Half of a cover - effective?

[ironmanix]

Is it at all effective to only cover half the pool with a solar cover?

The reason being that we have a pretty large pool (45x20?) in a lazy L shape. Taking the cover on and off is quite the chore. If I left the cover only on the deep end it leaves the shallow end open for when the wife and kids are home without me or they can opt to remove it because it is manageable in half.

Think it's worth it? Will it do half the work of a full cover?

 

[lbridges]

Reduction in surface area will reduce evaporation - which is the leading cause of heat loss - how much will depend on a lot of factors (temp and temp difference, wind and humidity all come to mind).

However, I wouldn't trust a half-on pool cover with my kids when they were growing up. With near certainty they WOULD have tried swimming under it as soon as we turned out backs on them. Now, obviously I don't know the age or responsibility level of your kids - maybe they are major leaps above what mine were like. Just something to think about.