Solar Cover Questions

[DrewPool]

I have a kidney shaped pool in the Northeast US and spend a ton of money with my electric heater in the spring and fall. I am looking to buy a solar cover and had a few questions for those users who currently use them.

1. Where did you buy your solar cover from? I see price ranges from 70 to 250.
2. What features do I want to look for in a solar cover?
3. How does skimming work when the cover is on, I usually run my pool 24x7 at a slow speed. Would I turn it off when I put the cover on?
4. I see people are for an against using the reel to pull the cover off, any tips or suggestions?
5. Anything I didn't ask that I should have?

Thanks!

 

[SJPoe]

I have a kidney shaped pool in the Northeast US and spend a ton of money with my electric heater in the spring and fall. I am looking to buy a solar cover and had a few questions for those users who currently use them.

1. Where did you buy your solar cover from? I see price ranges from 70 to 250.
2. What features do I want to look for in a solar cover?
3. How does skimming work when the cover is on, I usually run my pool 24x7 at a slow speed. Would I turn it off when I put the cover on?
4. I see people are for an against using the reel to pull the cover off, any tips or suggestions?
5. Anything I didn't ask that I should have?

Thanks!

1. Amazon - mostly because the shipping works out cheaper. My last one was 'Sun2Solar'
2. They are all pretty much the same - Thickness does not necessarily translate into durability.
3. Its surprising how much stuff still makes it to the skimmer even with the cover on
4. Reel makes life easier in my opinion - especially for bigger pools/covers
5. Warranties are somewhat sketchy - most are pro-rated and you pay shipping - that said, I did have a warranty claim where the cover was splitting (not on a seam) and they sent me a brand-new cover for like $19.

 

[ManiacalMama]

I have a medium sized pool. I guess you would call it a free form?
I usually get my solar covers from Amazon, Sun2Solar like SJPoe said. My current cover is the 1600 series, rolls up fairly neatly on the reel.
The reel is a Rocky's Eazy Roller. Super heavy duty, no sag, 'EAZY' to use.
I put the solar cover on for the first time this season, just yesterday, pool temp already up a few degrees.
I run my pump as normal with the cover on. No, it doesn't skim the top of the water, but it still circulates. Which is fine, because there isn't any debris on the surface to skim, it's all sitting on top of the cover.
On very hot days I roll the cover back and let it get some sun and that's when I'll either throw the betta skimmer in or run the robot and add any chems that need adding.
Take my advice and go for the blue cover. The clear covers only look good for a day, then it just starts looking like a big trash bag.
Oh, also, we have an aluminum rod at the other end and attached a rope, so I can roll it back out solo fairly easily.

 

[Chief2505]

I have a blue cover for my 20x40 pool. I opted not to get a reel because they cost more than the cover costs! I only use the solar cover early season and late season. maybe 3 -4 weeks total all year. In the spring I simply fold it accordion style on the end of the pool deck where the diving board would normally go. Once I put the diving board in I do not use the solar cover again until fall. I run the pump my normal 12 hours a day and it seems to be ok.

 

[DrewPool]

Thanks for the information, since mine is free form, I'm guessing I would buy a bigger rectangle and cut it to fit? Thanks for all of the tips!

 

[wayner]

I have a 18x36 pool that is like a rectangle where half of it is shifted two feet. I bought a 18x36 rectangular cover, but it into two 18x18 squares and then trimmed the corners so that it fits pretty flush.

By the way - I regret getting this shape and I wish that I just got a basic rectangle so that I could use a roller.