- May 31, 2012
- 835
- Pool Size
- 100000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Jandy Aquapure 1400
I grew up with a pool at my parents house and when I moved into my current house 16 years ago I immediately had an in-ground pool put in. I never had a solar cover for my pool until a few weeks ago. Now that I have had the cover for a a little while I thought I would post a few comments on the pros and cons.
One assumption here - I want my pool water to be at 84F when we are swimming. An in-ground pool and the landscaping associated with are a substantial investment. So the trade off in having a cover is not having to use my natural gas heater - I live in Toronto. To me the options are not heating the pool or not heating the pool. The only questions is how much does it cost me to keep the pool heated to 84F.
My pool is an irregular shape. I am not able to use a roller due to this shape. That is a big impediment. I now regret not having a rectangular shaped pool.
Pros of a Solar Cover
Save money on natural gas. This will depend on the year and gas prices, but the annual savings are probably from $500-$1000.
Save money on water - I assume that you will have reduced evaporation if you keep the cover on your pool. So you don't have to refill it as frequently.
Save money on chemicals. You should use less chlorine if your pool is covered. It is unclear how much this helps if you have a SWCG, as I do. But you can likely run it at a lower power level, which could potentially extned the life of your salt cell.
Cons of a Solar Cover
Cost of the cover - not a huge cost - mine was about $300.
Reduced propensity to use the pool - unless you have an automated system to take the cover off and put it back on there is now a hindrance to using your pool.
Hassle of taking the cover off - this is far easier if you have two people, but I am normally doing this myself. Taking the cover off by myself is a pain in the butt. My cover is cut into two 18'x18' and taking the cover off, and carrying it to where I store it, causes me to get rather wet.
Reduced aesthetics - IMO your pool and yard look less attractive with a solar cover on the pool.
Storing your cover - you need a place to store your cover. If it is on your deck it will be taking up space and look ugly. My understanding is that your should not store the cover in direct sunlight. So you should have a cover or put it someplace where it is not in the sun.
Obstructs pool cleaners - I don't have my Dolphin robot in when the pool is covered as the cover would interfere with the cleaner.
I guess the best of both worlds would be to have an automated system to put the cover on and off. But that is expensive and is probably a substantial investment that may not have a positive NPV.
I would be interested in heating the perspective of others.
One assumption here - I want my pool water to be at 84F when we are swimming. An in-ground pool and the landscaping associated with are a substantial investment. So the trade off in having a cover is not having to use my natural gas heater - I live in Toronto. To me the options are not heating the pool or not heating the pool. The only questions is how much does it cost me to keep the pool heated to 84F.
My pool is an irregular shape. I am not able to use a roller due to this shape. That is a big impediment. I now regret not having a rectangular shaped pool.
Pros of a Solar Cover
Save money on natural gas. This will depend on the year and gas prices, but the annual savings are probably from $500-$1000.
Save money on water - I assume that you will have reduced evaporation if you keep the cover on your pool. So you don't have to refill it as frequently.
Save money on chemicals. You should use less chlorine if your pool is covered. It is unclear how much this helps if you have a SWCG, as I do. But you can likely run it at a lower power level, which could potentially extned the life of your salt cell.
Cons of a Solar Cover
Cost of the cover - not a huge cost - mine was about $300.
Reduced propensity to use the pool - unless you have an automated system to take the cover off and put it back on there is now a hindrance to using your pool.
Hassle of taking the cover off - this is far easier if you have two people, but I am normally doing this myself. Taking the cover off by myself is a pain in the butt. My cover is cut into two 18'x18' and taking the cover off, and carrying it to where I store it, causes me to get rather wet.
Reduced aesthetics - IMO your pool and yard look less attractive with a solar cover on the pool.
Storing your cover - you need a place to store your cover. If it is on your deck it will be taking up space and look ugly. My understanding is that your should not store the cover in direct sunlight. So you should have a cover or put it someplace where it is not in the sun.
Obstructs pool cleaners - I don't have my Dolphin robot in when the pool is covered as the cover would interfere with the cleaner.
I guess the best of both worlds would be to have an automated system to put the cover on and off. But that is expensive and is probably a substantial investment that may not have a positive NPV.
I would be interested in heating the perspective of others.
