What Does an Automatic Pool Cover Cost?

Most homeowners start with one question when they look at a motorized cover. What will it run me? Automatic pool cover cost depends on your pool. The shape, the deck around it and where the motor can sit all move the number, along with the cover and drive you choose.

This post walks through what goes into the price, so the quote you get makes sense when it lands. If you already know you want one, our automatic pool covers page covers installation and repair in more detail.

What you are paying for

An automatic cover is a small machine built around your pool. When you get a quote, you are paying for a few main pieces working together.

• The cover fabric. A heavy, flexible sheet sized to your pool that rolls out over the water and back again.
• The tracks. Two rails that run down the long sides of the pool. The edges of the fabric ride inside them.
• The drum and drive. A roller at one end of the pool that the fabric winds onto, turned by a motor.
• The housing or lid. A cover over the drum so the mechanism is protected and out of sight.
• The controls. A key switch or keypad near the pool, so the cover runs only for someone with the key or code.
• A cover pump. A small pump that sits on top of the closed cover and moves rainwater off it.

Labor to fit all of that to your pool adds to the total, and so does any work on the deck, the coping or the electrical supply that the install needs.

What makes one pool cost more than another

Pool shape

Auto covers run in straight, parallel tracks. A rectangle is the simplest fit. A freeform or kidney-shaped pool can often still take one, but the tracks have to sit outside the curves, which can mean extra decking or a different track layout.

New pool or existing pool

On a pool that is still being built, the builder can plan a pit for the drum and hide the tracks under the coping from day one. On an existing pool, the system has to work around what is already there. That is very doable. The amount of change your deck needs is what moves the price.

Track style

There are three general approaches. Under-track systems hide beneath the coping. Recessed tracks sit flush in a channel cut into the deck. Deck-mounted tracks sit on top of the deck along the pool edge. Under-track and recessed systems usually take more work on an existing pool. Deck-mounted tracks are simpler to add, and they stay visible.

Where the mechanism lives

The drum has to go somewhere at one end of the pool. It can sit in a recessed box under a lid that is flush with the deck. It can sit on top of the deck inside a housing, sometimes built as a bench. A recessed box means cutting into the deck. A deck housing avoids that, and you will see it.

Power and controls

The motor needs electrical power near the drum end of the pool. If power is already close by, that part stays small. If a new circuit has to be run, it adds to the job.

Fabric and finish choices

Fabric comes in different colors and grades. Lids and housings come in different materials. Those choices change the price too.

Costs after the install

Plan for a few ongoing costs.

The cover pump needs to run whenever water collects on top, and it needs a quick check now and then. The tracks need to stay clear of leaves and grit. Ropes and pulleys wear with use, and so does the fabric, so a cover that runs every day will need some parts over its life. Having it looked at before small wear turns into a bigger repair keeps those costs down. Our post on common automatic pool cover problems covers what to watch for.

Pinnacle offers maintenance plans for automatic covers. We recommend a clutch adjustment and a 14-point inspection each year. We also clean covers and can apply a UV treatment that lasts three years and keeps the cover color from fading.

What a cover can give back

An automatic cover can pay you back in ways that do not show up on the quote. A covered pool loses less water to evaporation. It holds heat overnight, so a heater or heat pump has less work to do. Leaves and pollen stay on the cover instead of in the water, which means less skimming and less work for your filter. A cover can also cut chemical use, since sunlight breaks down chlorine and debris adds to the load.

We will not put a dollar figure on those savings, because every pool and heating setup is different. They are real, and they are worth weighing next to the price.

A closed safety cover is designed to make it harder for young children to get into the water, though it never replaces adult supervision. Some automatic cover makers state that their covers meet ASTM F1346, the ASTM International standard for pool safety covers. That standard sets performance requirements meant to reduce the risk of drowning by making it harder for children under five to reach the water, when the cover is installed and used according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Ask whether the maker states the cover on your quote meets it.