Please educate me on types of pool covers

[DistantHorizon]

New owner of an 18x36 vinyl liner 25,000 gallon pool in Kansas - hot summers, relatively cold winters. Previous owner says old winter cover was ordered too small, and IIRC it is also torn. It was the variety that used water bags to hold it, and was falling into the pool at the end of winter this year.

I don't know anything about covers, but I do know I'm going to need a cover for winter. Could really use one for summer too, to prevent chemical loss and evaporation, and keep leaves out.

I have trees that drop leaves as well as a dog and a cat. Pool concrete has area at one end covered with 2x12" wood I'm told is for installing an automatic cover, and there's an electrical box there as well.

What types of covers are out there, and what am I looking at for price ranges?

 

[JasonLion]

For summer use you want a solar cover or automatic cover. For winter use you want a solid cover, safety cover, or automatic cover. Solar covers and solid covers are both in the $100 range. Automatic covers are several thousand dollars. Safety covers might be around $1500. All prices vary, but that is the right general range. The more expensive choices are better, but then they are more expensive.

 

[judom]

I am in a warm sub-tropical climate, so I am not too worried about using a 'solar blanket' (bubble-wrap that floats on the water, correct?) in order to conserve heat. I know they do reduce evaporation, which sounds good. I know they don't stop rubbish getting into the pool.

What about an opaque tarp pulled taut over the edges of the pool, and not floating on the water?

I think this would stop dust & debris getting into the pool ... and also prevent evaporation? I can imagine having a tarp rolled up on a reel, then you drag it out, and use bungee cords to secure it down to anchor-points around the pool.

what do you think?

 

[DistantHorizon]

Great, thanks for your help JasonLion. Also thanks for the Pool Calculator, been using that for a couple months and it's very helpful!

As for the judom's post, yeah, that sounds like a good idea, though I don't know how easy it'd be to put on a cover suspended above the water, and take it off. That sounds like automatic cover territory. A solar cover with reel would be good for about half of pool season here, but midway through pool season the water is plenty warm.