As with swimming pools themselves, safety is an important factor when dealing with solar covers, especially for families with small children or pets. By following a few tips, you can ensure that your solar cover provides your pool with benefits instead of risks.
It is easy for a person to get engulfed by the cover. By jumping or falling into the pool on top of a cover, a suction force is created as the weight from the person pushes the cover down into the water. That suction force can keep an individual trapped and pulled down underwater, increasing the risk of pool drownings.
When your solar cover is deployed on your pool, the amount of air between the cover and the surface of the water is minuscule. If a swimmer tries to come up for air underneath a the cover, they will not be able to find any, which may lead to drowning. Do not rely on trying to push the solar cover up, or swimming to the edge of the cover in time. Always make sure the surface of your pool is free of obstructions when swimming underwater.
Proper adult supervision is vital to preventing and stopping any accidents from occurring. Adults supervising children should know how to swim. Never allow children or pets near the edge of the pool with the solar cover deployed. Even with a smaller size and lighter weight, a child or pet is heavy enough to cause section force should they fall on top of the solar cover.
It's important to know that solar covers and safety covers are different, and solar covers do not act as safety covers. The majority of solar covers are unable to sustain any significant weight, however, when placed over the water, they can give off the appearance of a solid surface to children or animals. Unlike solar covers, safety covers provide a surface that will support the weight of anyone who accidentally walks onto or falls into the pool. While safety covers take a lot of time and effort to install and remove, the risk of falling into the pool is significantly reduced. With a little extra forethought and prudent planning, your solar cover can become less of a risk factor and more of a practical assistant to your swimming pool. DISCLAIMER: This post is for informational purposes only. We expressly disclaim any liability for errors or omissions in this post.
