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 Pool Supplies - Pool supplies includes information about maintaining your pool and the equipment needed such as filters, heaters, liners and covers for above ground or inground pools. Not forgetting Health & Safety issues as well as pool supplies for relaxation and fun.
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A summary of the types of pool covers available including automatic or manual, winter covers, solar covers, safety covers and safety nets used to keep your children safe. Also useful links to suppliers of pool covers.
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Swimming pool covers
Introduction
There are a vast number of commercially available covers aimed at both the commercial and domestic
markets, all offering numerous benefits to swimming pool owners. Principally, pool covers reduce maintenance
time by keeping dirt and debris out of the pool. However they also reduce evaporation and as such help increase
efficiency. An uncovered 5mx12m pool can lose as much as 180 gallons of water a week through evaporation.
A whole gallon of chlorine will evaporate in two hours on a hot day in an uncovered pool, whilst it can last up
to several weeks in a covered pool. Pool covers come in many different materials, most often PVC, and many different
sizes and shapes. Most types can also be ordered to the size and shape of your pool.
Automatic or manual ?
Increasingly popular, but relatively expensive, are automatic pool covers, which cover and uncover your pool at the
touch of a button or even by remote control. Far cheaper are the manual varieties that you pull by hand. However,
there are a number of manual types with "easy to use" rolling devices.
Whether you pull the cover across yourself, or let electricity do the job for you, there are three main types, however
their features are by no means independent and many pool covers combine features to provide multi-purpose blankets.
Winter covers
As their name suggests, winter covers are designed to provide total protection for your pool in the winter,
but they can be used all year long. They not only reduce water evaporation but are also designed to protect your
pool from leaves, branches or any other foreign objects that may damage or stain any pool.
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Safety covers
Safety pool covers are designed to be strong and protective to ensure that children and animals do not accidentally
fall into a pool. They do this by completely sealing the surface of the pool. Increasingly popular are the no
maintenance design pool covers by Loop-Loc (www.looploc.com), whose cover is a metal mesh construction. Such a construction
allows rain and ice to drain through, therefore not collecting on the surface. As the surface stays dry, debris
does not gather in the same way as it does on conventional covers. Despite being lightweight, it has a
break-strength of 600 lbs per square inch, is available in any shape you want, and comes with a 10 year guarantee.
Prices range from sub-$200 for small rectangular pools to around a $1000 for large shaped pools. Loop-Loc pool covers
are also tamper-proof as they can only be removed with a LOOP-LOC installation tool.
The difference between winter pool and safety pools is that safety pool covers have superior strength and offer protection
by being able to support a heavy weight load. Some manufacturers offer covers that act as safety covers and have the
functionality of being used as a winter blanket as well.
Solar cover
The third type of pool covers are the solar covers, which not only retains the water's heat and minimizes the
amount of water that evaporates from the pool, but also increases the temperature of the water by transferring energy
from the sun to the water.
With a solar pool cover, you'll get more splash in your summer and save money too!
A solar pool cover goes hand in hand with your natural gas pool heater. One creates the heat and the other keeps
it where you want it - in your pool! Splash your way from late spring to early fall with a solar pool cover that
conserves the heat in your pool and stops water and expensive chemicals from evaporating into thin air.
The most relevant links we could find, placed here free
 Pool Store
- Swimming, safety & winter pool covers. www.poolstore.com
Katchakid Safety Nets
- Swimming pool cover & safety nets. www.advanced-pool-covers.com
Aquamatic
- Automatic covers. www.aquamaticcovers.com
KTR World
- An excellent site about swimming pool safety nets, pool covers, pond covers, pool fencing and more. www.ktrworld.com
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