Shop Local: Your Guide to Choosing an Automatic Pool Cover Company in British Columbia

Local is more important than ever. And while selecting your favourite “made in Canada” snacks at the grocery store goes a long way, the benefits of choosing local extend to all of the products and services in your life — from your mechanic to your automatic pool cover company. 

The benefits of shopping locally

When you opt for Canadian-made goods, the benefits start immediately — like the first bite of a ripe Okanagan peach — and spill into everything in your community: from stimulating the local economy, to job creation, and creating a more resilient business landscape at home. 

The big-picture benefits of supporting local businesses:

Creates local jobs: Local businesses — whether big or small — create more work opportunities within your community. 

Support local supply chains and competition: Directly supporting businesses in your region contributes to a more resilient supply chain while also promoting healthy competition, which helps create fair prices and greater options for consumers. 

Strengthen local economy: Spending your money within your community helps other businesses to thrive, creating a more vibrant local economy. 

Lower carbon footprint: In most cases, working with local suppliers is a green choice as it lowers the energy use involved in transportation. For farming, local producers may have more sustainable land management practices. 

Stronger community connections: Beyond the warm and fuzzy feelings of shopping locally, the community connection created by knowing your neighbours, so to speak, creates a stronger community that will be more likely to show up for each other in times of need. 

Greater accountability: For local companies, word of mouth goes a long way. That creates a greater need for accountability, meaning a generally higher standard of service and investment in customer satisfaction. 

Local knowledge: Working with a business that understands the unique needs of where you live is invaluable in creating the right product or service. 

Why look local for your automatic pool cover

While your auto pool cover may not be the first thing that springs to mind when thinking local, the difference is just as big as a juicy Okanagan cherry from a B.C. farmer vs. imported from Argentina. Aside from the more general benefits of going local listed above, homing in on pool covers themselves, there are so many important reasons to work with someone close to home. 

There when you need them
Covering your swimming pool is about so much more than keeping leaves out of the water. The number one reason to invest in an auto cover is safety, and you need it to be reliable. So if your cover needs a repair, help has to be on the way quickly. 

Pool Patrol has two locations — a head office in Vancouver, and a satellite location in Kelowna. Your call leads to us dispatching our local technicians to the interior or mainland B.C. from the closest office, so help is never far. 

Invested in your family’s safety
Unlike a larger, remote company, there’s a very special satisfaction that comes from keeping the families within your community safe. Our pool cover specialists have families of their own, in the same community as you. When Pool Patrol owner (and father himself) Allan Horwood founded the company in 1995, the number one thing on his mind was — and remains — safety. There’s no price you can put on the peace of mind that comes from keeping your family safe. 

Regional knowledge
Automatic pool cover for inground pools live in your backyard. That makes them susceptible to the nuances of the regional climate. A local pool cover company will understand things like how cold it gets in interior B.C., the foliage of mainland Vancouver, and the types of wildlife you can find in your backyard. 

This knowledge allows them to provide the best pool cover service possible and tailor it to your home. Whether that’s the which features are most important, the best time for pool cover installation in the Okanagan, or advice on when to open and close down the pool for the season — nothing beats local experience. 

Pool Patrol: Born in B.C. 

When it comes to pool cover companies in B.C., it’s hard to get more local than Pool Patrol. 

B.C. born Allan Horwood is a natural water baby and was basically raised by the family pool. 

After spending 11 years in the pool industry, Allan broke out on his own in 1995, founding Pool Patrol in his home province. 

A father himself, keeping families safe and swimming in B.C. has always been close to his heart from the very beginning. 

Before long, Pool Patrol was selling more swimming pool auto covers in B.C. than were being sold across the entire rest of Canada.

As demand grew, it only made sense to expand, and Allan opened the Kelowna warehouse in 2018 to better serve interior B.C.

Pool Patrol is still leading the industry in western Canada today and is still bringing peace of mind to families across the province.  

Pool cover service areas in B.C. 

We (pool) cover the entire province from our head office in Vancouver and warehouse in Kelowna.

Mainland BC: Vancouver and area
Vancouver to Chilliwack, including Squamish Whistler and Pemberton. 

Interior BC: Kelowna and area
We service the Okanagan Valley from our Kelowna warehouse — from Osoyoos all the way to Kamloops.

The rest of the province
We leave no pool uncovered! Pool Patrol can travel anywhere in B.C. Depending on the distance outside of our main service areas, travel expenses may be incurred. Don’t worry — any additional costs are always communicated in advance. 

Summer is coming: when to order

Spring is here! That means pool season is just around the corner. If this is the season you take the plunge and invest in an automatic pool cover, now’s the time. Beat the summer rush and place your order today. 

Here are the need to knows to get started:

New build: For new pools, we encourage you to work directly with your pool builder, who will be able to ensure tracks are installed for the auto cover. 

Old build: Older inground pools can still have sleek, modern auto covers. Get in touch with the details of your pool, including size and shape, and we'll see what we can do!

Traditional or infinity edge: Motorized pool covers can function with both traditional pools or infinity edge. Uncommon shapes can also be covered. 

Pool cover installation process:

1. Give us a call to share the details of your pool.

2. Finalize the order and send a deposit.

3. Typical delivery is 2-3 weeks, and your cover is installed right after! 

4. Installation takes one day, with minimal backyard disruption. 

These timelines are typical and will vary based on the volume of orders we’ve received. Beat the summer rush! Contact Pool Patrol today. 

Locally owned & Canadian built for quality you can trust. Pool Patrol has been keeping families in British Columbia safe with quality automatic pool covers since 1995. If you’re curious about a pool cover installation in your backyard, contact Pool Patrol today.