Solar cover on or off?

[Blessedwithfivekids]

Hi All,
It's cold here in Connecticut but the kids have already been swimming :-D I would like to heat up the water to avoid hypothermia in the kiddies! I have a few questions...

I say solar cover on all the time even when it is sunny cuz the cover heats the pool with the little bubbles...I think I read here cover off during the sunny part of the day???
Which is better?

Second, my heat pump doesn't seem to be putting in heated water. The water temp is 60 and the air temp is 62. Will the heat pump work at those temps? On a side note, I ran the heater with the water at 45 and air at 60 and it went into a defrosting mode...do you think I broke it?

Thanks

Sandy

 

[jhalpinjr]

In your climate I would say leave it on all the time. It helps with evpaoration loss which is the biggest factor of cooling. It will also help with your heat pump electricity costs.

Defrost mode on your heat pump ios normal. You didnt "break" it

Depending if you have a reversing valve (units that cool as well have this) your heat pump may only operate with ambient air temps above 48 - 50 degrees. Most units with a reversing valve can operate at a slightly lower temp and use an active defrost.

Those without a revrsing valve generally just defrost from ambient air and you have to wait until the unit passively defrosts.

 

[mikespoolfl]

Clear covers allow the sun to shine through and heat the water. Most tinted covers block some of the heating effect of the sun. Like the effect of tinted windows on your car.