Installation Videos
Unpacking and fitting your new pool cover
Assembling your roller and connecting to the cover
Special Notes - Trimming a cover for a kidney shape
Cover Comparisons
Microns / Colour
Years of Pro
Rata Warranty
Heating
Performance
Evaporation
Reduction
Years of
Durability
250 – Light Blue
3 Years
400 – Light Blue
5 Years
500 – Light Blue
8 Years
500 – Non Heating
8 Years
550 – Clarity Clear
10 Years
550 – Mid Blue
10 Years
550 – Blue Titanium
10 Years
530 – Water Pattern
10 Years
600 – Mid Blue
12 Years
Imported Covers, e.g. Chinese via Ebay
Impossible to Claim Normally
Free, Fast Cover Preparation and Delivery
Free and Fast Delivery of Your Pool Cover
Covers are quickly prepared and promptly dispatched
Your cover will be rapidly custom prepared
Your cover will be custom prepared according to your size and shape requirements. Of course, we will also prepare the cover according to your micron grade and colour selection.
Dispatch in around 2 business days from order
We dispatch using our preferred carriers – Toll Ipec, Star Track and TNT (all offering a high standard of service). We choose the specific carrier according to the fastest delivery time to your location.
Online Tracking
You will receive details for online tracking of you delivery by email on the day of dispatch.
What if you are not home for delivery?
This is normally no problem – We provide drivers authority to leave your goods in a safe and sensible place. Around 90% of the time, this simply means your front door. You can also provide more specific directions in the “comments section” when placing an online order.
Aerial Pool Measurement
We can recommend cover sizing and shape, based on High-Resolution Images (already taken from aircraft)
A fast and free, same day service
A Pool Express Exclusive
We access High-Resolution Aerial Imagery (taken regularly from low level aircraft) – 95% of Australian homes have been imaged.
We can measure your pool within an accuracy of around 5 to 10cm. That is far greater accuracy than could be achieved from “Google Earth views”.
We can then recommend cover sizing – We can even design your cover. Simply provide your details in the form below.
Submit your details below - You will soon receive our assessment & suggestions
Pool Cover and Roller Installation
First time cover installation? - Maybe easier than you think
We sell thousands of these items to normal Australian pool owners each year. Around 99% of those buyers self install their covers (and rollers).
This is a straight forward job and it is worth taking your time to achieve an excellent result. If you are purchasing one of our higher grade covers, this maybe a job you may not repeat for another decade.
This can save you hundreds of dollars installation costs compared to a local technician who might spend around 60 minutes on site. They will certainly also charge more for the cover (and roller).
Basic Cover Install
Basic Cover Install
Trimming a Kidney
Installation is especially easy for rectangular a modern geometric pool shapes.
If necessary, trimming the cover is performed very simply (using a sharp pair of scissors). That applies to whether you are trimming 100mm on one side of the cover, or possibly more extensive shaping for “kidney” and complex pool designs.
Useful Tip – If you are replacing a cover that has a complex shape, consider using the old cover as a template. Lay the old cover over the new (maybe on the lawn) – Then follow the new cover with sharp scissors, using the old cover as a shape guide.
Replacing an Existing Cover - What about Connecting to the Roller?
If you simply order a pool cover alone, we will automatically dispatch this with a set of hardware that will assist in connecting to your existing roller. 10 x connection sets are included. That is a free inclusion, normally valued at $35.00
The eyelets, cords and hole punch will help you to connect the new pool cover to virtually any type or brand of existing roller.
How should the cover finish at the walls (edges)?
Around 60% of our clients expect their cover to curl up the pool wall slightly at the cover edges. That is the main reason we deliver the cover a little larger than your water dimensions. It ensures our clients have that “up curl” option.
The main reason many prefer this “up-curl” – it can definitely help prevent leaves and debris from getting “around the cover edges” and into the pool.
