the long run.
Covering up your pool is an obvious energy saver. Swimming pools lose heat in a variety of ways, but evaporation is by far the greatest source of energy loss. 70-90% of heat loss is due to evaporation so a pool cover of some kind is the first step towards energy savings.
The type of cover you go for will depend on your budget, but as with most things in life, you get what you pay for.
The simplest is an instant ‘cover’ like Heatsavr, a bio-degradable liquid which prevents the water from evaporating. The liquid is dosed into the pool on a daily basis and works by forming a one molecule thick layer on the surface of the pool whenever it is sufficiently calm. Although this microscopic layer can’t be seen, it is sufficient to reduce evaporation.
Heatsavr breaks apart whenever the water is disturbed but reforms as soon as the water becomes calm again. Thus Heatsavr is a flexible cover, working whenever and wherever the pool surface is not too disturbed by swimmers. The other good thing is that this type of cover suits any size or shape of pool and by using a programmable dosing system its use is fully automatic.
The next step up in covers are the solar ‘bubble’ covers which will reduce evaporation and maximise heat gain from the sun. Choose a good quality cover of 500 or 600 microns which is chlorine resistant so that the cover retains its colour and does not go brittle and crack before the season is out.
The better quality solar bubble covers also contain UV protection which will prevent the sun from bleaching the cover. Choosing a light colour allows the sun’s rays to heat the pool more quickly. Heat retention covers are generally only used for indoor pools as the opaque darker colours do not allow the sun’s energy/light to pass through.
If you have a more to spend, a material or fixed slatted roller cover will also prevent evaporation aswell as heat loss and provide additional safety benefits too, giving you all year round piece of mind, particularly if yours is a family pool. If money is no object, at the top end of the market, a number of these covers will be fully automatic meaning that material roller covers close in just a couple of minutes with slatted covers not far behind.
Fitting of either type of a roller cover can be carried out on existing pools of almost any shape or size including more recently infinity edge pools although some retro fits may have to have the stoage of the cover above ground at one end of the pool. For a new pools, this shouldn’t be a problem as any design should incorporate in-ground storage for a cover into initial plans.
Particularly environmentally friendly covers are those which are fitted with a small solar panel on the end of the reel. Although these covers still need alternative energy (battery or electricity) it does mean their operation demands minimum traditional energy in sunny weather.
Whichever type of cover your budget allows for – be it manual or automatic, slatted roller or material – there are of several companies in the UK which supply a fantastic range of covers and by having one, your pool water will be cleaner. That means a saving of your time, your money and the environment too!