I also disagree with pooladdict. We come from the same neck of the woods, and according to my math, the solar cover is well worth the money, particularly in our more northerly climate, where our annual propane pool heating bills can run up to $1000 (pooladdict is using solar, so doesn't have these bills). My propane company tells me they have one customer who doesn't use one, and "he is a very good customer"! I am quite confident I save much more than the $50 or so a year that a cover costs.
I rarely have to use the pool heater in July or August, and find the big saving with the solar cover is the lack of cooling at night, particularly in our shoulder months (late May, June and Sept.). Leaving the cover on also keeps the chemical use down on hot sunny days (less CL eaten by the sun) when we are not using it, and both keeps it from cooling down from evaporation and keeps the leaves out on windy days. I also keep it on when out of town and with the help of a puck feeder and a timer, always return to a clear pool (it also helps keep the neighborhood kids from wanting to use it). From experience, 2 seasons is the norm for an 8 mil cover, and 3 for a 12, making the thicker model well worth the extra $25 or so. A roller is essential, in order to make it easy to use. I don't bother covering it when it is on the roller, and don't pay attention to the warranty, as it is generally pro-rated, and not worth the paperwork, as the covers aren't very expensive, anyway. I leave the cover out in the snow and wind all winter, putting a couple of bungee cords around it to keep it on the roller.
Suziqzer said:
I would have to disagree with pooladdict. We love our solar cover and see a big difference on the cool nights when we forget to put it on.
Ours only lasted 2 seasons and I just ordered another one. Planning to keep the receipt so if the new one fails before it's 3 year mark we can write in for help paying for the next one hopefully.
I like ours not just for the blanket effect on cool nights, but also for the added benefit of it catching leaves and debris during storms that might cause our skimmer and center drain to become covered with leaves and cause a pump failure. We have several trees near our pool that simply can't come down ... some neighbor trees and 2 beautiful walnut trees that shed like crazy. The cover catches many of the leaves and we are better able to clean up the debris left from any storm that might blow through.
