Make Sure You're Covered When It Comes To Pool Covers & Safety

If you've ever spent hours scooping leaves, dead insects, and other debris out of your swimming pool, chances are you've already taken a look at the various pool covers available on the market. These accessories offer a whole host of benefits to homeowners, from saving you on cleanup time to conserving energy by reducing the amount of evaporation. You can even purchase solar covers, which use the light from the sun to keep the water warm all year round. However, coverings can present risks, particularly to animals and small children. In order to keep yourself and your family safe, follow these three handy tips. 1. Look For The Label The safety label, that is! Few are aware that the American Society for Testing and Materials established specific guidelines for pool covers in 1991. The standards, which were updated in 2010, created a list of requirements for a manufacturer to receive the ASTM stamp of approval. Chief among these is that the product must have been produced with the intent to reduce the risk of drowning by passing tests for weight support, perimeter deflection, and surface drainage. Items that meet these standards must be able to hold a weight of at least 485 pounds-which definitely makes them sturdy enough to support a child or pet. 2. Shop Safety, Not Solid When shopping for pool covers, people are often confused by the term "solid." On the surface, no pun intended, it would appear that this kind of set-up would provide the best protection from both mess and mishap. After all, solid means sturdy, right? Unfortunately, wrong. Though these items do a great job of keeping your water clean and clear, they're usually not well anchored and can't hold very much weight before collapsing in on themselves. Safety covers, on the other hand, are engineered to support heavy loads-some can withstand up to 4,000 pounds (just check out Google: images abound of cars and even elephants suspended over the family watering hole). These products, usually constructed from mesh panels, are affixed to the brick or concrete surrounding the pool, which ensures they retain their tension and don't come loose if someone steps out onto them. 3. Gates Are Great This might seem like obvious advice, but even the highest quality pool covers work best when teamed with a good primary protection system, such as a fence with a lockable gate. The laws regarding barriers around residential swimming areas vary by region, but in many states, providing an adequate boundary around your pool isn't just a good idea-it's the law. So if you're thinking about installing a hot tub, or want to go for a splash in your private pond, spend a little time researching the regulations in your local area. Keeping cool during the summer (or warm in the winter, if you've got a self-heating option) is an awesome luxury, but it shouldn't come at the expense of your family's health and security. Shop around, and remember: safety first! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9273915