Peace of Mind: The Importance of Pool Covers and Family Safety

An automatic pool cover is one of the simplest ways to gain peace of mind for your family when it comes to backyard safety.

When it comes to automatic pool covers, we often talk about the benefits like ease of use, maintenance, and energy efficiency—but the number one reason to invest in a pool safety cover is always going to be safety. 

We hate to use the d-word, but the fact is a swimming pool is a drowning risk. 73% of drowning accidents occur between May and September in Canada, and children are at the highest risk, according to the Government of Canada. 

One of the most effective ways to protect your family from the worst-case scenario in the backyard is an automatic pool cover. 

Safety you can stand on

A pool cover is one of the most effective ways to maintain safety around the pool and should only ever be retracted when the pool is in use, ensuring no accidental entry to the pool.

Pool covers like those installed by Pool Patrol are created from high-tensile fabric and—when properly installed and maintained—are strong enough to walk on. The major benefit of this feature is that nothing goes into the pool that is not meant to, including:

• Children 

• Adults

• Pets

• Wildlife

By minimizing the possibility of a living being entering your pool accidentally, the risk of injury—or worse—drastically decreases. 

A functioning pool cover is strong enough to hold a bear, moose, or even a golf cart! See a bear cross an automatic pool cover in this video. 

The strength of a pool cover from Pool Patrol can also stand up to the weight of ice and snow.

Additional safety measures

While a pool cover is an excellent tool when it comes to safety, the cover is best used in conjunction with other safety methods, including:

Adult supervision: Whenever a pool is open an adult should be supervising the area and keeping a watchful eye on all children, pets, and others in the vicinity. Additionally, children should always be accompanied by an adult when in the water. 

Life jackets, floatation devices and safety hooks: Safety equipment like life jackets, flotation devices, life rings and safety hooks are essential to pool safety. Ensure life jackets are worn at all times for those who are vulnerable. 

Pool fences and gates: Additional barriers around the pool such as pool fences and lockable gates are an extra step to ensuring safety in your backyard. 

Bells and alarms: These devices will alert you with a sound if your pool is being accessed. 

First aid: Beyond having a first aid kit, take a first aid course and learn CPR. These are the life-saving skills that you hope to never need but will be so grateful to have learned if you do. 

Large groups: Everyone loves a pool party. To keep your family and your guests safe, consider hiring a lifeguard for the day. If not, designate a few volunteers to supervise in shifts. Avoid crowding the pool as well—the fuller a pool is with people, the more chaotic it can become and the harder to keep everyone safe or even be aware of an accident in time. 

Pet-specific measures

There are certain measures that pet owners can take to keep their four-legged friends safe around the pool, including:

• Supervision

• Pet life jackets

• Pet ramps for easy entering and exiting

• Swim training

• Learn the signs of drowning, including dry drowning

• Watch for fatigue

Dry drowning can occur hours after a pet leaves the pool and is caused by water that has been inhaled in the lungs. Signs include coughing, difficulty breathing, lethargy, and blue gums. If you see this happen to your pet in or out of the water, get them to emergency care immediately. 

For more tips on pet safety around the pool, check out Dr. Jennifer Watt, DVM, and Pool Patrol owner Allan Horwood in conversation for Vita Magazine.

Solar covers: a false sense of security

Just because you’ve covered your pool, it doesn’t mean you’re receiving the benefits of a quality, high-tensile automatic pool safety cover. 

Solar covers, mesh covers, and lower-quality pool covers might keep leaves and debris out of your pool, but they are not designed to be weight-bearing and won’t provide the same security when it comes to people or animals falling onto them accidentally. 

Quite the opposite, less supportive covers add an additional hazard should someone find themselves on the pool.

The mesh or soft materials can wrap around a person or pet if they fall in the pool, preventing them from using their limbs to escape and can lead to drowning. 

A close call leads to an automatic pool cover

The hazards of a solar cover are something that Okanagan local Amanda W. learned the hard way. 

The pool’s solar cover was in use when one of Amanda’s dogs decided to try and run across the pool. 

“I am very savvy about not being in the pool with the solar cover on but instincts kicked in, and I jumped on,” Amanda told Pool Patrol in this video testimonial. “I actually ended up almost killing my dog and myself at the same time, it was extremely terrifying.”

Thankfully, Amanda’s daughter was able to help save her and the family dog from disaster. When the family moved, they made sure to install an automatic pool cover over their pool so that this could never happen again. 

“You never really think that you’re going to put yourself into a situation that is potentially deadly. Unfortunately, my daughter had to witness me flailing and slowly getting wrapped up in the solar cover before she was ultimately able to reach me and pull me out.”

Peace of mind with little ones 

The maintenance benefits of an automatic pool cover were one reason the Maverties, another local family, decided to install a pool cover, but the peace of mind it brings with children in the home is what sealed the deal. 

“The safety aspect of the pool cover appealed to us, with having kids around the pool and that sort of thing,” they said. “Just being able to be opened and closed really easily.” 

Learn more about why the Maverties decided to install a pool safety cover for their family. 

The key to safety: proper pool cover maintenance 

To gain the full safety benefits of an automatic pool cover it has to be in good working order and properly maintained. Follow these tips to keep your pool cover functioning properly:

Odd sounds: Any new, odd, or unexpected sounds be checked by a pool cover specialist to ensure the motor and track are running properly. 

Pool cover fabric: Generally, pool cover fabric should be replaced every eight to ten years. On top of that, signs that your pool cover fabric should be replaced or at minimum expected by a professional include:

• Cracks

• Brittle feeling fabric

• Fraying

• Exposed webbing.

Water level: To have a pool cover strong enough to stand on, the tension and integrity must be maintained with normal water levels. Check with your pool cover specialist for guidance. 

Are there additional benefits to using an automatic pool cover?

There are so many reasons to use an automatic pool cover beyond the unbeatable safety benefits:

Cleanliness: A pool cover makes it so that leaves and dirt can’t enter your pool in the first place. 

Energy efficiency: A covered pool reduces water evaporation and heat loss while maintaining the chemistry of your pool and reducing chemical use. 

Cost savings: The energy and chemicals saved by using a pool cover translate to money in your pocket. Pool cover users can save up to 70% in energy consumption!

Time savings: By keeping dirt and debris out of your pool and reducing chemical use and water loss a pool cover makes maintenance easy, giving you time back in your day—the most precious currency. 

Who should install a pool safety cover?

An automatic pool safety cover is an excellent choice for anyone with an inground pool. The benefits particularly shine for:

• Families with children in the home

• People with beloved pets

• Homes in areas with a high concentration of wildlife

• Vacation rentals

• Families who participate in home swaps 

• Those looking to lower their environmental footprint

Remove any nagging worries about your pool from the back of your mind by installing a pool cover this summer. If you’re looking for a specialist in Vancouver or the Okanagan, Pool Patrol can help. 

Pool Patrol has been keeping families safe by installing automatic pool covers in British Columbia since 1995. If you’re curious about a pool cover installation in your backyard, contact Pool Patrol today.