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Pool Covers: |
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Most swimming pool heat loss occurs at the surface. The least expensive way to maintain a warmer pool is by keeping a cover on the pool during the night time hours, when surface evaporation would otherwise cool the pool down. The cover stops this night time evaporation.
Pool covers are not difficult to use and can easily add a few months to your comfortable swim season and Lanzarote is no exception even with the year round temperatures we have.
The cost of a pool cover is by far out weighed by the money saved in heating bills. In fact all other pool heating methods should only he used in conjunction with a pool cover. Not to do so would be like running your house air conditioner during August with the doors and windows open. The system will still work, but the operating cost will be as much as three times higher.
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Vinyl covers consist of a heavier material and have a longer life expectancy than bubble covers. Insulated vinyl covers are also available with a thin layer of flexible insulation sandwiched between two layers of vinyl.
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Outdoor pools gain heat from the sun, absorbing 75% to 85% of the solar energy striking the pool surface. This is an important contribution to the pool's heating needs. A pool cover will decrease the solar gain contribution to some extent, depending on what type you use. A transparent bubble cover may reduce pool solar energy absorption by 5% to 15 %. A completely opaque cover will reduce it by 20% to 40%. You need to consider this when selecting a pool cover.
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You also need to decide whether you want a manual, semiautomatic, or an automatic pool cover. You can manually pull the cover on and off, fold it, and place it somewhere out of the way. You can also purchase a pool cover reel to help manually roll up the pool cover. The reel, usually on wheels, can be rolled out of the way
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Semiautomatic covers use a motor-driven reel system. They use electrical power to roll and unroll the cover, but usually require someone to pull on the cover when unrolling, or guide the cover onto the reel when rolling up the cover. Semiautomatic covers can be built into the pool deck surrounding the pool, or can use reels on carts.
Automatic pool covers have permanently mounted reels that automatically cover and uncover the pool at the push of a button. They're the most expensive option, but they're also the most convenient.
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How to use a Pool Cover |
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Pool covers should be used during your swimming season. If you use your swimming pool during the daytime, take off the cover just before swimming and replace the cover as soon as you're done using the pool.
If you use your pool only at night, the effectiveness of a pool cover will depend on whether the evaporation and other losses prevented by the cover exceed the solar gain reduction caused by the cover. The type of cover and the climate affects this balance. In dry and/or windy conditions, the evaporation rate of the pool increases. Therefore, it is generally beneficial to have a transparent or bubble cover on during daylight hours. In warm, humid conditions the evaporation rate decreases. In this case, it may be more beneficial to leave the cover off during the daytime.
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