Solar Pool Cover Question.

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S

stakeman

0
Jun 30, 2007
55
Spring,Tx
Hey Guys,

Just put in a pool last summer in South Eastern Texas. I want to get back in the water and was wondering what a solar cover would do for me. Warehouse Pools have a 12 mil cover I'd have to trim to size for about 160 bucks. Have any of you used this brand? It is advertised to warm the water 10-15 degrees, does this sound about right? I know it depends on the sun intensity ect... Just looking for some feed back, Thanks in advance.

Dave
 
You also have to be aware that a solar cover requires taking it off and putting it on for the increase in temperature to remain. For many people this is not a problem. However, I have never bought a solar cover (I have a solar heater) because I know that it would end up in a pile in a corner somewhere rather quickly. I know myself!
 
Great point Chris! I was thinking of getting the temp up and taking it off. Near Houston once it starts getting warm at night I'd just store it for the summer. Thanks for all the feedback everyone. I may pull the trigger on this next week, we'll see. I'll hold off and wait for some more input from the other forum members. Anyone know how much this will extend my swim season? I'm guessing a few weeks either side of summer??? Does that sound reasonable?
 
Instead of starting a new thread I thought I would ask here. We have a solar blanket that came with our pool when we bought the house. It is not blue but a greenish color. We would like to put it on a spool and reel thing at the shallow end, but here is the question. When the blanket is rolled up, won't the water that is on it (when you reel it out of the pool) between the layers get stinky and slimy? If it is on the reel, won't the reel & blanket get hot just sitting there? Do people put a cover to block the sun on the rolled up solar blanket when not in use? We had the solar rings and it said not to lay them on anything where it could magnify the sunlight and start a fire. Won't the solar blanket (on a reel) do the same thing?
 
I have a co-worker that has a pool the same size as mine. (18x33) agp. I have a solar cover and he does not. His pool also gets full sunlight every day. To make a long story short, my pool is warmer than his due to my solar cover. I have a 12 mil clear one. I read somewhere that the clear ones allow more sunlight to penetrate deeper into the pool water and thus generate a higher temp for the pool.

There is only one thing that I may would have done differently, and that wouldve been to have purchased an 8 mil instead of a 12 mil just because of the weight issue. Solar covers can be a real pain to take on and off.

I am VERY pleased with the effects of the solar cover. I would imagine that if I hadn't been using my solar cover for the last week or so, that my water temperature would currently be about 76-78 instead of about 83-84. To me, thats the difference between swimming and not swimming.
 

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We used to have the 12 mil. It WAS very heavy, it lasted 4 seasons, and overtime as the bubbles ruptured from use, they would fill with water becoming even heavier, which it the only reason I tossed it, to heavy for me, and I was the one doing the removing.

It IS worth it. It does keep your water warmer and you lose less water from evaporation. I don't have to use my heater once I get the temp up and the nights stay warmer. It extends your swimming season, by far. I would say it can make easily a 10 degree difference.

I would go with the heavier one if the lifting isn't an issue.

Our friends have the roller and they do cover it with the white cover, as it is in full sun. we keep ours in the corner of the deck in the shade of the patio umbrella.

The lighter weight one is easier for me to get off. IT works well too. But it blows off the pool in high winds, so I keep water on top of it, and waterfilled bleach jugs in a couple spots. Helps keep it in place.
 
When I purchased my pool 4 years ago, it came with the blue 8 mil. It finally gave way last season and I purchased the clear 12 mil. The 12 mil is a lot heavier and I really don't see the difference in pool temperature. I decided on the 12 mil because we get a lot of cross wind and our pool cover is always blowing off. I thought that it being heavier would help, but it doesn't. It still blows off. We also fill bleach jugs with sand and use that, but it's hard to manuever the cover around the stair rails. Does anyone out there have a way to put your cover around the stair rails and still tack it down? I was thinking about cutting the solar cover, but then it would tear. Any ideas out there?
 
tj_shopper said:
When I purchased my pool 4 years ago, it came with the blue 8 mil. It finally gave way last season and I purchased the clear 12 mil. The 12 mil is a lot heavier and I really don't see the difference in pool temperature. I decided on the 12 mil because we get a lot of cross wind and our pool cover is always blowing off. I thought that it being heavier would help, but it doesn't. It still blows off. We also fill bleach jugs with sand and use that, but it's hard to manuever the cover around the stair rails. Does anyone out there have a way to put your cover around the stair rails and still tack it down? I was thinking about cutting the solar cover, but then it would tear. Any ideas out there?
Click to expand...

Velcro around the rails.
1b3ac552-99b7-47b3-8ddc-ab6e2d8e4311_300.jpg
 
tj_shopper said:
Does anyone out there have a way to put your cover around the stair rails and still tack it down? I was thinking about cutting the solar cover, but then it would tear. Any ideas out there?
Click to expand...



We cut ours into five sections: one each at the oval ends and three in the middle. You might want to take a look at the photos at the Pool Issues link in my sig block.

Because the cover was first cut to fit as perfectly as we could make it on the water's surface the top railing protects it from the wind. none of the sections have ever blown off or moved, even in some of the strong winds we get up here on the mountain.

To fit it around the stair rails we just made straight cuts about 8" long. You can reinforce the cuts with Gorilla tape. We didn't and they haven't yet torn.

I put the cover on in the evening and take it off about mid-day to let the water breathe. It's a one woman job and takes five minutes. The sections weigh next to nothing even when wet.
 
Hi AnnaK,

Thanks for the suggestion. I remember looking at your innovative idea. I'm going to talk to my husband and maybe try cutting the solar cover where it intersects with the stair rails. I think that's our main problem. Like you said, if the solar cover lies flat on the pool water, it really shouldn't fly off. It's the stair rails. It gets in the way and we're not able to lie the solar cover flat down on the water, so the wind lifts it off the water at that section. If we cut the solar cover and tape it with the gorilla tape, then when it intersects with the stair rails, it'll split at that section to lie flat. I would have to agree then that it shouldn't fly off because it's flat on the pool water.

The other suggestion with the velcro tape sounds great too. But, after second thought, I don't think I want velcro strips on the stair rails all the time. The kids and their friends are always holding onto that rail and it could be somewhat abrasive.

I've never used gorilla tape, so I hope it works. Do you suggest that I cut it at the spot that the rails intersect it and then tape it up on both sides of the cut so that it doesn't tear anymore? I don't think I need to cut my pool cover in strips because my deck is built all around my round 24 feet pool. I can get to it on all sides. I'm so glad we spent the extra money building the deck all the way around. It's so easy to put the cover on and to get the pool toys out of the pool without having to get in.

Thanks! Anymore suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 

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