Our air temps are still very conducive to swimming, but the pool is starting to get pretty cool, and I'm wondering if the solar blankets do very much to warm the water. If they do, is it too much of a hassle to take them on and off?
Are solar blankets worth the trouble?
- Thread starter laff66
- Start date
No, they don't do much to warm the water, but they do a lot to keep it from cooling off overnight. If you have a reel, taking them on and off isn't a big deal.
I just bought a cover with the expectations that I will get at least a 6 degree temp difference. This number is based on a report I saw for my local area plus the claims from the manufacture that I can see 8-12 degree diff. My neighbor has had a 4 degree advantage over my pool because he heats his spa and later dumps the water into his pool, thus the warmer water than mine. SInce I've had the cover ( 1 week) my temp is 4 degree above his now. Mind you it only has been 1 week but for me it has been promising.
As far as taking them on/off, I did not purchase a reel and for my 20x40 pool and it takes me 15 minutes to put it on and 20 min to take off and I just ordered a reel. I will report back after my reel comes in, but a couple of people made the comment that once they got a reel they will never go back to manual.
As far as taking them on/off, I did not purchase a reel and for my 20x40 pool and it takes me 15 minutes to put it on and 20 min to take off and I just ordered a reel. I will report back after my reel comes in, but a couple of people made the comment that once they got a reel they will never go back to manual.
And don't forget that there are other advantages to using a cover besides retaining heat. It also cuts down loss from evaporation so you need less fill water and this adds less TA and CH to the pool that would come from that fill water. It also cuts down the outgassing of carbon dioxide so the pH will be more stable (if using pH neutral chlorine sources when accounting for chlorine usage -- i.e. the hypochlorite sources of bleach, chlorinating liquid, Cal-Hypo and lithium hypochlorite). It will also cut down the outgassing of chlorine (hypochlorous acid) and its breakdown from sunlight, if the cover is at least partially opaque to UV from the sun. So chlorine usage should be substantially reduced.
Richard
Richard
Kinguni
0
JCJR said:
With a reel it takes me 2 minutes to take it off and the same to put it on.
Sabot said:
Have not used that product but from the size of my cover, I don;t think it will work. My cover weighs 41 lbs with out water on it. By the looks of the picture, that pool looks like a 12x24 and using a thin cover. But these are just speculations.
I am researching solar covers and reels... Anyone have suggestions where I can look and or products that you have or have used?
Greetings--
We've been happy with our solar cover (20x40). It extends our swimming season a couple of months or so.
We've been happy with our solar cover (20x40). It extends our swimming season a couple of months or so.