Pool cover quick picks
Solar pool cover: Sun Heater Heavy-Duty Pool Solar Blanket
Aboveground pool cover: Blue Wave Round Black Rugged Mesh Aboveground Winter Pool Cover
In-ground pool cover: Water Warden Rectangle Blue Mesh In-Ground Safety Pool Cover
If you’re lucky enough to have a pool in your home’s backyard, don’t miss out on protecting it with a pool cover. “Nothing beats the convenience and luxury of having a private pool in your own backyard,” says Ashley Murphy, pool merchant at The Home Depot. “But learning how to treat and care for one is essential to ensuring the effective maintenance of your pool.”
With so many options on the market, finding the perfect pool cover can pose a challenge. We spoke to the pros to find out everything you need to know about protecting your pool from the elements.
Why you need a pool cover
As tempting as it is to keep your pool on full display, you’re better off covering it when not in use. “Pool covers protect your pool and help safeguard against accidents involving children or animals that may get too close to the water,” says Brian Shaunfield, store manager at Lowe’s. “A good pool cover keeps dirt and debris out of the pool while it’s not in use, prevents water and chemical evaporation and helps maintain water temperature. It should also be long-lasting and easy to install and remove.”
And since pool covers preserve the overall cleanliness of your pool while reducing maintenance costs, they make pool ownership less of an overall financial blow, according to Murphy.
What to look for in a pool cover
Not all pools are created equal. To spare yourself a measurement-induced headache, Murphy says you should first determine what size and shape you need.
Then consider your climate. “If you live in an area that experiences an intense winter season, [opt for] mesh options as they help protect from the cold and winter elements,” Murphy says. “Solar pool covers are the best option if you live in an area with warmer year-round weather, as it helps slow water evaporation.”
Your pool cover should also be easy to use. “If it’s not easy for one person to pull it over the pool with a pull strap and adjust it, no one is going to use it,” says Ornella Bertoni Liburdi, CEO of ClearDeck Systems. She adds that your pool cover should be “discreet when not in use and unobtrusive and uncluttered.” You essentially want your pool cover to add — and not detract — from the yard you’ve worked so hard to beautify and maintain.
Finally, since you’ll be enjoying your pool and its cover for several seasons to come, you want to prioritize its longevity by choosing one that’s top quality. “Quality is more than just material,” says Mazen Salloum, general manager of Covertech Industries. “It’s also the product of experienced designers, reliable fabrication processes and a customer service department with a proven track record of strong customer support.”
Best solar pool covers
According to Murphy, solar pool covers harness the sun’s energy to heat the pool water. “These covers are usually made of a lightweight and durable material that floats on the pool’s surface,” she says.
Salloum adds that solar pool covers offer superior insulation in colder and windier climates, but they can be heavy — especially for large pools — so opt for a medium weight range. When identifying color, he says blue solar covers possess “an average level of heat gain and retention, [while] dark blue or black is more optimal for heat retention.”
Murphy recommends this heavy-duty solar blanket because “it minimizes evaporation by up to 95%, which reduces the need for refills. Plus, it heats your pool using natural sunlight while protecting your pool from dust and debris.” It comes in several sizes to suit a range of pool shapes, and it can be trimmed to accommodate specialty-shaped pools too. It even folds down easily for storage when not in use.
This pool cover from Bestway only comes in 10-, 12-, 16- and 18-foot options, but it still gets Shaunfield’s stamp of approval. He says this budget-friendly round pool cover is one of the absolute best solar cover options because it “prevents water evaporation caused by dry winds or chlorine loss caused by UV rays.”
Murphy calls this “a great solar pool cover as it allows solar energy to pass through and trap retained heat in the pool, warming the water by up to 10 degrees.” It comes in round, rectangular and oval shapes, as well as a wide range of sizes.
Got a funky-shaped pool? According to Shaunfield, you’ll love being able to customize the width and length of this solar cover to fit your pool’s exact size. Plus, he says “it helps reduce water evaporation by up to 95%.”
Best pool covers for aboveground pools
Aboveground pools are fairly straightforward to protect from the elements. Simply place a cover on it to “keep blowing leaves and debris out of your pool all winter, so it’s ready to use when warm weather returns,” Shaunfield says.
Murphy recommends this cover for aboveground pool owners because its “mesh cover allows rainwater and melting snow to drain into your pool but keeps dirt, leaves and branches out, ensuring the water will be ready for another season of fun,” she says.
Shaunfield recommends this heavy-duty cover for aboveground pools. Pair it with an air pillow, which prevents water and ice from collecting and collapsing the cover into the pool.
This no-frills, easy-to-install cover will protect your aboveground pool in the winter. “Made of laminated polyethylene sheeting woven with thick high-density polyethylene stitching, this cover ensures superior tensile strength and durability, protecting your pool from harsh winter conditions in the offseason,” Murphy says.
Best pool covers for in-ground pools
An aesthetically pleasing automatic pool cover may be the gold standard for an in-ground pool, but Bertoni Liburdi says it’s “an expensive proposition on any pool because it has motors, a tarp and you have to pump water on top of it when it rains,” she says.
As a budget-friendly alternative for your in-ground pool, Shaunfield says to prioritize polypropylene safety covers, which are “lightweight enough to make covering your pool quick and simple but also strong enough to withstand significant weight.” Many in-ground pool covers can even be paired with a reel system to make installation and removal much easier.
Murphy likes the Water Warden safety cover because it features complete two-ply strap webbing for unmatched strength, along with lightweight mesh that allows rain and snow to seep into the pool while filtering out unwanted debris.
Shaunfield also recommends this solar cover for in-ground rectangular pools because it will keep the water warm even when it gets chilly at night. It comes in a broad range of sizes, but it can also be trimmed to fit your pool’s exact specifications.
If you’ve got children or pets at home, Murphy recommends this safety pool cover (also known as a pin-down cover) for its “variety of sizes and step configurations to best meet your needs.” She explains that it fastens to anchor points around the pool’s perimeter, making it ideal for long-term use.
