Cutting solar blanket into sections

[linda1]

I have a terrible time getting the solar cover on and off my 30 ft. round pool. I've read that some people cut them into sections to make it easier to put on, off. Since I just purchased a new cover I thought I'd cut the old one into 4 sections and see how it goes before cutting up the new one. How do you get the sections far enough towards the center of the pool? I have 4 sections all bunched up around the edge of the pool. Any suggestions welcome! At this moment, I don't think I'll be cutting the new cover.

 

[Suziqzer]

I would love to hear any suggestions as well.

Hubby and I cut our cover in half thinking it would be easier for me to handle when he wasn't here to help me and the kids wanted to swim. Unfortunately, we found it to be just as difficult for me, if not more so, in two pieces than in one. We ended up zip-tying it back together and attaching it to a reel so I can maneuver it on my own, although not easily.

We have a round AGB with decking all the way around... a small sitting area to one side, but no place to store the cover when not it use. Hubby made some hooks on the outside of the pool railing to hold the reel and cover during swimming, but if I manage to get the reel and cover there I can't get it back on the pool when swim time is over... too heavy for me to lift back over the railing. I tend to just rest the reel and cover on the top of the rail when I know I will be the one putting it back on by myself, but there has to be a better way. I almost wish we had added the expense to extend the other side of the deck far enough to hold the reel and cover when it wasn't on the pool, but hindsight is 20/20. We didn't expect the reel and cover to be as heavy and cumbersome as it is, and here in Indiana, probably much like yourself, we have such cool evenings in the late spring and early fall, it's a necessary item.

 

[ping]

You might try cutting it in 3 ten foot sections. This will give two "D" shapes and a semi straight piece for the center section. With this configuration you can pull the cover from the edges of the pool and there will not be any pie sections in the middle.

 

[msgtdan]

Take a look here http://www.ellerbach.com/Pool/Solarcover/, I'd seen links to this before but had to go looking for it. I'm thinking of doing it once we get our pool up.

 

[Swimgirl]

I had ended up with a "sectioned" solar cover because when I needed to buy one for my 20' diameter pool last year the only stores that had them in that size were selling them for around $150. However, Lowe's had a 32' X 16' rectangular cover for a lot less, so I made my own. Turned out I needed 3 pieces to get the whole pool covered. The only way I can really get the pool covered in the middle is by being in the pool for most of the putting the solar cover on. The other thing I have done is use the pool pole with a brush head to scoot the sections around. The biggest problem I have is the wind; it blows the sections off a lot easier than a whole cover. And I use a lot of bleach jugs filled with water to keep the sections at least sort of where I want them once putting the cover on.

 

[linda1]

Thanks for all the suggestions. In the end, I decided not to cut it. As soon as the water warms up and the grandkids start swimming, I'll get them to pull it back on before they get out of the pool. I tried twice with the cut up sections and it was even more frustrating than dealing with one large piece.

 

[blakeusa]

I have a free form pool and WISH when I built it I installed an automated cover....

But I did cut my solar cover into 3 pieces - THEN I zip tied 1/2 PVC pipe with caps where I cut it- going across the pool. This makes it easier to take off and roll up and wash off in smaller pieces. Also wrote on each piece with a sharpie marker so I know what piece goes where... I tied some nylon rope to the sections so I can pull them from the deck. I never get any help with my covers, and they are not always easy, but it works better than one big cover and no way to get it out of the pool.

B