Tag Archives: solar pool covers

How to Make 2012 the Year of the Energy Efficient Pool — Part 1 of 4

Go Green and Save Green

Now is the best time to start thinking about how to improve the energy-efficiency of your backyard swimming pool.  Operating and maintaining a pool using older, less efficient equipment sucks up energy and money, leaving your pockets empty at the end of each season.

Making your pool more energy-efficient really only requires a few changes to your existing set up.  You can choose to implement all of suggestions offered here at one time, or you may find that changes are easier to swallow by taking them one at a time.  Either way, this series of 4 posts will offer some helpful suggestions for how to make your pool more energy-efficient in 2012 and beyond:

1. Solar Pool Covers

First, use Solar Covers, also known as solar blankets, to cover your pool. Solar Pool Covers or Blankets resemble enormous sheets of bubble wrap. The bubbles trap heat from the sun and convey the heat to the pool, keeping the water temperature warm and comfortable. The solar cover also helps to trap the water’s heat and prevents heat loss in the cooler air at night or on cooler days.

Solar covers float freely on top of a pool without the need for tie-downs or anchors to hold them in place. Solar covers are usually folded and stored or rolled up in a large roll and wheeled out of the way. Solar Blankets are perfect for use in sunny climates because the more heat they can trap, the longer they can extend the swim season. Solar pool covers can increase water temperatures by as much as 10-15 degrees.

Besides offering energy savings, pool covers also do the following:

  • Save water by decreasing the amount of make-up water needed by 30%-50%;
  • Reduce the pool’s consumption of chemicals by 35%-60%;
  • Reduce cleaning time by preventing dirt and other debris from entering the pool.

Pool Covers and Solar Covers

In my next post, I’ll offer a second suggestion for how to make your pool more energy-efficient in 2012.  Remember, choosing to be more energy-efficient is not just about taking steps to reduce our negative environmental impact, it’s about saving money, too.  Being green means saving green!

Solar Saddle Is an Affordable and Effective Alternative to Solar Reels

Solar Saddle Solar Pool Cover Storage

Removing and storing a solar pool cover each time you wish to use your above ground swimming pool can be a real hassle, especially if you don’t have a partner handy who can help you with the process.  Solar cover reels are a standard option for easy cover removal and storage by one person, but reels are often very expensive.  A simpler solution is the Solar Saddle, which is a much more affordable product that installs easily and works like a charm.

Using the Solar Saddle is easy.  To remove and store your cover, you simply pull the cover off of the pool from poolside, just like you would pull a sheet off from the end of your bed.  The cover lays in the Solar Saddle’s holders, folded accordion style.  Now your cover is stored.  To put the cover on, just reverse the process.

Simple, elegant, affordable — the Solar Saddle is a smart solution for above ground swimming pools.

The Time and Money-Saving Benefits of Pool Covers

In Ground Solar Pool Covers - 14 mil Clear   Mesh Safety Cover / Pool Size 12ft  x 27ft  Rectangle / 12 yr

Winter is finally over, and the winter pool cover will soon be stored away until next year.  Continuing to cover your pool throughout the swimming season is important, though.  Whether you use a solar pool cover or a safety cover, you can enjoy the following benefits from consistently covering your swimming pool when it is not in use:

  • A covered pool significantly reduces evaporation and retains the pool’s heat, thereby lowering expenses and extending the swimming season.
  • A covered pool requires fewer chemicals because evaporation is greatly reduced, and the water stays chemically balanced for longer periods of time.
  • A covered pool means a cleaner pool.  Dirt, leaves, and other debris stay out when a pool cover is on.

In addition to these advantages, solar pool covers and safety covers offer additional, unique benefits that should be considered.  Deciding which pool cover is best for your swimming pool will depend on your particular situation.

Solar pool covers are intended to draw the sun’s heat into the pool, keeping the water comfortably warm for longer periods of time.  This type of pool cover is perfect for pools that are not frequented by small children and pets.

Safety covers, on the other hand, are ideal for family pools where children and pets could potentially wander too close to the water.  Safety covers must be able to hold a minimum of 485 pounds per 5 square feet, according to standard F1346-91 set by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).

Solar pool cover or safety cover — no matter which pool cover you choose, covering your pool regularly during the swimming season offers a number of time and money-saving benefits that should make the extra few minutes required to cover and uncover your pool worth the effort.

Solar Pool Covers Open Pools Sooner

Solar Pool Cover
When you finally get to open your pool this summer, waiting for it to warm up can be almost unbearable. You have waited the long fall and winter months to be able to enjoy your pool again and want it to warm up quickly. Using the sun’s warmth, you can quickly raise the temperature in your above ground pool 10-15 degrees with a solar pool cover. Solar covers are a perfect way to swim sooner and extend your pool season longer. They also cut chemical evaporation by up to 95%, saving you money! Clear and light blue solar blankets capture warmth and help it penetrate the water, heating it quickly and thoroughly. They are an affordable solution to traditional pool heater. While solar covers are easy to apply and remove on their own, you can make this process completely effortless with solar pool cover reel. You simply turn the crank to roll and store your solar cover when not in use. Solar covers and reels are the perfect (and easy way) to warm your pool for earlier swimming.