Solar Covers Again

[Pool Amateur]

I thought I had it all figured out but just went out to double check what I thought was a 20' x 40' pool is actually a 21'4' x 40' 3" pool. If I get a 20' x 40' Solar Cover how will it work on my pool? Will the wind pick up edges on the width as it could be 16" away from side, how significant evaporation loss with that gap. Larger size cover that I would cut down is significantly more money. Any opinions?

 

[woodyp]

I believe that 80% coverage should be your base line. Certainly nothing less.

 

[Pool Tool]

Consider where your returns hit the water, assuming they are pointed up somewhat. I know my returns "break" the surface around 18" from the edge of the pool. If my cover isn't centered then the force of the water will push it far to one side, bunching it up considerably. Whereas if the return doesn't hit the edge of the cover and just the underside it won't move at all.

 

[mas985]

how significant evaporation loss with that gap

It is proportional to the surface area coverage. 100% coverage mean 100% reduction in evaporation. Currently my cover only covers about 75% of the pool & spa but still maintains the heat fairly well. Not as well as 100% but still good enough to maintain 86+.

Also, the upside of less than 100% coverage is that there is plenty of pool surface area for out-gassing so I don't need to periodically remove the cover to maintain good water quality.

 

[Pool Amateur]

Thank you all for your input, much appreciated. Ideally Iwould like to have a reel outside the pool with big wheels that will rollacross the grass and store out of site as the back yard is fairly large. Iwould like the cover to be 16 ml and be on one reel and be able to put on andoff with one person. Unfortunately, it seems it would be very expensive to dothis correctly as all the residential reels I looked into had problems if Iused a thick cover the 20 ft reels would bend with a 16 ml cover and now that Iknow width of pool is 21’ 4” I would need at least a 22’ reel and I have notseen any of those, the next size up is 25’ that I have found, and much moreexpensive. So I have been thinking of Mark’s (mas985) reel system that I readabout in another thread. His system would also help keep a 20x40 cover centeredin the pool. But if I cut it in half to make it more manageable to get in andout, I loose the overlap of the sections as 40’ is a few inches short already.Mark, as I understand it you do not have any handles to roll the cover as inthe solar roller coverstick system, you just roll the pipe and the coverwrapped around it. How does that work for the deep end? Are you in pool or outwhen putting cover on and off? What thickness cover are you using now and abouthow much does one of your sections weigh when wet? I live in NJ and we haveabout a 2 month swim season and my pool temp has averaged 84, 80 the 4^thof July and a few days recently 86 but usually 82-84 without cover. We actuallyliked the temp much more at 86. Therefore I was leaning toward thicker coverbut there seems to be a differing of opinions on the forum as to how effectivethicker actually is in heat retention and durability, and if it is worth thecons (cost & weight to manage it). I think a heating system is also in thefuture plans and will be asking about that later in another thread. I found ablue 20’x40’ 12 ml cover for $115 and the 8 ml was $104 so I was leaning toward12 ml but am concerned about weight when wet. I have not found the 5 ml coverin the 20x40 and up size. If I move up in cover size so I can cut to fit poolexactly it is about 50% more in cost. Do not want to be penny wise and dollarfoolish though. Appreciate any further thoughts and hope I did not ask Mark toomany questions, I know he spends a lot of time helping people hear. Thank you.

 

[mas985]

Mark, as I understand it you do not have any handles to roll the cover as inthe solar roller coverstick system, you just roll the pipe and the coverwrapped around it. How does that work for the deep end? Are you in pool or outwhen putting cover on and off?

I roll the cover from the edge of the pool on the deck. No need to get in the pool.

What thickness cover are you using now and abouthow much does one of your sections weigh when wet?

I am using a 5 mil cover and it is pretty light when wet so almost anyone can lift out a 18'x18' piece. I am not sure of the exact weight but you can usually find the cover weights on sellers web sites. But 16 mil would be very heavy (3x a 5 mil) and would probably require 2 people to remove. I use to have a 12 mil that was border line for me alone.

BTW, a thicker cover is no more effective in heat retention than a thinner cover and there is no scientific reason that it would. Any cover, including a thin sheet of plastic will stop evaporation which is the dominant form of heat loss.

However, some people say that thicker covers last longer and that may be true when a roller is used but I found that with my roller system, it doesn't seem to matter what thickness the cover is, it lasts about 2 seasons before the bubbles become hard and start to slough off.

 

[Pool Amateur]

Thanks Mark, I have been having difficulty finding 5ml cover in size to fit my pool. Would you have a recommendation as to where on eBay? I would need 2 sections of 21'x 21' or 21' x 41' or larger and cut down to size. Can find it in 8 ml but concerned with my wife taking your system out with 8ml.

 

[mas985]

5 mil are very hard to find but 8 mil would be pretty light too and is much easier to find. I used 2 5 mil AG round covers because they fit the pool nicely even though they only cover about 75% of the surface.

But to make it lighter, you could just have more sections.

 

[borjis]

I'm glad I got a cover for this season. Keeps the chlorine consumption down a bit and water loss due to evaporation.

I bought a 5 mil cover on amazon that was a rectangle and slightly bigger than my tear drop shaped pool.

I think it was just over 100 bucks plus free shipping on amazon.

Trimmed it to fit with about 3 inches of play on either side. works great.

 

[Pool Amateur]

Thanks Mark & borjis