Solar covers

[brasilmom]

Hello,

Three years ago we bought a new solar cover and that was the worse investment ever. within one season the little bubbles started to disintegrate making a mess in the pool with small blue plastic all over. We ditched it and went without one. However, our evening are cool and it is hard to keep the pool at a good steady temperature and we are looking to get another one. What are the experience out there? Do you have one? What are the best options at a reasonable cost? All ideas and suggestions are welcome. Thanks.

 

[mas985]

I don't think I have never had a cover last more than two seasons but I use it year around. You can extend the life of the cover by not SLAMing with the cover on and by covering the cover and keeping it out of the sun when not in use. You should get more life out of the cover since your season is much shorter than mine. What do you do with the cover in winter?

I usually go with the cheapest covers (usually on ebay) so it is not that expensive to replace and just plan on replacing it every couple of years.

 

[brasilmom]

Pardon me, but what SLAM stands for? During winter, we roll it up onto the roller and then wrap it. It stays outside, as we do not have any place in the house that would fit it. When we first moved into the house, the pool had a cover that must have been a year or 2 old. It lasted another 3 years and the reason we replaced was because it ripped but it never disintegrated like the last one. It was just a mess. Oh well

 

[mas985]

Sorry, it looked like you have been on the forum for a while so I assumed you knew: Pool School - SLAM - Shock Level And Maintain

Where did you get the old cover that fell apart and how thick was it?

I haven't seem much of a difference with thickness but others have.

 

[brasilmom]

No worries Mark. I do not participate much on the forum, but you are right I have been a member for a while. The cover we purchased from the people that were doing some maintenance for us. The cover did what it was supposed to do, but the bubbles would simply separate and made a mess in the water and all over the place. It was awful. I will need to check if thickness will make difference. Thank you.

 

[Amanda14]

I have bought a few 16 MIL clear covers from In the Swim. They have a pro rated warranty, but you can expect to buy a new one every 3 years or so.

 

[brasilmom]

Thank you Amanda14. I am looking at their options and saw the 16 MIL cover. I see that your pool is about the same size as mine, so the thought for us is that the 16 MIL is going to be rather heavy. Is that so? What type of reel do you have? We are replacing ours too. The old one was too low and it is done now.