Solar Cover Help

[flyweed]

Ok, I purchased a solar cover and aluminum reel for our pool. I haven't installed it yet, because...well...it's winter and won't be using it until spring.

Anyway..I have some questions....should I mount the reel at the middle of the pool on the coping and attach the straps to the center of the solar cover...OR......should I mount the solar reel at one end of the pool and attach the straps to the ends of the round cover so it rolls up from one end?

Now, my question is this...If I go with the end of the pool mount, won't I need different length straps do to the curve of the cover in order to reach the reel?

What say you all? I really don't like the idea of having a long metal reel over the center of my pool all the time.

Dan

 

[JohnT]

On a round pool, you are pretty well going to have to put the straps in the center.

 

[kilika2003]

This is how we did ours. The reel is mounted on 4x4 posts outside the walls of the pool. When we want to use the pool, we roll up the cover and lift the whole thing up and hang it on the fence. Our pool is not round, but you get the idea.

If I'm by myself, I just roll up and leave it and swim under it.

We tried lots of different things and this is by far the easiest.

 

[flyweed]

Yeah, I like that idea for an oval pool, or even mounting those 4x4 posts way the end of an oval pool would work too, because you can still reach the widest part of the pool cover..with a round pool, the main problem is the widest part, where the reel straps attach to the cover are at the very center of the cover in the middle of the pool. I think I'll mount it to the middle of the pool and then just lift it off and remove it for swimming, then put it back on when done.

Dan

 

[matt4x4]

off the end works perfectly fine - mine's a 30' diameter pool.