The mercury is rising, the heat is on, and people across the country are enjoying another summer of lounging by the pool or splashing in the water. Sounds pretty awesome, doesn’t it? I was in the pool last weekend, and it was difficult to get out when it came time to make dinner. Can’t the pizza guy just deliver to the pool? That doesn’t sound too unreasonable to me, especially when I’m paddling around blissfully.

If you’re one of those lucky people with a pool of your own, you know that there’s more to having a pool than simply enjoying it. There’s maintenance, and sometimes, that can get really annoying. There’s nothing worse than a pool cover that lets bugs and leaves into the water, forcing you to get out the net and start skimming off the debris before you can enjoy the cool depths. If you live in a climate where the pool must stay covered and closed up for half of the year, pulling off the cover when June rolls around can be like rolling the dice: What will you find? Did anything crawl in there over the winter and leave a mess behind? Did the clump of dead leaves and dirt collected on the top of the pool cover soak into the pool itself? The potential for unpleasant surprises is high.

So what can a responsible pool owner do? Consider a PoolTree support system for your pool cover. Whether you have an above-ground or in-ground pool, PoolTree helps the pool cover stay clean and secure all winter, making sure that preparing the pool for summer is a lot less work than it used to be. The system holds the cover up in the middle, creating a tent-like shape that lets debris slide off the cover without collecting and contaminating the water. It’s patent-pending and pretty darned clever.

Do you want to try the PoolTree system yourself? You can always visit their website and order it, or you can fill out the form below to be entered for your chance to win a free PoolTree system for your pool! It’s up to you to make sure your pool meets the required specs for size and shape; visit the website for details on what size and shape of pools work with the PoolTree system. No purchase necessary to win. Click here to read contest terms and conditions; a random winner will be drawn from all entries received before midnight on August 31, 2009.

Remember, summer is short! Splash while you can.