The summer time just makes you want to stay outside forever and enjoy all the pleasures the sunny warm weather provides. You want to have the best time with your family, so you also have to think about the children and their fun as well. The plastic baby pools are ideal for the kids to play in safely while you comfortably relax with a drink in your hand. Here is a thorough overview of the types of pools you can choose from and some tips on how to pick the best one for your baby or babies.

The plastic baby pools can be put in two different categories depending on the type of material they are made from. The hard-plastic baby pools are perfect for the backyard. They are easy to assemble and install despite the size and depth they have. They are also durable and not easy to damage. Such a pool will wear out eventually, but it can last for a good number of years. It does not require any particular maintenance, but might prove to be a bit difficult to repair. The main advantage of the soft-plastic inflatable pools is that they are easy to deploy and to uninstall as well, which makes them perfect not only for home use but also for family trips.

They take up a small space when deflated, so you can carry the baby pool in a bag and literally take it everywhere with you. The problem with these pools is that they are more easily damaged. However, they are also easy to fix in case of damage – you just glue the extra piece of plastic material provided according to the instructions and the pool is as good as new again.

The size of the baby pool is up to you to pick. It is important to measure the exact space available in your back yard if you are planning to install it there. Usually most potable ones are small and can accommodate only one child at two at the most. The larger soft-plastic ones and hard-plastic ones are also abundantly available on the market. The depth of the pool is also very important, so do check carefully that it is appropriate for your child’s age. The pools for the smallest kids aged 1 to 3 years are very shallow so that the baby can safely enjoy the water. The deeper pools are also great but you always have to be on the watch when the kids are playing in them.

The plastic baby pools are a great entertainment for small children. You just have to make sure your pool is clean and filled with warm water to provide for a great day outside.

A solar pool heater means more enjoyment, more fun out of your swimming pool. After all, why do you have one? It’s an expensive asset on which you also spend valuable time and money, maintaining it.

There are four ways to heat your pool

• electric heater
• gas, usually a propane heater
• using a pool cover
• solar pool heating

You would know already that heating a swimming pool electrically or with gas is very expensive. Consequently many people make a choice – not to heat the pool at all at cooler times of the year or day.

But this means wasting your asset just because it is expensive to heat. Why have a pool and then not swim in it? Use solar power energy and make your pool or outdoor spa an hospitable environment to enjoy at any time. A solar pool heater – or spa heater – allows you to extend the use of your pool or outdoor spa into spring and autumn, cool evenings and mornings.

Further advantages of solar pool heating include:

• You save on energy, gas or electricity, running a conventional pool heater
• Solar energy is free!
• You reduce greenhouse gas emissions

You can buy a solar pool heater, up to a cost of $2000. Or you can build one yourself. For much less.

Is a DIY solar pool heater not incredibly complex and expensive to put together? No, it only requires a good set of instructions and basic handyman’s skills to build one yourself.

And the cost? It can actually be done for as little as under US$100.

Yes, of course you do need a circulation pump and if that runs on mains power it will take a measly 15 to 20 Watts only for a 30,000 litre pool. But of course, using a solar powered pump will not even require this use of mains power.

There are solar pool heaters for different situations, and they come in any size. Rooftop systems lay flat on your roof and are best for the very large pools, or you may like to consider an on the ground system. The on the ground system is installed right next to your pool with a maximum exposure to the sun’s warmth.

It is the on the ground system that could be built for under US$100.

So, in selecting your solar pool heater system you need to know the size of your pool and your local weather conditions (you do need sunshine!).

Just remember that heated pool water is a good environment for bacterial and algae growth so must monitor correct chlorine or salt levels to the water. You should get expert advice about that from your local pool supplier.

Oh, and the pool cover. Yes, by all means use it as a passive solar top-up of your pool enjoyment.

Now enjoy your swim!

Dr Erik Leipoldt has long been concerned about the effects of global warming. In particular he uses his own experience of severe disability in practical approaches towards alternate energy sources to survive and thrive in our environmentally disabled world. See http://www.alternate-energy-sources.com/solar-pool-heater.html