Other clients prefer a “straight cut” finish. Some pool owners believe this looks a little more tidy – especially on modern geometric pool shapes.
If I need to trim my cover, what is involved?
Trimming is sometimes necessary for a pool owner to achieve the final cover fit they prefer. Trimming is unavoidable with “kidney” pool shapes.
As tough and durable as these covers are, they are very simple to trim using a good pair of scissors – the sharper the better. In fact, you can virtually “slice” the cover without much “scissor snipping”. Straight sections are particularly easy to trim if you simply follow the “bubble grid lines”.
How do I deal with side steps and wide areas?
This is a very common situation – thousands of our clients deal with such situations on a daily basis.
This is often required when you have an (extra) “side step” at the shallow end of the pool, but plan to install the roller at the narrower deep end.
This situation is solved by simply “folding-over” the side section onto the main pool area before the cover is collected onto the roller. This process hardly adds much work or time and will never cause an issue or damage to the cover.
This arrangement is also very common with “kidney pools” and “free-form” shapes – Where the cover needs to slide down past a narrow middle-point in order to reach the roller.
Roller Model Comparisons
Arcadia Roller
Endurance Roller
Apollo Roller
Pegasus Roller
Adjustable Tubes Length Range
From 2.4m up 7.0m
From 2.4m up 7.0m
From 2.4m up 7.0m
From 2.4m up 7.0m
Price Range
From $399 depending on size
From $429 depending on size
From $429 depending on size
From $799 depending on size
Reasons Why Our Clients Choose This Model
Compact and does not stand out any more than necessary. Still tall enough to easily reach the top of the single (understated) handwheel.
Full Height so you don’t need to reach down as far to the hand-wheels. Can be extra helpful if you have a larger pool (above 9 or 10m in length).
Same benefits as the white Endurance model. Many clients prefer the “Satin Black” roller ends. They report this colour is less visually prominent.
This is an “architecturally inspired, minimalist roller” – Clients often choose this model to lessen the visual impact of a roller on their pool-scape.
Profile Dimensions
Main Construction Materials
Anodised Aluminum Tube,
Powered Coated Aluminum Frames,
High Density UV Stabilised Polycarbonate Wheels
Anodised Aluminum Tube,
Powered Coated Aluminum Frames,
High Density UV Stabilised Polycarbonate Wheels
Anodised Aluminum Tube,
Powered Coated Aluminum Frames,
High Density UV Stabilised Polycarbonate Wheels
Electro Polished Stainless Steel End Frames,
Anodised Aluminum Tube
Roller in Use
New Watermark - Water Pattern Pool Cover
Solar Pool Cover Benefits
One Pool Cover - Many Benefits
A cover will offer all pool owners multiple benefits. The durability of our covers means you can enjoy these benefits for years to come.
A summary of the main benefits will include those shown below:
Keep in mind, to enjoy those benefits you will need a good and reliable roller in order to deal with the cover on a daily basis. We offer a range of well designed and thoroughly tested roller models to suit various pool sizes and design style preferences.
The gain in average water temperature can transform how your pool is used. You can start swimming much earlier in the swimming season (and also much later). You will also be tempted to use your pool much more often during the regular swimming season.
Most Australian pools suffer serious daily water loss from evaporation, especially during summer.
A good cover will almost eliminate evaporative water loss altogether (by around 98%). This not only saves cost, it saves work and stress having to constantly monitor the pool’s water level during dry periods.
A pool cover can make a dramatic difference to the work of dealing with leaves. A pool cover will keep leaves “above the pool” and out of the water. If they do not just later “blow away” in the next strong wind, you might just “blast these away” occasionally with a garden blower. Not even an option without a cover.
You can expect a cover to eventually pay for itself from savings on other pool costs. Putting a cover on a pool is one-step away from having an indoor pool. With care, you can certainly reduce filter running times, chlorine dosage and other chemical requirements.
Why the heat gain, and how does a pool actually loose heat?
