How pool owners can use automatic covers for safety and relaxation

by arslan_ahmed | September 11, 2023 12:13 pm

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By Eric Kietsock

Industry professionals portray pools as the ultimate in relaxation for homeowners. Visuals depict people sitting in lounge chairs, enjoying a serene setting, and soaking up the warm sunshine. Everything evokes the pool as the centre of fun and relaxation—and it is all true.

However, those who spend time with family and friends around the pool also know some people never fully relax, specifically parents vigilantly watching their children. Of course, it is imperative to be cautious, but it is also important to give exhausted parents some downtime, to fully immerse themselves in a conversation or meal by the pool. This is where automatic covers prove useful.

Automatic covers allow homeowners to close the pool in minutes, so everyone can sit down and enjoy a backyard barbecue without fretting about the kids jumping back in the water unattended. The safety and peace of mind they give parents, guardians, and pool owners are priceless. Every builder, landscaper, backyard designer, and installer should promote the security and convenience of these systems, to ensure the long-term appeal of pool ownership.

True relaxation

Many pool professionals promote automatic covers due to their convenience. This is a major benefit, as today’s consumers are not inclined to manually crank a cover on and off the pool every day. They want the ability to open and close it instantly.

They also want to keep their friends, family, and even uninvited guests safe around the pool. In addition, professionals should explain to pool owners—especially parents and guardians—that having an automatic cover on their pool will allow them to truly relax in their backyard.

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When homeowners learn it only takes 30 to 45 seconds to open the pool, and another 30 seconds to close the pool, they love the idea of being able to do so multiple times a day.

Further, true relaxation in the backyard does not just apply to the safety of children around the pool. Pet safety is also important. Being able to close a pool quickly with an automatic cover allows owners to let their pets enjoy the backyard, without worrying about them jumping in the pool, tracking mud, destroying vinyl liners, or even drowning. In some areas, wildlife such as raccoons, opossums, and frogs can also get into the pool at night and have difficulty getting back out, causing a real nuisance to homeowners, who will need to clean up the pool and rebalance its water chemistry.

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Multiple layers of safety

The safety technology of automatic covers goes beyond closing the pool. As an added level of security, each system features a controller to help ensure a responsible adult is supervising the opened pool. There are various types of controllers—from keyed systems to more sophisticated touchpad controllers with a code. These auto-cover controllers must be placed in a location where the pool is fully visible, so the homeowner can ensure no one is in the pool without supervision nor still in the pool once the auto cover is being closed.

Some auto cover manufactures provide the newer digital code controllers as a standard on all auto cover models as it has become common in today’s households. As with front entrance doors on homes, this newer technology eliminates the need for a physical key to close the cover, as some find keys can be easily misplaced or even found by children who might let themselves in without permission. The code can also be changed often to avoid unsupervised access. However, it all depends on the pool owner. Some pool owners still prefer a key over a digital pad. In addition, new sensors and shutoffs have also been built into many of the latest models of automatic cover systems to make them even safer. For example, since so many of today’s pools have water features, there is now a sensor that will not allow the water feature to operate if the automatic cover is closed. This prevents flooding from occurring on top of the cover, which can create damage, as well as a drowning hazard if enough water accumulates.

These sensors are wired into the automation system and will only allow the water features and lights to come on if the cover is completely open. In addition, new cover pumps with extra-long, 12.1-m (40-ft) power cords are now available. These types of equipment can be placed on the automatic cover to pump off rainwater and melting snow, to help keep it safe. The newer model pumps, with longer, 12.2-m (40-ft) cords can reduce the need for dangerous extension cords around the pool and deck area. Extension cords can increase the possibility of electrical dangers wherever electrical connections occur in a location with water. A longer cord can help avoid having to use an extension cord near the pool. In fact, electricians are now placing outlets closer to pools, to accommodate cover pumps.

These features all work together to avoid damage to the automatic cover, preventing tracks from being ripped out, damaging the pool interior, and compromising its safety. Homeowners do not want to leave their pool open when it is not in use. They feel better knowing it is closed when they are away, and it requires a controller to re-open. Many homeowners’ associations (HOAs) are very much in favour of automatic covers, as they are one of the only ways to secure a pool when no one is home.

