Saltwater Solar Blanket Deterioration

[Sastocky]

When we purchased our Swimming Pool two years ago the installer surprisingly had included a solar blanket in the package.

We use it religiously in the early spring, fall, and cooler summer nights. It is used in correlation with our Solar Heat Panels & Heat Pump. The blanket is removed and installed via a manual reel system. It is stored in an un-heated garage in the winter months.

I also want to mention the pool is saltwater. FC, pH, etc. are maintained in the TFP ranges.

Now to the problem....

The Solar Blanket has become very brittle and is tearing and bubbles are falling apart. I am not sure of the Brand, type, or other specs.

On my previous chlorine non-saltwater pools they would last 4-8 years.

Has anyone had this issue so early into ownership?
Is this related to the saltwater setup?
Are there specific blankets for saltwater pools?

 

[Griswald]

Just like the guy at the car dealer says..."They all do that"

 

[SunnyOptimism]

It's not that surprising that it was included. Here in Pima County, it was mandated by county regulations that all pool builders include a solar cover in new installations after 2012.

As for deterioration, hard to tell unless you can give a brand and manufacturer. I don't use my bubble cover much but I did notice it got brittle along the cut edges (irregular shaped pool). I also had a nylon wall brush completely disintegrate (brittle bristles) after less than a season of use. I attributed it to the strong AZ sun but now I'm thinking it's more than that.

 

[Sastocky]

Bump...anyone else have input?

 

[mas985]

2 years is the most I ever get out of a cover. I have never heard of anyone getting 4-8 years out of a bubble cover. Other covers perhaps but not the plastic bubble covers.

 

[mickey4paws]

I have a long and narrow pool so can never find a pre-made size that fits. I order a larger size and cut it lengthwise so I have 2 solar covers. The first half last about 3 years. Last year we put the other half on and unfortunately while it was stored in our garage on its reel over the winter, some critter chewed threw it. I think these solar covers don't last that long and of course care probably makes a difference. It also may be that the free one your PB included wasn't of good quality.

 

[ping]

Both of my solar covers lasted 2 years before all the bubbles started to show up in the pool water. One cover was 16 mil thick and the last one was 12 mil thick. The next one will be 8 mil thick as that is the cheapest and I will expect to toss it after two seasons.

 

[svenpup]

I've never seen anyone else say this, but I don't want my cover to last that long. After a couple seasons it looks ratty anyway, just from being outdoors and covered with dust, pollen, bird poop, etc. I get the cheap, thin cover and am glad when I get to replace it after two years. When I see people buying the extra thick ones with 7 year warranties I just shrug.

 

[mas985]

Both of my solar covers lasted 2 years before all the bubbles started to show up in the pool water. One cover was 16 mil thick and the last one was 12 mil thick. The next one will be 8 mil thick as that is the cheapest and I will expect to toss it after two seasons.

I am going with 5 mil (even cheaper than 8 mil) this year just to see if there is any difference. Sure makes a big difference in weight though and much easier to use than the 12 mil I use to have.

 

[carveitup]

I would expect a cover to last more seasons in Ohio than in California as in Ohio, they ate only used 5 months of the year. Seems reasonable to expect 4-5 years under such usage. We'll see - I'm in my first year of pool ownership.

 

[amjohn]

I have been using solar covers since day 1 of my pool- 6 years now. I use the cover to start my swim season earlier and eke out a bit more in the fall. In the summer and winter it is dried, cleaned, and stored in our shop in big rubbermaid containers. I started with 12 mil on my 28 ft dia round AGP-that first cover lasted 3 years. I cut it in half so that I could handle it alone. This is Texas and the weather is brutal and I was not kind to the cover so I was not too surprised it only lasted 3 years. The bubbles started popping and were everywhere, and then the material between the bubble started to tear when I touched it. The cover was from Midwest Canvas.
Next I bought 14 mil from the same company thinking more is better. I had to cut it in 3 pieces to handle it, and was much gentler thinking I would get more time out of it. Instead it lasted 1.5 years. I made a warranty claim on it and they made good on the warranty and sent me a 16 mil replacement. I thought woohoo! This thing will last forever. Wrong. One year is all I got out of it and it was such a stinking sodden mess I just threw it away. Plus, even cut into 3 pieces, iI hated taking it in and out of the pool.
I suppose I could have tried to make claim on the claim, but I have read that the warranties are now only covering the seams. The seams are extremely heavy duty and were the only thing still intact on this last one. I was going to escalate again on this Fall's blanket, but after reading many posts here I have decided to go with the cheap disposable method. I am getting a 12 mil clear from solarcovers.com (order site many people on this forum use). It cost half what I was expecting and I won't be disappointed when it dies in two years. I am not going to 6 or 8 mil because the winds where I am average 15-20 mph with higher gusts (30 or even 40 mph) in spring and fall, and I have had my fill of chasing solar covers across the pasture.

 

[cu0ngpitt]

I am going with 5 mil (even cheaper than 8 mil) this year just to see if there is any difference. Sure makes a big difference in weight though and much easier to use than the 12 mil I use to have.

this question is several years later but wondering if you noticed any difference between the 5 mil v 8 mil cover?

 

[mas985]

Not in terms of life. They were both the same, about two seasons.

However, my latest cover is going on 4 years but there is a caveat. The first year I used it quite a bit but haven't really used it much since. Keeping it out of the pool extends the life significantly. I think UV exposure is probably the largest component of degradation followed by chlorine.

 

[csconner]

C,

my personal experience is the solor bubble covers really don’t have longivty in the mix. Note this is my second season so don’t have long history yet.

I have a combination of covers:
1. Winter Saftey Cover, protects against anythiNG falling in, pretty effective(90%+) at minimizing leaves and dirt over the winter.
2. Heavy duty solar cover Sun2Solar 16x32x16mm. I cut this to fit the shape of the pool and it floates on top. It Dowes a pretty good job of keeping bulk of leaves, whirly bird seeds and pollen out of the pool, does collect all of those at the waters edge. It does good job reducING heat loss at night and evaporation. Even cut to fit its 14x32’ it’s really a two person job but I can do it alone, it’s heavy.
3. qty 2 15’ round - 8mm solar cover, again cut to float on the surface of the pool, same level of protection defined above, upside is it’s easier to put on and take off, two pieces, about 14x15’ much lighter.

I use the solar cover heavier cover early and late in the season, when we are swimming sporadically.
I use the two lighter covers during the bulk of swim season, as I put them on most days at end of day and take off again in the morning
i expect (hope) to get two+ years of service, as I store them clean, dry and out of the sun when I’m not using the.

I use to support my uncles pool, typically he was able to get three years of use out of this type of rotation of his solar covers, they were 6 or 8mm, that and careful storage when he switched to one of the other covers.

hope that helps.