Your pool will gain significant heating from the effect of sunlight simply striking our pool cover. But further heat gain benefits result from the ability to “retain heat”.
Most pool owners do not realise how much pools can “chill” every day (and especially overnight) by heat lost from evaporation alone.
Worsening the situation – the warmer you pool gets, the greater the evaporation and heat loss. Water temperatures far lower than ideal are the natural result.
Pool Cover & Roller - Frequently Asked Questions
Is buying from Pool Express safe?
We currently boast a rating on Google reviews of 4.9 stars – almost unheard of in our industry.
When purchasing from Pool Express (whether by Credit Card or PayPal), all clients instantly receive an email and transaction ID directly from PayPal.
If the item does not arrive (or you receive an incorrect item), you can contact PayPal Australia directly and they will refund your total purchase amount. This is much faster and easier than obtaining a “charge-back” from a credit card provider.
Why are our prices so much lower than pool shops?
Whereas your local pool shop and other online retailers deal with 10, 20 or even 100 of these items, we deal with thousands – allowing us to offer unbeatable savings.
Our systems are tightly integrated with an efficient and high volume production facility – Allowing for maximum efficiency. All while providing our clients with the highest available grade of Australian made covers.
I am buying my first pool cover - Do I need a roller?
Unless you have a small plunge pool (e.g., 4m x 2m), yes you will need a roller. Some cover retailers may tell you that this is optional, knowing full well that this is not really feasible.
Pool covers can offer pool owners many benefits. But to enjoy those benefits, you need a quick and easy method to remove the cover and then put it back on the pool later.
What is "micron grade" and is it important?
The higher the micron grade number, the longer you can expect the cover to last. It can also help a little in terms of heating performance.
The higher the micron grade, the more plastic material will be included in every square meter of the cover. The greater the cover “body”, the more years you can expect the cover to resist attack from pool chemicals. That is why our higher micron grades have substantially longer warranty periods. Our covers focus most of the material in the bottom (bubble) layer – That is where oxidising pool chemicals (such as chlorine) first attack and gradually degrade a pool cover.
Beware however, the quality of materials is the most important durability factor. Two different covers (from different suppliers) that are the same micron grade may last for substantially different periods. For example, even our 250 micron grade cover will easily outlast an inferior 500 micron grade cover imported from China (e.g., from eBay). The reason – Our covers use a superior formula and are manufactured to a higher quality standard.
How should I measure my pool?
In most cases you simply need to measure the longest and widest wall-to-wall interior dimensions . Side steps / areas can be added.
Our factory can prepare covers in Rectangular, “L-Shapes” and the now very popular “T-Shapes”. All those shapes can be accurately created and ordered from our Pool Cover Wizard page.
Free Aerial Measure – A free service – Performed via Nearmaps – a database of high resolution property images. Surprisingly accurate – If interested, click the “Aerial Measure” ad on the main page
Why do we deliver your cover a little larger?
We aim to deliver your cover with an extra 100mm added to the perimeter. That is, around 200mm added to the overall length and width.
More than half our clients expect the cover to “curl-up” the walls slightly at the cover edges. This oversizing ensures adequate pool cover to achieve that option. It also allows for some minor cover shrinkage – Around 0.5% in the first weeks.
Can normal poeple self install a cover (and roller)?
Basic Cover Install
Roller Assembly
Trimming a Kidney
We sell thousands of these items to normal Australian pool owners each year. 99% of those buyers self install.
This can save you hundreds of dollars installation costs compared to a local technician who might spend around 60 minutes on site. They will also charge more for the cover.
Please take a look at the videos at the left to get an idea.
If necessary, trimming the cover is performed very simply (using a sharp pair of scissors). That applies to whether you are trimming 100mm on one side of the cover, or possibly more extensive shaping for “kidney” and complex pool designs.
Useful Tip – If you are replacing a cover that has a complex shape, consider using the old cover as a template. Lay the old cover over the new (maybe on the lawn) – Then follow the new cover with sharp scissors, using the old cover as a shape guide.
How do I deal with side steps and wide areas?
This is a very common situation – thousands of our clients deal with such situations on a daily basis.
This is often required when you have an (extra) “side step” at the shallow end of the pool, but plan to install the roller at the narrower deep end.
This situation is solved by simply “folding-over” the side section onto the main pool area before the cover is collected onto the roller. This process hardly adds much work or time and will never cause an issue or damage to the cover.
This arrangement is also very common with “kidney pools” and “free-form” shapes – Where the cover needs to slide down past a narrow middle-point in order to reach the roller.
How much warmer will be pool be with a cover?
Best answer : If this is your first cover, water temperature rise will likely be greater than you expect. Even if replacing an existing cover, our covers will still likely impress.
Certainly, if you are thinking about an electric heat pump, our pool cover is a logical first step before you commit to such a large expense.
Keep in mind, even a modest 4 degree temperature rise transforms a “Melbourne Pool” to a “Queensland Pool” – A much more tempting swim. Even in Brisbane or Perth, you will still add months and consistency to your swimming season.
There may be certain times in the peak of summer where the pool gets too warm for some people – e.g., 7-8 degrees rise. Hardly a problem as you can simply remove the cover for a couple of days.
If I need to trim my cover, what is involved?
Trimming is sometimes necessary for a pool owner to achieve the final cover fit they prefer. Trimming is unavoidable with “kidney” pool shapes.
As tough and durable as these covers are, they are very simple to trim using a good pair of scissors – the sharper the better. In fact, you can virtually “slice” the cover without much “scissor snipping”. Straight sections are particularly easy to trim if you simply follow the “bubble grid lines”.
Scissor Slicing A Cover
How should the cover finish at the walls (edges)?
Around 60% of our clients expect their cover to curl up the pool wall slightly at the cover edges. That is the main reason we deliver the cover a little larger than your water dimensions. It ensures our clients have that “up curl” option.
The main reason many prefer this “up-curl” – it can definitely help prevent leaves and debris from getting “around the cover edges” and into the pool.
Other clients prefer a “straight cut” finish. Some pool owners believe this looks a little more tidy – especially on modern geometric pool shapes.
Will a pool cover help with leaves? Yes, deffinitely
Without a pool cover, every single leaf falling onto the water area is “stuck” in the pool . Those collect and all this debris eventually needs to be dealt with (either by a pool cleaner or by manual labour).
A pool cover at least keeps these leaves above the water and “dry”. Much of that debris will blow away during the next windy day. A great option smart pool owners utilise : Use a garden blower to “blast” leaves down and then out of the pool. That is faster and more effective than any $3,000 robotic pool cleaner could ever achieve.
Pool Cover & Garden Blower
A Powerful Combination
Where does excess rainwater go - Is that a problem?
If you have a “straight edge” finish (i.e., flat) at the cover edges, rainwater will simply run over and around the cover.
If you have the cover curling-up the wall at its edges, simply create two 100mm slits in the cover edge in front of the skimmer box. The resulting “flat flap” will quickly drain excess rainwater to the skimmer box.
Additionally, rainwater collected on top of the cover will normally evaporate and disappear when the pool is back in full direct sunlight.
What is a "pro rata" warranty and how does that work?
A “pro rata” warranty starts off at 100% coverage, but then declines over time. For example, if your cover fails in the first year, we will provide a replacement at zero expense to you.
If you have a 10 year warranty cover and it fails after 5 years, we will replace the cover at half the cost – we cover the other 50%.
How do I get the maximum years from my pool cover?
There are basic two things you need to observe in order to get the maximum life span from your cover :
- Keep an eye on your free chlorine readings – be careful not to overdose your pool with chlorine (whether you use a salt chlorinator or are manually dosing your pool). Take the cover off the pool for at least 24hrs if you plan to super-chlorinate.
