Pool covers pros and cons (I gave just a little thought to pool covers, and decided against them. Others can add to pros/cons, but this is what I came to terms with):
Pro:
- saves water by reducing evaporation, which:
- keeps the water warmer, which:
- saves money by reducing heating costs
Con:
- not as nice to look at as the plaster/pebble surface and water
- needs to be replaced often
- hassle to go swimming (have to take off the cover)
- hassle after swimming (have to put on the cover)
- because of the two preceding, I predicted I would not use my pool as much (especially for those "quick dips," which are my favorite thing to do with my pool)
- have to look at the reel, one way or another
- have to store the reel somewhere if I don't want to look at it (which means man-handling it twice a swim)
- inhibits skimming (I wanna say completely negates skimming, but I've never used one to know for sure)
- no proof of this, but my gut tells me they increase danger (I think I'd rather have my weak swimmers fall into water than to fall into a pool cover. Any stats on this?)
- collects leaves. Yes, a cover would keep stuff off the bottom, but what happens to leaves that fall on the cover? Do they slip back into the water as you reel up, or do they get caught on the cover, and then get reeled up, or do you have to clean them off as you reel? Or all three? Can't imagine how a cover keeps your pool cleaner, certainly would make maintenance more difficult, I would think.
I would love to take advantage of the heat retention properties of a cover, but that lone advantage doesn't anywhere near outweigh the hassle and disadvantages of a cover. Is that just me?