What are options for pool cover to use daily?

[DistantHorizon]

I believe I'm going to need a new cover this winter, as the one that came with the house supposedly has a tear (haven't looked yet) and is also supposedly too small. This winter/spring it was falling into the pool in some areas.

In addition, my water bill has been outlandish, so I'm thinking maybe I need to get a cover I can use regularly to reduce evaporation and keep out dirt/debris, hopefully lengthening the period between backwashes.

Wondering what kind of automatic covers are I can buy somewhat affordably and install myself. My concrete already has an electrical box and area for an in-ground reel.

I have a feeling that's still going to be too expensive, so what's the best bang for the buck?

[Watermom]

bumping back up

[tpsnoc]

Look at Cover Pools. They have an option for an on-deck automatic cover. They are not cheap, however. I strongly advise you find an authorized/certified installer to have it installed (don't take the installer's word for it - inquire with the manufacturer), as a bad installation will ruin the cover - ours did! If your deck around the pool is concrete you should have no issues with this type of on-deck cover. If the deck is interlock/pavers, more prep work may need to be done for the track installation, as the stones may sag/settle, taking the track down with them, or leaving no support for the track.

There are great advantages of having these covers - they function as safety, solar and winter covers all-in-one - we had ours installed because we had small kids at the time and wanted the safety, but soon discovered the other pluses. For example, every spring when we opened our pool it was just a matter of vacuuming and adding chlorine, the water was never murky or green. Now this may be because of other reasons as well, not sure, but we've always heard stories from others of having to muck around with chemicals for weeks after the pool opening. My suspicion is that it was due to the fact that the cover did not allow rain/snow to get into the pool over the fall/winter.