Pool Covers: Budget, Better, Best (2024)

Pros: Water tube covers are generally the most budget friendly pool covers you can buy. This cover will keep your pool secure over the winter months.

Cons: There are some drawbacks to water tube covers. They are not the most aesthetically pleasing. They can also be tedious to install. Their life expectancy is also shorter than other cover options.

Life expectancy: These covers only last about 2 or 3 seasons before they need to be replaced.

Price Range: Water tube covers can cost anywhere from $100 to $150.

Pros: The main benefit of a safety cover is safety. They prevent accidents and keep small children or pets out of the water. The safety cover also protects your pool from dirt and debris. They are also an energy saving solution.

Installation difficulty: Water tube covers can be difficult to install. You have to manually fill up each water tube with hose water. You have to have enough water in each tube so that it will weigh down the cover, but leave enough space for expansion from freezing. This balance can be difficult to achieve.

Features: Safety covers can be made from solid vinyl or woven mesh material. They require high-quality hardware to keep the cover in place. o be off-balance. A solid cover will also require a cover pump.n energy-saving solution.

Cons: There are some drawbacks to safety covers. If you have a mesh safety cover, rainfall can enter the pool water, causing the chemistry to be off balance. A solid cover will also require a cover pump.

Life expectancy: Mesh safety covers typically last around 10-15 years. Solid safety covers typically last around 6-10 years.

Price Range: Solid safety covers cost around $800 to $1200. Mesh safety covers range from $450-$800.

Features: Safety covers can be made from solid vinyl or woven mesh material. They require high quality hardware to keep the cover in place.

Installation: Safety cover's are fairly easy to put on. Spring-loaded straps connect to the cover and anchor it into the concrete to hold it in place.

Pros: Automatic covers will help to keep your pool warm and save on heating costs. It is also good for safety in order to keep children out of water when they aren't supposed to be, replacing the idea of a fence. Auto covers provide constant protection and keep debris and dirt from getting in the pool.

Cons: Typically, automatic covers are the most expensive covers you can buy. They also wear down over time and need to be replaced around every 6-7 years. These covers will also require a cover pump.

Life expectancy: Since automatic pool covers rely on mostly machinery and the cover is made of vinyl, which breaks down over time, you will need to replace your cover about every 6 to 7 years.

Price Range: For a brand new automatic pool cover it will cost around $10,000 plus electrical. For a replacement cover, it will run anywhere from $1,800 to $2,600.

Features: Automatic pool covers come with many customization options. First, there are a variety of fabric colors to choose from for your cover. Also, depending on the size ad shape of your pool, there are both top and under track options to choose from (shown below).

Installation: Automatic covers are the easiest to use. You can open and close your cover with the turn of a key.