Solar Cover Question?

[sbarkley3]

I have a question for the experts out there about solar cover use. Is it better to leave the solar cover on during the day (does it acutally heat the water better than just direct sunlight) or just put it on overnight to help prevent heat loss. How/When do you guys use your solar covers? I just bought a 12mil blue one and a solar reel for it. Thanks in advance for your help.

Scott

 

[dravenone]

Scott, I'm not an expert but have used a soler cover in the past. If you want to increase your water temperature faster, leave it on during the day while your pump is running. I also left it on at night to keep the heat in. Once my water was at the desired temp I would either cover half of the pool or leave it completely off for an evening so the temp would not get too hot and enjoy.

 

[JohnT]

My son did a science fair project which partially involved this. Although it turned out we didn't have all variables controlled, it seemed to indicate that leaving the cover on was the best strategy for transparent or semi-transparent covers.

 

[stever]

I leave ours on 24/7 early season and late season (except for the rare swim). Over the winter it's off, as.. what's the point? It'll be too cold anyway. I put ours on for the fist time this season 2 days ago and I have seen about a 3 to 4 degree increase. It's the nights that suck all the heat from the pool. Even in the daytime it seems to help -- probably because it drastically reduces the cooling power of evaporation.

In another 4-6 weeks we'll uncover it for weekends, then it gets stored away for the core swiming season.

Steve

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Hi Scott....where are you located (you should include this in your profile)?

I keep mine on 24/7 during the season, but I like my water in the upper 80's, 89 to be exact .

It definetly cuts down on chlorine consumption due to UV rays during the day, helps it warm up the water some, but it's best for retaining heat loss and reducing evaporation at night. I wouldn't have a pool without it....even though I have a heater, which I do use occasionally, why not take advantage of the free sun? :sun:

Welcome to the forum!

 

[jjdurrant]

It def makes a difference for me

 

[sbarkley3]

Thanks for all the replies! I have added my location as requested. This is my first year with the solar cover as we have never needed one before. Last year with the abnormally cool summer (especially the nights), we just didn't get to enjoy our pool as much as I would like. My pool gets a lot of sunlight from about 8am to 5pm and normally the water temp will get up to 91-92 degrees during the hottest part of the summer without any help, but last year about 86 was the best we got. So this year I purchased the solar cover hoping to extend my swimming season by a few weeks.

Scott