What makes a great pool pump cover? Well let’s put the 5 Most Common Pool Pump Covers under the microscope and find out!
1. Garden Sheds
Garden sheds are often purchased from your local building supply stores at minimal cost. What you need to ask yourself is, do they provide the qualities required for local government regulations/certification?
The answer is a flat out NO. Australian legislation states that a Pool Pump Cover is required to provide acoustic properties, ie, to decrease the ambient noise emitted by your pool pump.
Your basic garden shed will not provide any noise reduction properties to your pool pump and therefore would be deemed non-compliant. Another important point to note is that the regulations state that the pool pump cover only needs to cover the pool pump itself – not the entire pool equipment, so there's no need to spend extra on covering more than you need to. Plus, let’s be honest, most garden sheds are not the most flattering additions to your beautiful new pool area…
2. Timber Pool Pump Enclosures
Timber is a raw material of choice for many Aussies, but is it the best choice as a pool pump cover? Timber structures can be more aesthetically pleasing than your garden variety shed, however, the lack of acoustic reduction qualities inherent in timber pool pump covers mean they will face a tough task in meeting compliance requirements.
Timber structures are also cumbersome and often time-consuming to install. Being a porous product, timber pool pump enclosures require annual maintenance and upkeep (ie, will require time and money to make sure they do not rot or collapse from wear and tear.)
Here are some examples of Timber Pool Pump Covers
3. PVC pool pump covers
PVC pool pump covers are available on popular online sites (click here for some examples) and are the cheapest products on the market, however, they pose the same issue as the garden shed – they provide no acoustic reduction properties and are therefore considered non-compliant.
Another important point to note with PVC pool pump covers, is that in most instances, in and outdoor environment the cover will need to withstand the harsh Australian summer sun. Is PVC the right product to do that? History shows us that PVC has a tendency to breaking down rapidly when exposed to the elements. Given most residential swimming pools are outdoors, is a PVC Pump Cover a viable long term solution? We think not...
4. Aluminium Pool Pump Covers
With an Aluminium Pool Pump Cover, we enter a different price bracket altogether. From our perspective, aluminium covers are some of the better-looking pool pump covers on the market. In most instances, they are better suited to modern-day homes, however they do come with a premium price tag – when we say premium, we mean PREMIUM! We are talking about prices starting at over $AUD3,000 just to cover the noisy pool pump and associated accessories and equipment!
Aluminium pool pump covers are generally produced in a slat form which provide next to no acoustic reduction and would therefore be non-compliant. You'll also need to factor in that this product needs some ground preparation, ie, flattening and levelling of the ground to stabilise the final result. This process can take up to 4 hours to put together, so it is not for the faint-hearted!
5. Colorbond® Pool Pump Covers
There are a couple of acoustically sound products made from Colorbond® on the market. Colorbond® is extremely durable, so it's not surprising it is a popular material to enclose noisy pool pumps. However, it is worth pointing out that there are two visually distinct differences in Colorbond® made pool pump covers.
One of the products provides cover to the entire pool equipment, which is not required under the legislation. This obviously increases the price of the pump cover. As pool pumps are rather large, full cover enclosures thus become an eyesore among your newly finished pool landscaping. Although, the Colorbond® range of colours is extensive, there is also the chance to find a colour that minimises its visual intrusion.
Products that cover the entire pool pump and filter structure, are by definition large and will require a minimum of 2 people to assemble into place. You'll also need for the ground to be perfectly level prior to installation (failing which you will need to create a timber frame or a level base to ensure the final product is level and square.) We often hear that the resulting lids from such large enclosures are too heavy and that modifications like running piping through the enclosure will in fact break the galvanising and thus begin the rusting process. In short, think twice before building a large enclosure of this type to cover all of the pool pump and filter equipment!
The Good News
So, here’s the great news the other Colorbond® Pool Pump Cover we mentioned is our very own Sound Bunker, which comes in two models – Burlington and Fort Knox. Both of these Colorbond® pool pump covers tick all the required boxes when it comes to reducing sound to the required decibel level.
- The Sound Bunker complies with local government regulations through its acoustic reduction properties. Please download our acoustic report https://www.soundbunker.com.au/pages/acoustic-report
- The Sound Bunker products made from fabricated Colorbond® are suited to the Australian climate and possess the required mould and Group 1 fire rating as per AS5637.1-2015 and ISO 5660 Group 1 fire classification acoustic foam.
- The Sound Bunker only takes 3 mins to install as it only covers your pool pump and requires no ground preparation. Installation Video
- The Burlington model is a fraction of the cost of its main competition (the only other certified product.)
Browse our online shop to learn more about the amazing Sound Bunker and get one delivered to your home to enjoy the serenity!
