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The first and foremost reason to cover your in-ground pool with a safety cover is to protect people and pets from falling in the pool. Safety covers are designed to hold the weight of people or pets who inadvertently step beyond the edge of the pool. They are held in place using anchors which are securely fastened to the concrete of the surrounding pool deck or apron.
There is a horrific danger associated with the typical, non-safe pool covers. These covers are usually held in place using water tubes, sand bags, or other ballasts,, and will not support the weight of people, dogs, or sometimes even large cats. The real danger is in that if a child or pet walks out on the pool cover, the cover goes into the pool, likely taking the water tubes with it! The real danger , here, is more than just a plunge into numbingly cold water, there is a real danger that the water tubes or other ballast can cause the cover to envelope the victim, leaving them trapped under water and possibly even bound inside the cover! Actually, this very scenario is the reason why swimming pool safety covers were invented.
Since In ground safety covers are anchored to the concrete apron, they will support the weight of children, pets, and adults, without going into the pool. One company, Loop-Loc, uses an African elephant to demonstrate the strength and safety of their cover. One thing to remember, though, is that just because a cover anchors to the deck, that does not necessarily make it a safety cover! You should NEVER walk onto a pool cover for any reason. Use your net to retrieve that stray soccer ball! ( Exhibit A )
One nice thing about safety covers, especially the mesh, it that they are fairly easy to take off and put on, once the initial installation is done. There are a lot of times when this can come in handy. Going on vacation? You can put the safety cover on while you are gone, and have the peace of mind of knowing that your pool is secure.
In addition, there will be less debris getting into the pool, so your filtration and cleaning systems can run normally, requiring less attention for a longer time while you are gone. Since there won't be leaves getting into the pool, you don't have to worry about your skimmer baskets or main drain getting clogged. There will be less dirt, too, so the filter can go longer between cleanings. Less dirt and debris in the pool also means less chemical usage, too. Most modern automatic pool cleaning systems are designed to run properly with a safety cover in place, but read the directions, and understand how your cleaner works before running it with the safety cover on.
If your yard (or your neighbor's) has many trees or bushes, a safety cover can be a real blessing. Here in Oklahoma, the trees and bushes lose their leaves weeks, sometimes months, before it is time to close the pool. If you close down the pool too early, it can turn a rather ugly green or even black. Green pools can cost quite a bit to open, and the process can be rough on the pool, especially vinyl lined pools. The ease of removing and replacing the safety cover allows you to cover the pool, and keep it open longer, then winterize the pool at the appropriate time. In the spring, the same thing applies - put the cover on while the trees are dropping seeds, etc, and take it off when you are ready to use the pool. ( Exhibit B )
In addition to safety and convenience, safety covers make it more pleasant to use your back yard in the off season, because not only do they look better, they also don't allow stagnant water to stand on top of them. Stagnant standing water is a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other insects, as well as tadpoles, and even snakes. Often small wild animals, like rabbits, rats, and squirrels, drown in the stagnant water on top of the cover, creating an ugly health hazard.
Spring cleanup is much easier with safety covers, because there is no water or other debris on top of the cover. Mesh safety covers, especially, make startup easier, because they are easily stored. There's no need to lay the cover out on the driveway to scrub it, then waiting to dry. Simply roll or fold the cover, put it in the storage bag that comes with it, wait for it to stop dripping, and put it away! Solid safety covers, including those with drain panels, need to be dry before folding or rolling. The biggest advantage to solid safety covers is that they let in no light, so they allow the pool to be closed earlier and opened later, without algae growth. With true solid covers, the pool will be almost as clean when you open it as it was when you shut it down. With mesh covers, and those with drain panels, there will be a fine layer of silt on the bottom of the pool, which should be vacuumed to waste. Generally, the more expensive the cover, the finer the mesh, and the less silt and light get through. Since you can run most automatic cleaners under mesh covers, they allow you to cover the pool, to keep out leaves, long before it is time to winterize. ( exhibit C )
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Under God"
Exhibit B...
Okay, pardon the humor, yes, all three "exhibits" are the same.
( That's kinda the point )
