Pool cover tips

[Nick]

Hi guys,

Can I pick your brains please?

I have just invested in a solar pool cover (expensive bubble wrap) for our 16 foot round AGP.
As you can imagine, living in the UK we can never rely on the weather but I'm going to try and make the most of solar to keep the pool warm.

My question related to how to get the best from the solar cover.
I don't know too much about thermodynamics so I don;t know whether it would be best to leave the pump on circulating the water all day or whether to just let the top part of the pool warm up and get circulated when the kids jump in. Maybe it doesn't make a blind bit of difference either way, I don't know.

Today I left the pump off and the surface few inches maxed out at 29^oC but when the kids mixed it all up it dropped to about 22^oC.

Any thoughts?

 

[Hotrod30]

My 2 cents.... I leave my solar cover on when no one is in the pool. It keep the pool from losing heat during the night and during the cool days. It doesn't matter if the pump is running or not.

 

[krcossin]

We use our solar cover as a blanket more than a heat producer. So we cover at night and leave it on until someone goes for a dip, leave it off during warm days, cover it back up when the night temp goes below 65°F or so. I don't run the pump during cooler evenings, just in the morning between 9-12 and later in the day between 5-9.
I have two thermometers, one floats, one sinks. I have a couple degree difference between the two, top is warmer.

 

[randytsuch]

I think if you run the pump when the sun is out, and the cover is on, it should warm up your pool.

This is what I do, but I live in LA, so it does get hotter here. My timer is on to run from later morning to mid afternoon, when it is the hottest. I also run an hour at night, but that is just to circulate the water, so the time with no circulation is not too long.

Randy

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

I think if you run the pump when the sun is out, and the cover is on, it should warm up your pool.

This is what I do, but I live in LA, so it does get hotter here. My timer is on to run from later morning to mid afternoon, when it is the hottest. I also run an hour at night, but that is just to circulate the water, so the time with no circulation is not too long.

Randy

Thats what I do, and I live near Chicago....I run my 2 spd pump on low 24/7. My water is always nice and warm top to bottom. I have a heater to.

All this because I don't get in unless the water is at least 86 degrees.

 

[Nick]

Thanks for the feedback and opinions guys

Unfortunately I really don't think we get the reliable sunshine that many of you enjoy

 

[GazzMan]

hey nick, if you dont in Bristol, then i deffo dont in Southampton lol

nice to see another brit on here :lol: