Looking for cover, heater and deck ideas!

[cmilliorn]

Last year we put in a 22x52 intex above ground pool. We loved it and so did our 3 year now 4 year old daughter. We are looking to improve the back yard a bit this year.

I live In West Texas but my pool is shaded 60% of the day by a tree so the water doesn't really stay all that warm (even though compared to you northerners I am sure it is) but we like the water warmer and last year it would get cold on us after 1-2 days of cooler weather.

I am looking to put a deck out in the yard leading up to the pool, I dont really want a huge deck the level of the pool just a area to get in and out of the pool leading down to the ground level where we are thinking of putting up a gazebo type set up with chairs etc.

I am curious to know if anyone knows of a cover for the intex pools that can be put on with a lever, or some sort of system where you can easily put on and take off a cover maybe solar heating one? I want something easy for my wife when I am not here as 4 nights a week Im at work and I am sure she and the kiddo will be out swimming.

Lastly, last year we tried a solar heater connected to the pump...it just made us lose pressure and didnt do much for the pool. Thanks for the tips and any ideas are appreciated. We are having our second child in about 45 days and I plan on working on this up to then and while Im at home with the new baby.

Thank you

 

[cmilliorn]

No ideas? ;(

 

[pwrstrk]

Sorry nobody has responded to ya. A solar cover will help with retaining heat loss due to evaporation, especially at night. Solar covers are better at retaining heat than heating the water. If you had more sun on the pool that would help as I'm sure you know. You can cut it in half or more to make it easier to deal with for the wife. There are also some DIY solar cover reels on the forum people have made.

 

[cmilliorn]

Still looking havent found anything to cover the pool...

 

[zea3]

You can put a solar cover on a reel, and mount the reel on 4x4 posts set into the ground at one end of the pool. If you want to try any kind of heating system you will probably need a larger pump for it to work well.

 

[JoshU]

I agree with the solar blanket ideas above. It will save you from losing 7-10 degrees per night. Like zea said you'll need to be a bit creative and try to find a way to mount the reel.

Here's an example of a reel made by Swimline/Hydrotools: