Mesh vs Solid Pool Cover

Mesh vs solid pool cover is mostly a choice about water and light. A mesh cover lets rain and snowmelt drain straight through, weighs less, and needs no pump, but it lets fine dirt and some sunlight into the pool, so spring opening usually takes more cleaning. A solid cover blocks sunlight and debris, which tends to mean cleaner water at opening, but water collects on top and has to be removed with a cover pump or drain panels all winter. Choose mesh if you want low winter upkeep. Choose solid if you want the cleanest possible opening and will keep up with the water on top.

Child safety first: No cover, mesh or solid, replaces a fence and an adult watching. The CPSC’s Safety Barrier Guidelines for Residential Pools say barriers are not childproof and can never replace adult supervision, and describe pool covers as another layer of protection. Winter tarps and solar covers are not safety covers, and even a true safety cover helps only when it is fully installed and kept in good repair. Always remove any cover completely before anyone swims, keep standing water off the top, and keep children off covers at all times.

First, Know Which Cover You Are Comparing

“Mesh” and “solid” describe the fabric. They do not tell you whether a cover is a safety cover. Before comparing the two, sort out which of three cover types you are shopping for.

Safety covers

These are the anchored covers stretched tight across an inground pool with straps and springs. ASTM F1346, listed as active on the ASTM store page for F1346-23, is the “Standard Performance Specification for Safety Covers and Labeling Requirements for All Covers for Swimming Pools, Spas and Hot Tubs.” Its scope says it sets requirements for safety covers and is intended, when the cover is correctly installed and used according to the manufacturer’s instructions, to reduce the risk of drowning by inhibiting the access of children under five years of age to the water. It also includes marking requirements for all covers. The CPSC barrier booklet says power safety covers should conform to the ASTM F 1346-91 standard (the older edition it cites). Safety covers come in both mesh and solid versions.

Winter covers

These are lighter tarps held down with water tubes on inground pools, or a cable and winch on above ground pools. They also come in mesh and solid. They are not safety covers. One maker’s Aqua EZ winter cover instructions (PDF hosted by Lowe’s) state that its covers are designed solely to protect the pool from the elements during the off season, are not designed for use as a safety cover, and are not designed to support people or any weight. The warning panel adds: remove the cover completely before entry of bathers, because entrapment is possible.

Solar covers

Bubble-style solar covers are a swim-season product for warming water. Intex’s solar cover product page describes the air bubbles as absorbing and transferring sun heat into the pool water, and says the cover insulates the water and reduces evaporation. A solar cover is not part of the mesh vs solid decision, and unless its packaging says it meets ASTM F1346 as a safety cover, treat it as a heat and debris cover only.

The rest of this article compares mesh and solid fabric in safety covers and winter covers, where the choice actually comes up.

Mesh vs Solid Pool Cover: Side-by-Side

Factor	Mesh cover	Solid cover
Rain and snowmelt	Drains through the fabric into the pool	Collects on top; removed by pump or drain panels
Cover pump	Not needed	Needed unless the cover has drain panels
Sunlight	Some light passes through	Blocks light
Fine dirt and pollen	Some filters through	Stays on top of the cover
Spring opening	Usually more cleaning	Usually cleaner water, but water and debris must be cleared off first
Weight	Lighter	Usually heavier
Winter upkeep	Low	Watch the pump, the water on top, and the pool’s water level
Standing water hazard	Does not let water collect	Water on top is a drowning hazard if not removed

Water on Top: Drainage vs Pumping

This is the biggest practical difference. On a mesh cover, rain and melting snow pass through the open weave into the pool, so there is usually nothing to remove from the top. On a solid cover, water collects on top through the winter and has to be pumped or drained off, and whatever is left needs to be cleared before the cover comes off, or it ends up in the pool.

For safety covers, water on top is part of the safety question, not only a chore. CPSC Publication 359 (2002), Preventing Child Drownings, says the ASTM pool cover standard requires quick removal of water from the cover, and warns that a young child can drown in just inches of water. A mesh safety cover drains through the fabric. A solid safety cover typically relies on a cover pump or built-in drain panels to do that job, so the pump or panels are part of what keeps it working as a safety cover.

A cover pump adds its own chores. Someone has to confirm it is running after each storm, that it has not frozen in place, and that the pool’s water level has not dropped, since a pump sitting near a tear or a gap may move pool water rather than rainwater. Follow the pump and cover instructions for freezing weather. If you close the pool and leave for the winter, a solid cover needs someone checking on it.

Standing water is also a child safety issue, not just a maintenance one. As the CPSC publication above puts it, a young child can drown in just inches of water. Picture a solid winter cover on an inground pool in a wet March: a few inches of rainwater on the tarp is easy to overlook from the house. A mesh cover avoids that specific risk, though it does nothing about the open water below if the cover is loose or torn.

Sunlight, Algae, and Debris

Solid fabric blocks light; mesh lets some through. Less light reaching the water over the winter generally gives algae less to work with, which is the main reason owners choose solid covers. Mesh also lets fine dirt pass through with the rain, so a mesh-covered pool usually needs more cleaning at spring opening, and the water may look cloudier after a wet season.

For an inground pool under oaks or maples, that difference shows up in April. Leaves stay on top of either cover, but the fine material that breaks down from them, along with pollen and dust, can pass through mesh. With a solid cover, the same material sits in the water on top and has to be pumped, swept, or siphoned off before the cover comes off, or it lands in the pool anyway. Neither cover replaces winterizing the water as your pool builder or chemical labels direct.

Weight, Handling, and Storage

Solid covers are generally heavier than mesh covers of the same size, and a wet solid cover is heavier still. That matters at opening and closing, when one or two people fold and carry the cover. Plan on extra hands for a large solid cover.

Storage matters for both. Follow the care and storage instructions that came with your cover. A cover that goes into storage clean and dry, off the ground, and out of the sun is easier to inspect and reinstall in the fall. Before each closing, check straps, springs, and seams for wear, and have worn parts repaired or replaced as the cover maker directs.

Water Level, Snow, and Ice

Mesh and solid safety covers can call for different winter water levels, and those numbers come from the cover maker. As one example, LOOP-LOC’s FAQ lists 15 to 18 inches below the top of the pool for its mesh covers and 12 to 16 inches for its solid covers, says the water helps support the weight of snow on the cover, and warns that letting the level drop below its recommendations puts excess stress on the cover. For its solid covers without drain panels, the same FAQ says the pump must be used at all times to maintain the safety of the cover. Those figures and instructions are for that maker’s covers; use the numbers and steps in your own cover’s manual.

Ice is the other winter question. Check your cover’s instructions before doing anything about ice on top, rather than chipping at it. On a solid cover, water and ice can sit on top until the thaw, which is another reason to keep children away from the pool area through the winter.

Inground vs Above Ground Pools

Anchored mesh and solid safety covers are built around an inground pool with a deck or patio to anchor into. On many above ground pools, the realistic choice is between mesh and solid winter covers, which are held on by a cable and winch around the top rail, as the Aqua EZ instructions (PDF hosted by Lowe’s) show. Those instructions also note that, on an inground pool, it is normal for a small amount of water to accumulate on the surface of a properly installed solid winter cover. That is fine for keeping the cover from flapping, but it is exactly the kind of water a toddler can drown in, so the pool area still needs a locked fence.

If you own a 15 ft or 18 ft round above ground pool and are closing it for a snowy winter, a solid winter cover keeps sunlight off the water but will need the water and debris on top cleared regularly. A mesh winter cover drains on its own but lets fine debris through. Some owners take smaller above ground pools down for the winter instead; follow the pool maker’s manual for your model.

Cost and Upkeep

This article does not list prices, since they vary by pool size, shape, and maker, and change often. In general terms, a solid safety cover without drain panels comes with a cover pump to run and watch all winter, and possibly a pump to replace over the cover’s life. A mesh cover skips the pump but may mean more cleaning and water balancing at opening. Compare the full package, including pump, drain panels, installation, and warranty terms, rather than the cover fabric alone.

Who Should Choose Which

Choose a mesh cover if

• You will not be home to check a pump through the winter, or you get heavy rain and snowmelt.
• You want a lighter cover that is easier to take on and off.
• You can live with more cleaning at spring opening.
• Standing water on the cover is a worry because young children live in or visit the home.

Choose a solid cover if

• You want to block sunlight and keep fine debris out for a cleaner opening.
• You will run and check a cover pump, or you choose a solid cover with drain panels.
• Your pool sits under trees that shed pollen and fine litter all season.
• You can keep the pool area fenced and locked while water may sit on the cover.

Who should skip a solid winter tarp

Skip a basic solid winter cover if you need a cover that adds a layer of protection for children. A winter tarp is not a safety cover; the Aqua EZ instructions (PDF hosted by Lowe’s), for example, say its winter covers are not designed to support people or any weight. The water that collects on a tarp is a hazard of its own. In that case, look at an ASTM F1346 safety cover (mesh or solid with a pump or drain panels) on top of a proper fence, not instead of one.

What a Cover Cannot Do

Even the best-fitted safety cover is one layer. The CPSC’s Pool Safely tips call for a fence at least four feet high around the pool on all sides, a self-closing, self-latching gate, a door alarm from the house to the pool area, pool and spa covers kept in working order, and an adult Water Watcher whenever children are in or near water. The CPSC barrier booklet adds that the control device for a pool cover should be kept out of the reach of children. A cover that is half on, loose at one corner, or carrying a puddle is not doing its job.

When to Call a Pro

• Measuring and installing an anchored safety cover. It means drilling anchors into the deck, and a custom cover depends on accurate measurements.
• Adding an outdoor outlet for a cover pump. Use a licensed electrician, and run the pump only as its manual directs.
• A cover that sags, tears, or loses straps or springs. Stop relying on it and contact the cover maker or installer.
• Pool water dropping fast under a solid cover with a pump running.
• Any doubt about whether your cover meets ASTM F1346. Ask the maker for its documentation.

Browse more cover comparisons and guides in the Pool Covers section.

FAQ

Is a mesh or solid pool cover safer?

It depends on whether it is a safety cover. A mesh or solid cover built to ASTM F1346 and correctly installed adds a barrier; a winter tarp of either fabric does not. Between two safety covers, the difference is how water leaves the top: mesh drains through the fabric, while a solid cover relies on its pump or drain panels. The CPSC’s Pub. 359 notes that the ASTM cover standard requires quick removal of water from the cover. Neither cover replaces a fence and supervision.

Do mesh covers let algae grow?

They can make it more likely, because some light and fine debris reach the water, and mesh-covered pools usually need more cleaning in spring. Closing the pool with balanced water, as your chemical labels direct, matters for both.

Do I need a pump with a solid pool cover?

You need a way to remove water. That is a cover pump, or drain panels built into the cover. For a solid safety cover, follow the cover maker’s instructions on when the pump has to run; the safety cover maker FAQ cited earlier in this article says its pump must run at all times on its solid covers without drain panels.

Is a solar cover the same as a solid cover?

No. A solar cover is a floating bubble sheet sold to hold heat during swim season. It is solid in the sense that water does not drain through it, but it is not a winter cover or a safety cover unless its maker says so. Remove it completely before anyone swims.

How do I know if my cover is a safety cover?

Check the label, packaging, and manual for a statement that it meets ASTM F1346, and keep that paperwork. The ASTM F1346 scope includes marking requirements for all covers. A winter cover’s warning panel may say “this is not a safety cover” outright, as the Aqua EZ sheet (PDF hosted by Lowe’s) does.

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