Cover your pool and save water

WITH Gauteng enforcing a 15 percent reduction in water consumption, households will face choked supplies and fines.

Domestic pool owners are one demographic that could make a real difference to the overall water outlook. Considering that pools are one of the biggest consumers of domestic water, it makes sense to cover the pool to prevent evaporation and keep water in the pool, rather than having to top up throughout summer.

“Gauteng is getting tough on those ignoring the Level 2 water restrictions and citations, and fines are already being applied. But because people tend to ignore fine notices, there is now talk of a name and shame campaign. The situation is considered critical with the Vaal Dam only at 30 percent capacity and losing water at a rate of 0.8 per cent each week. In Gauteng, a whopping 79 percent of water consumption is for domestic use,” said Carolyn Idas of PowerPlastics PoolCovers.

“Consider too that Gauteng is home to 45 percent of SA’s economy and 35 per cent of its population. The municipality has good reason to be concerned as the situation could have a drastic knock-on effect. The water supply is constantly re-assessed and residents can expect even tougher restrictions if it doesn’t improve. In short, we need to give nature a hand and start implementing water friendly practices when it comes to our pools, and fast!” Idas said.

The implications of maintaining swimming pools during periods of water scarcity still tend to be largely overlooked.

Pools and gardens alone can account for up to 60 percent of water consumed in the home. Worse still, this is often treated water, a process that consumers pay for in their municipal rates, going into pools.

By covering a pool, water evaporation is almost entirely prevented.

During a long hot summer, the amount of water lost from an average pool is astounding.

“One of our customers recently shared her water bills with us. During the summer, her pool was used daily, therefore, she opted to leave her pool uncovered, but was topping up every few days in order to keep her pump running. When the weather started to cool down in April/May, she recovered her pool and the figures speak for themselves. Her home’s water consumption went from 27.00 kilolitres in March/April to 17.00 kilolitres in April/May.

She went from Tariff 4 prices down to Tariff 3 prices and saved 37 percent on her water bill. No other habits changed in her home so the savings can be directly attributed to the use of her pool cover.

“This may seem like a small saving but consider this scenario replayed over 12 months and apply it to every pool in South Africa, and you’re talking a massive amount of water saved annually. Furthermore, once our customer re-covered her pool and shut it down for the winter, she also stopped filtering and using chemical treatments. Her pool required very little effort to get it ready for the new season. Suffice to say, this summer she will be re-covering her pool after swimming every day!” said Idas.

Any one of the covers from the PowerPlastics Pool Covers thermal range keeps debris out the pool. This allows for chlorine input to be scaled back. Not only is this a financial saving, it means that the pool water can also be used in the home as your last resort, if all other sources of water fail.

“A pool cover sounds too good to be true – a pool that receives minimal water top ups and substantially reduces chemical input, and doesn’t allow the pool to go green! Furthermore, a thermal cover cuts power consumption and heats the pool,” mentioned Idas.

“Every way you look at it, water is life. Without it, the fundamentals of society are directly impacted and the results of a community living with limited water are far reaching,” concluded Idas.

A recent community awareness video by PowerPlastics Pool Covers called “I am your pool water” can be viewed on Youtube below:

It’s guaranteed to make you think about pool water differently!

Tips for saving water this summer as well as reducing the pool’s carbon footprint:

• Install a quality swimming pool cover. If you have an outdoor spa/jacuzzi, cover that too. Covers reduce water evaporation by over 98 percent.
• Collect rainwater and use it to top up your pool. Please secure the tank so that small children are kept safe from drowning
• Pool covers reduce the amount of debris in pools, therefore reducing the filtration times and the frequency of back-washing
• Avoid boisterous swimming to reduce splashing. Discourage dogs from swimming too
• Turn off any fountains and waterfalls. Water aeration increases evaporation and also cools the water
• Never leave a heated pool uncovered. Warmer water evaporates more quickly
• Fix pool leaks as soon as you notice them to avoid unnecessary water loss. Install a cover and, if you lose more than 2 per cent of your water, you have a leak in your pool
• Because chlorine dissipates in sunlight, the use of a pool cover will reduce chemical requirements. This in turn, reduces one’s carbon footprint
• Thermal pool covers are an excellent alternative to solar or electrical heat pumps, and can raise water temperatures by up to 8 degrees celsius through solar energy transfer alone

For more information about the PowerPlastics Pool Covers range of covers, contact: 011 262 0373 or email joburg@powerplastics.co.za or visit www.powerplastics.co.za