My mother-in-law in going to share our pool with us. She's 70 this year and can't responsibly roll up or unroll the solar cover anymore. I'm looking at powered options. I saw a Youtube video on the Pool Boy (Pool Boy Powered Solar Blanket Reel - YouTube), and I see it's on Amazon. Does anybody have any experience with this kind of thing? Is there a better product?
My concerns:
1) Needs to be able to roll up my cover on a 20x32 pool automatically without requiring a lot of strength or balance.
2) I can't ask / trust her to safely "tug" on the sides as it rolls up to keep it straight. My current hand crank needs this. Doesn't bother me or my kids much, but it's going to be a problem this summer. The Youtube video looks like there's a rope you can use to help keep it straight -- does this actually work? Is it practical to ask a 70 year old to use it?
Thanks for any experience or insight.
My concerns:
1) Needs to be able to roll up my cover on a 20x32 pool automatically without requiring a lot of strength or balance.
2) I can't ask / trust her to safely "tug" on the sides as it rolls up to keep it straight. My current hand crank needs this. Doesn't bother me or my kids much, but it's going to be a problem this summer. The Youtube video looks like there's a rope you can use to help keep it straight -- does this actually work? Is it practical to ask a 70 year old to use it?
Thanks for any experience or insight.