"solar covers" brrr

[DMS2014]

So our water has steadily been getting colder. Pool looks so good but so cold...

Does anyone use a solar cover - either in the spring to warm the water up faster toward fall? I'm curious. I found some on amazon with a good review. I would LOVE to warm the water up without having to buy a heater....which is going to be a separate post eventually...

 

[jblizzle]

Re: "solar covers" brrr

Covers help maintain heat that is normally lost to evaporation or radiation at night. They do not really "add" heat. The sun adds the heat and the cover tries to maintain it at night.

They do help a good bit and are certainly the cheapest first step at warming the pool.

 

[DHoover85]

Experience has shown me that the term "Solar Blanket" is misleading, think instead of the term "Thermal Insulating Cover" you will get the best results with it if your pool gets direct sunlight for a number of hours each day, but the trick is to take the cover off just as the pool is no longer shaded, and put it back on when the sun gets too low in the sky to shine on the pool. by doing that everyday, the water absorbs as much heat from the sun as it can, and then the cover helps keep it in the rest of the time. unless the water is in direct sunlight, or someone is in the pool, I keep the cover on. if I'm diligent with it, I can get 8-10 degrees warmer in the pool that it would be with no cover, and still about 3-5 degrees warmer than leaving the blanket on all the time.

 

[DMS2014]

cripes. Sounds like a lot of work. Pool already down to 78, me thinks. Thanks for you input. Appreciate it.