Matthew is one of 300,000 Queensland pool owners. At first, his enthusiasm for the pool blanket was lukewarm. He knew it would stop water evaporating from his pool and it was the right thing to do, but he wasn’t expecting many other benefits.
But now, he’s a true convert and believes more should be said about the other benefits of pool blankets, besides significant water savings.
“It cost less than $100 to buy a pool blanket after the government rebates and it was easy enough to buy one to fit my rectangular pool. I actually bought one online and had it delivered faster than buying it from a store, Matthew said.
“I installed the cover and roller myself in an afternoon, at the end of summer. In the past, Matthew was affectionately known as the ‘pool boy’ because he spent so long cleaning the filter, emptying leaves and generally maintaining the backyard pool. His wife nicknamed the pool ‘his girlfriend’ because he spent time with it every day.
“Since then, I’ve been surprised at how much the pool blanket has reduced the amount of time I spend cleaning and running the filter and how little maintenance the pool now needs. I hardly spend any time with ‘my girlfriend’ now!
“My pool is quite cool, because it is deep and not in full sun. Even in mid-summer, the water used to be cold enough that it would take a while to get in. But now, since the blanket has been on, we’ve been able to use the pool until much later in the season. Our last swim was on Anzac Day and I don’t think we’ve ever swum that late in the year before.
“When you first take the pool blanket off, the water on the top is very warm, hot almost. As soon as anyone gets in, it mixes quickly with the rest of the pool and it’s as comfortable as what I’d expect of a heated pool. I’ve really been surprised by how effective it is.
“Another benefit has been the reduced need to have the filter running. I bought the pool blanket to save water, but I’ve ended up saving money and electricity too because I’ve got the filter running for just a few hours a day now. This is down from eight or more hours when I didn’t use a blanket.
“Unfortunately, my pool is under a very large tree, which goes through stages of dropping tiny leaves, then seed pods then yellow flowers. Keeping the water clear was a constant battle. But with the blanket on, all of the debris can be swept off the blanket and it never gets into the water.
“I’ve got a small water tank and also connect the pool to a diverter which collects rain water from the roof. But it hasn’t rained for a month or more and I haven’t had to top up the pool at all. I’ve noticed my neighbours’ pools, without pool blankets, are struggling to cope with low water levels.
“I don’t think there’s enough information about the other benefits of using a pool blanket. It’s good for more than just saving water,” Matthew said.
Further information
Information about Brisbane City Council rebates on pool covers.
Queensland Government Home Water Wise rebate scheme for pool covers (PDF, 95.6KB).
