Solar blanket recommendations (incl. liquid)

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whatdidigetmyselfinto

Well-known member
Jun 6, 2019
60
Ottawa, ON
Hi there,

We are in Ottawa, ON. Weather is cooler in May and even in June with showers. E.g. we are expecting a week of rain on/off this week to give an example. Temperatures are around 20 C(68F) during the day, and 12C(55F) during night, and we don't have a heater. Wondering how effective would a solar blanket be in extending the season? Sun seems to hit at least 80% of the pool from 10am to 5pm (possibly even longer)

I have regularly come across the following options of thicknesses : 8, 11, 14. Thicker the better I assume. And I would need a reel. I was thinking they would need to be anchored to the concrete, but they seem to have wheels and seems relatively easy to add.

Then there is this liquid solar blankets I have heard of which seem to create a layer on the surface of the pool and give similar results? Coverfree | Backyard Water Care | Natural Chemistry is one such product.

What should I expect? What should I invest into?
Cheers.
 
Overall consensus is to get the lowest priced solar cover. Meaning the 8 mil. They all only last at most 2 seasons before falling apart.

I cut mine in sections and do not have reel. Do remember if you leave the cover on the reel, it needs to be covered to protect it from the sun. It will degrade even faster if left exposed to the sun on the reel.

The liquid ones place a sheen on the water. In an indoor pool they are effective (no wind). But outdoor pools, they do not work.
 
If you plan to use a reel, there's likely no reason to cut it. If your pool is rectangular and the elevations on each side the reel will sit are the same, you're a good candidate for a reel. If you have a skimmer on one of the long sides of the pool, attach the clips securing the straps adjacent to the skimmer. This folded area will act as a dam that will allow you to hose debris directly into the skimmer.
 
The most important thing about having a solar cover is using it. If it's too heavy or difficult to put on, you won't use it. This needs to be a 1 person job. I'd recommend a good quality reel with the cover attatched to the reel with leaders. Then you can pull it on the pool and crank it off the pool very easily. This is the most important part: ease of use. Mine stays on unless the water temp is in the 90's , then I leave it off. I use a Rocky's Reel. Solar Cover Reels & Roller Systems By Rocky's
 
Steve _in_C said it right. Been doing it that way for 40 years. Look after the blanket and use a roller and not yanking it over the side of the pool and you'll get 5 + years out it easy. As mentioned if in the sun when on the roller be sure to cover it as the heat builds up huge.
 
I cut mine in 3 EASY to handle sections. roll them up to remove from pool, place them in shade. The summer climate here is warm, so no real need for a full cover. This works great for us, when the temp of pool gets warm we can sort of control temp by using fewer sections. and don't expect to get more than a few years use , they degrade from UV.
 

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I see...

So back to what sktn77a was saying about heating vs. heat loss. There is relatively small gains to be made I guess from using a blanket.
Possibly extend the season by a week or two. with slightly more comfortable temperatures.
But really, one would need a heater for our region...
 

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We use ours religiously, got lazy first year we had it and left it off, cold front moved in and it was 3 days before our heat came back.
I get about 3 years out of the light grade 8mil ones here in se Alberta.
Also made a homemade reel out of pvc pipe which rolls along the top rails, the wife can roll it off in less then 5 minutes, covering in the same time. Ease of use makes sense. I just wet the "roller" down put a wrap or two on it and it sticks to the pvc and rolls up just fine.
Remember they are a solar "Blanket" retaining heat is what they do, a solar heater is a different animal. But with no roof on the "house" no matter how much heat you put in, they will stay cooler.
 
LFrankow said:
I get about 3 years out of the light grade 8mil ones here in se Alberta.
Click to expand...

Same here. At the very end of last season, a few bubbles dried out and looked degraded in the shallow end of the bubble cover.
Currently I've got a lot more and starting to occasionally see a bubble top (blue round plastic) in the skimmer.

I'll just deal with that slight annoyance and get a new one next spring.
 
I cut mine lengthwise at the seams between the bubbles into two major sections. The sections overlap a couple of inches. I pull it off onto the deck, fold each section lengthwise and roll it up. I'm able to do it alone in a few minutes. When I put the cover on, I reverse the process and pull the cover onto the pool and use a pole with brush attachment to move it into place. I lay the brush down on the deck and the cover to keep it in place while I work on the second section. Having help makes it much easier. I'm on my fourth season with the same cover.

The second photo show the larger section folded in half...


 
well, i cut it into 4. basically 4x "8x16".
I realized I don't have a good sense for when to put it on/off. Even with 4 pieces, it is not something I would want to deal with on a regular basis. My wife said she prefers having the pool uncovered, but there will be times we want it covered. We are now into 30C (85F) weather so no cover is really needed.

Daily on/off is definitely too much until such time comes where it is really necessary.

I guess my question is how to best store it until I need it....
 
Optimally, you should store it in a cool, dry dark place. Garage? Pool shed? Anywhere, but out in the sun as the UV degrades the plastic. The "dry" part is optional, but you don't want encourage mold or other damp growth.
 
Around the 5th year of having a 16mil cover, we were home on Staycation the last two weeks of summer. I had grown fustrated with the headache of covering/uncovering the pool everyday and left the clear cover on the reel for those 2 weeks. the sun boiled the cover and popped every bubble. Basically turned it into a floating tarp. I decided to not replace it but will glady share my screwup to save somebody else's. Now i know firsthand why they make covers for your cover. Never had a problem with a weekend on the reel but 2 weeks was clearly too much.
 

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