What is a Rolling Deck Pool Cover?

A rolling deck pool cover can be described most succinctly as a pool cover that rolls out to form a deck. And these rolling covers provide all of the same benefits that you’d find with a traditional pool cover. But make no mistake, a rolling deck cover is a huge step up from standard pool covers. You’ll find that rolling deck covers provide everything you could want from a pool cover along with new features that you never knew you needed.

Advantages of a Rolling Pool Cover

As the name suggests, a deck pool cover is essentially part of your pool deck. It’s a hard surface that covers your pool when you’re not using it.

The covers are often strong enough to support standard outdoor furniture. The wealth of advantages found in rolling deck covers comes from the fact that they provide the benefits of a pool cover while also giving you all the options that you’d enjoy from added deck space. The following are among the most widely appreciated of the rolling deck cover’s many benefits.

Reduces Heating Costs

It’s true that rolling deck covers can be quite costly. But when you’re going over the numbers you should take a moment to think about heating requirements. Pool heating systems are often among the more significant costs for pool owners. Both the machinery and the operating expenses can be quite pricey. But rolling pool covers can make a huge dent in your pool heating costs.

Rolling covers create a tighter seal around your pool which can trap heat and prevent evaporation. This essentially seals in the warmth so that you’re not constantly reheating water that’s been cooling by ambient weather conditions. You might be able to cut your pool heating costs by up to 70% by using a deck cover.

Keep Unwanted Things Out

Keeping things out of your pool is one of the primary functions of a standard pool cover and the same goes for rolling deck covers. But a deck cover does a vastly superior job thanks to its solid foundation. Environmental issues can easily rip, tear, and otherwise compromise a standard cover. And the fact that people need to manually deploy standard covers means most people don’t use them as much as they should.

But automatic covers can be easily deployed whenever you need them. And the deck cover’s stronger material means that it doesn’t just protect against debris. The covers can even keep out at-risk animals. And automatic pool covers are one of the best ways to keep kids out of the pool and safe when you’re not around to supervise the fun.

They Look Great

Rolling deck covers are the uncontested king of aesthetic pool covers.

Most pool covers essentially look like a large tarp. They’re functional but tend to detract from your land’s natural beauty. But rolling deck covers blend so seamlessly into their surroundings that they’re constantly found in the latest pool design trend lists. Rolling deck covers don’t just look great when you’re actively using a pool either. They ensure that you can still use, and enjoy, your pool area during winter. Swimming pools take a substantial amount of your backyard footprint so being able to cover that area and then utilize it when the pool is not in use allows you to get more use out of your outdoor space.

Add More Space

Pool decks give you a lot of extra ways to enjoy your pool. Decks are a place to relax and enjoy some poolside activities both before and after a swim. But you can take that even further with rolling deck covers. The covers can essentially function like any other solid surface. That means you can use that extra space for any activity or design you’d like when you’re not using your pool. This mobile deck increases the usable space you have in your backyard and means you don’t have to compromise on pool size vs deck size.

Durable

There’s a wide range of different rolling deck covers and each has its own level of durability. But as a general rule, they’re far more durable than any standard pool cover. In fact, you’ll typically only need to work on a rolling deck cover about as often as you do the actual deck. It’s true that deck covers cost a lot more than a standard pool cover. But at the same time, you save a lot of money on upkeep.

Disadvantages of a Rolling Pool Cover

There’s a lot to love about rolling deck covers. But they do have some issues which you’ll need to weigh against the benefits to know if a mobile deck is the right solution for you.

Cost

When people calculate the cost of a pool they don’t typically think about pool covers. After all, a typical pool cover’s cost is insignificant in comparison to the pool itself. But the higher level of workmanship and durability found in rolling deck covers means that they have an equivalently high cost.

Limited to Certain Pool Sizes and Shapes

There’s a wide variety of options for rolling deck covers. But there’s only so much that can be done to fit a cover onto freeform pool designs. Rolling deck covers will work with the majority of pools. But it’s important to remember that there’s always a chance that your pool might not be a good fit for them.

Requires More Space To Open

Rolling deck covers give you more space. But you’ll also need a significant amount of space to properly retract them. As such, they’re often not applicable to areas where the pool itself uses up the majority of your space.

Incompatible With Many Other Pool Additions

Aesthetic appeal is one of the big draws of rolling deck covers. But, at the same time, they’re often incompatible with water features like waterfalls and pool fountains. Even common additional features like slides and diving boards can be an issue for these covers.

What Does a Rolling Deck Cover Cost?

Rolling deck covers are typically priced somewhere between $25,000 and $75,000. And in general, the price goes up as you increase the size, number of moving parts, and durability. Though it is important to remember that rolling deck covers will save you money in other areas such as standard cover replacement and heating energy costs.

Your Pool Can Grow and Improve Over Time

A rolling deck cover is a big investment. But at this point, you’ve seen just how much they can add to your pool. It’s important to take a moment to really consider how much a rolling cover could add to your life. Deck installations aren’t a simple task by any means. But they can totally change how you relate to your pool and how you’re able to enjoy it.