For most inground pools, a mesh safety cover is the best balance of price, safety, and low maintenance: it blocks debris, meets ASTM F1346 child safety pool barrier standards when properly anchored, and doesn’t need a cover pump for routine water removal since it drains through. Solid safety covers cost more but keep the pool cleaner and block more light (helpful against winter algae). Solar covers are a summer heat-retention tool, not a winter closing cover, and shouldn’t be used as your only winter cover. Above-ground pools generally use a standard winter tarp cover with a cable and winch, plus an air pillow.
The word “cover” gets used loosely, and it’s the reason a lot of pool owners buy the wrong one. A solar cover, a safety cover, and a standard winter tarp solve three different problems. Buying a solar cover to close your inground pool for winter, for example, leaves you with zero child-safety rating and a cover that will not survive snow load.
The Three Cover Types
Mesh Safety Covers
A tightly woven mesh material, stretched taut with springs and anchors set into the pool deck. Rated to ASTM F1346 for child and pet pool safety covers when properly installed and anchored.
- Allows rain and melting snow to pass through, so pooling water and the resulting weight/ice risk is minimal.
- Some fine sediment and pollen still passes through the mesh into the water, which is the main tradeoff versus a solid cover.
- Typical cost: $600-1,800 depending on pool size and shape, professionally installed; DIY kits run less.
- Typical lifespan: 10-15 years.
Solid Safety Covers
Same anchoring and safety rating as mesh, but made of a solid, waterproof vinyl material. Requires a cover pump to remove rain and snowmelt that collects on top, since nothing drains through.
- Blocks essentially all sunlight and debris, which means the cleanest possible spring opening and the best defense against winter algae growth.
- Requires active maintenance through the season: someone needs to run the cover pump after significant rain or snowmelt, or standing water becomes a drowning hazard risk and adds enormous weight to the cover and anchors.
- Typical cost: $800-2,200, professionally installed.
- Typical lifespan: 8-12 years (UV and standing water shorten lifespan versus mesh).
Solar Covers (Not a Winter Cover)
A bubble-textured plastic sheet designed to float on the water surface and retain heat and reduce evaporation during swim season. Solar covers have no safety rating, no anchoring system, and will not support snow load or a person’s weight. Some pool owners layer a solar cover under other winter accessories, but it is never a substitute for a rated winter or safety cover.
Standard Winter Tarp Covers (Above-Ground)
Sized to the specific pool diameter or dimensions, secured with a cable and winch around the top rail, used together with an air pillow floating under the cover to absorb ice expansion pressure against the pool wall.
- Not rated for weight-bearing (no one should walk on it), so it’s not a substitute for a true safety cover if there’s any chance of foot traffic near the pool over winter.
- Typical cost: $80-250 depending on pool size and material weight (measured in mil thickness; look for 20-mil or heavier for multi-season durability).
- Typical lifespan: 2-4 seasons for standard covers, longer for heavier-gauge options.
Head-to-Head Comparison
| Feature | Mesh Safety Cover | Solid Safety Cover | Standard Winter Tarp (Above-Ground) |
| ASTM child safety rated | Yes | Yes | No |
| Blocks sunlight/algae growth | Partial | Full | Partial |
| Water/debris management | Drains through, minimal maintenance | Requires cover pump | Requires cover pump/manual removal |
| Upfront cost | $600-1,800 | $800-2,200 | $80-250 |
| Typical lifespan | 10-15 years | 8-12 years | 2-4 seasons |
| Best for | Most inground pools wanting low-maintenance safety | Pools prioritizing cleanest spring opening | Above-ground pools |
What Actually Determines Which Cover You Need
Do you have kids, pets, or neighborhood foot traffic near the pool?
If yes, a rated safety cover (mesh or solid) is not optional in any practical sense, regardless of what type of pool you have. A standard tarp or solar cover provides no meaningful protection against a person or pet walking onto the pool and falling through.
How much winter algae have you dealt with in past seasons?
Pools with a history of stubborn winter/spring algae benefit more from a solid cover, since blocking light entirely starves algae of the energy it needs to grow, even with some chemical drift over a long closing. See Why Is My Pool Green Under the Cover in Spring? for the full mechanism.
Are you willing to run a cover pump through the season?
A solid cover without an attended cover pump becomes a safety and structural problem fast: standing water plus a hard freeze equals enormous ice weight on the anchors and cover material. If nobody’s checking the pool every week or two through winter, a mesh cover’s self-draining design is the lower-maintenance, lower-risk choice.
What’s your regional snow load?
In regions with heavy, wet snow, confirm the cover’s rated weight capacity and consider a heavier mesh (or a solid cover with committed pump maintenance). A cover that’s rated for rain but not snow load will sag and potentially tear or pull anchors under a significant snowfall.
Winter Pool Covers FAQ
My mesh cover has standing puddles of fine sediment on top after winter. This is normal and expected with mesh; some fine particulate does settle rather than draining perfectly clear. Hose it off before removing the cover in spring so sediment doesn’t wash into the pool during removal.
My solid cover has several inches of water sitting on it right now. Run the cover pump immediately. Standing water on a solid cover adds hundreds to thousands of pounds of weight depending on depth and cover size, and it’s also a drowning hazard if a child or pet walks onto what looks like solid ground. Don’t wait for it to evaporate.
My winter tarp tore partway through the season. Patch kits work for small tears if the material is otherwise intact, but a large tear defeats the cover’s purpose for debris and evaporation control for the rest of the season. Order a replacement rather than limping through on a torn cover, particularly if there’s any ice-expansion risk left in the season.
Where to Buy A Winter Pool Cover
In our expert opinion, you can’t go wrong with Doheny’s lineup of winter pool covers, mesh, solid, and standard winter covers cut and sized to standard pool dimensions, along with anchors, cover pumps, and air pillows, with free shipping on orders over $50.
Related Guides
-> Pool Closing and Winterizing Guide: The Complete Step-by-Step Process