- If you are storing the cover on the roller for long periods in hot weather, make sure you place a protective UV over-cover on the roller. In warm and sunny conditions, the cover can quickly get very hot when off the water. Over-covers are provided with all our rollers.
Why Quality Matters - Don't Waste Work and Money
Cover Quality - Why it matters
Wasted, early and repeated expense
Inferior quality covers deteriorate surprisingly early, requiring replacement as often as every 18-36 months.
In the long term, this turns out to be much more expensive than having a cover that will last the better part of a decade.
Extra mess and installation work
For most normal pool owners, buying and installing a new cover is “work” and not exactly fun. Naturally, doing this every 2-3 years should be avoided.
Furthermore, inferior covers can rapidly break down in their last 6 months of life – Rapidly shedding thousands of plastic fragments – that is a lot of mess for a pool owner to deal with.
Cover Quality - How other covers fail early
Poor Quality Ingredients - Cover Damaged Quickly from UV and Pool Chemicals
Various pool covers may look similar – i.e., just “blue plastic bubbles”. They can however be formed from substantially different ingredients – This will certainly affect the cover performance and durability.
Our covers utilise an optimal combination of Anti-Oxidants (to resist damage from pool chemicals) and UV-Inhibitors (for years of protection in outdoor sunlight).
Poor Design From the Start
Every pool cover will have its own particular bubble profile – This bubble design is an important factor in determining the cover’s life-span.
Our bubble design is optimised for performance and maximum durability.
This level of detail is normally ignored by most other manufacturers
Our covers are comprised of two bonded layers and we focus most of the material on the bottom layer. This provides the maximum protection from pool chemical attack.
Quality controlled molding during manufacture ensures consistent thickness of the bubble wall – Providing further durability.
Poor Quality Manufacture
To save cost, inferior covers often use overly-rapid manufacturing techniques and pay little attention to quality control. This normally compromises the cover quality and durability.
The materials formula of our covers (in particular the anti-oxidants) results in a high quality and consistent product at the end of the high temperature moulding and formation process.
Australian Covers Universally Better than Imports
From our experience, all Australian made pool covers are dramatically more reliable than imported covers. Those happen to mostly originate from China – e.g., via EBay.
Of course, there is nothing necessarily wrong with products made in China. But in the case of pool covers, these products have been produced at the absolute lowest possible expense. That results in severely compromised products. This type of cover should be treated as “semi-disposable”.
Again, these will need regular replacement with a lot of work and mess on each occasion.
Pool Covers - Dealing with Kidney Shapes
Kidney Pools - Measuring
Depending on the shape and curvature of your “kidney” shaped pool (or similar shapes), you will either obtain a simple rectangular cover or possibly an “L-Shaped” cover.
An “L-Shaped” cover is wider at one end compared to the other end. Such an option can often save 10-20% material wastage and cost. This image shows an example of how a professional might measure a kidney shape for pool cover purchasing purposes.
Already have a cover? Use that as a trimming template
If you are replacing and existing cover, we recommend that you lay the new cover on the lawn, and lay the old cover over that. Then simply trim the new cover with scissors, using the old cover as a template.
If you are installing your first cover on a kidney pool, the following video may be helpful.
Kidney Pools - Roller location options
Rather than locate the roller at the very end of the pool, kidney shaped pools often have the roller located partly over the water. That can help more easily lift the cover off the water and onto the roller. The optimal location may take some trial and error.
Kidney Pools - Further Tip
You might plan to have an up-curl effect at the cover edges (e.g., to help deal with leaves). With kidney shaped pools, it may be advisable to exclude that effect from the “inside curve”.
That can prevent to cover moving side-to-side when being collected onto the roller. As with other aspects of kidney shaped pool covers, some trial and error may be required. If the cover shifts to the side while being collected, some extra trimming may be required on the inside curve.
