Covering your pool

[Dogcrazy2007]

Is it necessary to put the cover on your pool every night or can you leave it off all summer?

 

[yostmatt]

We cover ours every night until it gets to warm, then we leave it off for a night. Just a balance of how warm you want to keep the water. We like it around 84-88. Once it gets over 88, we leave it off for a night to bring the temp back down. It also keeps the bugs out by putting the cover on.

 

[Dogcrazy2007]

We aren't picky about temp, we have swam twice so far, both at 74 degrees. I just wasn't sure if it effected the chemistry at all.

 

[PAGirl]

I put mine on at night, as it goes into the 50's here most nights, and it helps keep too much heat from escaping. I usually take it back off in the day, as it seems to actually heat up more if it's sunny without the cover. We also have periods of high pollen, the cover helps some.

 

[pooldv]

Keeping heat in the pool overnight is the only reason to keep it covered. Leaving it uncovered is fine.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

We aren't picky about temp, we have swam twice so far, both at 74 degrees. I just wasn't sure if it effected the chemistry at all.

Cover a pool reduces the outgassing of CO2 which is the primary driver of pH rise. A covered pool will experience lower acid demand of your pool's pH tends to rise.

An opaque cover during the day, or one that absorbs UV, will also cut down on FC loss by reducing the amount of active chlorine lost to photolysis.

Finally, a cover should be removed at least a couple of hours per week to allow chloramines to outgas.