Warm enough for you? While the UK is rapidly becoming Europe's largest lake, Spain is in danger of becoming Europe's' newest desert. Reservoirs are once again at new record lows and there is no prospect of rain. Wells have dried up in many areas, the rivers ceased to flow months earlier than normal and a scorchio summer is already upon us.
The water shortage situation can only get worse: water unavailable or more expensive if you can get it. Pool owners should conserve the water they have, cut down on avoidable losses and incidentally extend their swimming season into late autumn.
The greatest loss of water is by evaporation. As temperatures rise the air can carry more water vapour and therefore the rate of evaporation shoots up. Hot, windy weather can rob 2-3cm of water from your pool in 24 hours. Warm water evaporates more easily than cold water. Evaporation costs you money when you have to top-up from the mains or buy a tanker of water - and robs the pool of vast quantities of heat.
What you can do about it?
For exposed pools, consider putting a low fence or wall around it to reduce airflow across the surface. This will reduce evaporation and also reduce the leaves and dirt blown the pool; thus reducing your chemicals bills. Adjust the jets so that they just ripple the surface, pushing floating debris towards the skimmers. Delay backwashing the sandfilter until the manometer, that little dial on the filter, tells you that you need to (about 1.5 Bar, normally). Fit a pool cover, either a bespoke, floating solar poolcover and associated roller, or a Tropical Fish Liquid Poolcover. These cut evaporation to a minimum and reduce heat-losses, thereby extending the swimming season late into the autumn and early winter. Covers also help the pool to accumulate heat in the spring, so you'll be swimming earlier than your envious, shivering neighbours. (Always assuming they have any water left in their pools…….)
A pool cover, essential for a heated pool, makes economic sense in every pool. A Solar cover will last several years and an Astral roller is practically indestructible if used correctly. Of course, a solar cover will make no difference unless you make the effort to replace it when the pool is not in use.
Tropical Fish Liquid Poolcover costs pennies and lasts about a month - then you put another one on. You don't need a roller and you don't need to take the cover on and off - it remains invisible on the surface of the water, unaffected by pool chemicals and equipment.
Winter and Debris Covers are custom-made and are secured around the pool by rubber bungees. It often takes 2 people half an hour to remove or replace these types of cover so they're not ideal if you want to use the pool half-a-dozen times a day.
We supply all types of pool covers and all other pool equipment, tools and chemicals.

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Deep Blue Pools, Alhaurin el Grande, 952 594 393
Copyright Ken Walker, Deep Blue Pools, July 2006