Convenient safety

Automatic covers provide a more convenient way to keep pools safe for homeowners. Having an automatic cover allows homeowners to close and lock the pool any time it is not in use, on any day, all year long. While a seasonal mesh or solid safety cover protects pools when they are completely closed in the coldest winter months, an automatic pool cover allows the pool to be opened and closed until the temperature has truly plummeted and snow begins to fall. In warmer, southern climates such as those in Texas, Florida, and other southwest and southeast locations, the automatic pool cover provides year-round safety for pool owners. For those who live in northern climates that experience snow and sub-zero temperatures, having an automatic pool cover can extend their season later into the fall season before having to winterize their pool and place a mesh or solid winter cover on the pool in the dead of winter. Further, these same homeowners can open their pool earlier in the spring when temperatures start to rise, by having the auto cover reinstalled once the weather starts to warm up.

It is important to also explain this to pool owners for an automatic cover to provide their pool with the greatest safety: it is highly recommended to have experts regularly service, maintain, and repair their cover to ensure the pool’s safety is not compromised. This includes changing the vinyl fabric, checking the track alignment or motor operation, and ensuring all the safety sensors and shutoffs are properly wired into the automation system. The vinyl fabric normally needs to be replaced every seven or eight years, because the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays and the chemicals used to maintain the pool water can cause deterioration. If the vinyl fabric is in good condition, the material should be able to withstand someone walking or running across the cover.

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Getting consumers on board

The market for pools and backyard living has changed, and consumers want to maximize their investment. They want to enjoy their pool more and spend less time maintaining it. The convenience of automatic covers extends to pool water chemistry by enabling the use of fewer chemicals and preventing less debris from accumulating in the pool, resulting in consumer savings. It can also decrease the overall costs of maintaining the pool. Automatic covers help to retain heat when the pool is not in use and keep chemicals and water from evaporating, reducing the operational cost of running the pool.

According to studies conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), homeowners who have gas-heated pools and use a cover can save up to $2,000 annually, depending on the climate. Studies also show automatic covers save approximately 30,283.2 L (8,000 gal) of water evaporation annually.¹ According to the Pool & Hot Tub Council of Canada’s (PHTCC’s) “Energy Conservation Opportunities for Pools, Spas, and Water Features,” nearly half of a pool’s heat loss occurs due to surface evaporation. The council’s guidelines suggest implementing a cover can significantly reduce heating, filtration, and chemical sanitization costs by up to 50 per cent.²

Best of all, the costs are minimal over the course of the year/season to operate an automatic safety cover. With the ability to close their pool in less than a minute, homeowners can save thousands of dollars in unnecessary utility bills. Heated pools lose up to 90 per cent of their heat through the top surface of the water, no matter how much insulation is put under the pool. Putting an automatic cover on a client’s pool can reduce this heat loss—savings they will immediately see on their heating bills.³

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Safe and secure pools, happy homeowners, and meaningful work

Selling and installing automatic covers makes pools safer and more convenient and provides true relaxation and peace of mind for pool owners. The installation of automatic pool covers is invaluable to parents and grandparents as auto-cover installers will never know who or what they might have saved because of their work. It is important to keep in mind the work of an automatic pool cover installer, or an installer of any safety equipment around pools, is important because these safety measures help keep children safe. This makes the work of installing an auto cover a rewarding job. Offering these types of covers gives professionals the satisfaction of knowing they are engaged in meaningful work that helps save lives.

Notes

¹ For more information, visit www.energy.gov/energysaver/swimming-pool-covers.

² Review the recommended guidelines by visiting www.poolcouncil.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/ 11/Energy-Conservation-Opportunities-for-Pools-Spas-and-Water-Features-G-0310.pdf.

³ See note 1.

Author

Eric Kietsock is an authorized automatic pool cover professional technician for Cover Care, LLC, a national, full-service company that partners with pool builders to provide installation, replacement, and service of automatic pool covers. He has been installing automatic pool covers for more than 25 years in New York City, Long Island, New Jersey, and southern Connecticut. Cover Care, LLC techs partner with pool professionals to provide industry expertise to ensure automatic pool cover installations and maintenance keep pools safe and provide peace of mind to pool owners.

Source URL: https://www.poolspamarketing.com/trade/features/using-automatic-covers-to-provide-pool-owner-safety-and-relaxation/

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