Solar Cover clear vs. blue & thickness

[MN-CJ]

Searching our forum and the web, I see the same thing happening to my pool. The original solar cover we had (silver and blue heavy one) lasted many many more years than the 2020 Blue 8mil one we bought which I am needing to replace because it is falling apart.

Currently, I see there are clear ones, black ones, and space age silver ones on the market. Different websites state the pros and cons of these in conflict with one another. Does anyone have experience on what works better to heat their pool? Living in Minnesota, solar heat is necessary to get it swim-able unless we install our natural gas heater to extend the season.

Second, the cover in my past helped to keep the sun from "eating" up my free chlorine. If a clear cover is better to get the sun's rays deeper to heat the pool, does that also cause the pool to need more chlorine.

Thanks in advance for the advice and knowledge.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

UV light is what reduces chlorine. Most bubble covers are made of plastic that absorbs UV so most any cover will reduce chlorine loss. Infrared radiation is what heats the water. The same plastic material that absorbs UV will also absorb in the IR spectrum too. Visible light does nothing. So a black cover will heat up a lot and create a warm water layer on the surface but that will probably cease within a few inches of water depth unless there is a pump running to circulate the water. A silver cover will reflect a lot of IR and so will not get as hot. Clear will probably perform a little better than silver but not as good as black.

All covers suck nowadays. It won’t last more than 2-3 seasons. So just factor that in and get the lightest and cheapest cover you can find. Heating a pool works best with an external heater (gas, electric, etc) and keeping a pool covered overnight.

 

[Pool_Medic]

3 year cover lasts maybe 2, 5 might last 3 years. Clear covers look gross with the debris on them, blue is the best choice imo as none of these covers truly heat up the water much.