I know there have been quite a few solar cover threads, but I'm about to order our first solar cover and my research on here has led to a few questions before making the purchase. I'm inclined to get the cheapest/thinnest cover from SolarCovers.com as the experts have suggested in other posts due to the negligible difference in the lifespan and virtually worthless warranties, and install grommets to help with drainage. My questions are:
1. What should I use to cover the cover when it's not on the pool? A large tarp or is there something better and/or cheaper?
2. Should I cover it every time I pull it off, or only if it's going to be rolled up for more than a certain period of time? My wife & I get in the pool some evenings after work and are in for anywhere from 30-90 minutes (average is probably 45-60). Should I worry about covering it for that duration or only if it's going to be off for several hours? I know that covering it every time would be best practice, but in reality, would making the effort to cover it on those days be worth the potential shortened longevity of not covering it?
3. I'm a moderate DIY'er and an engineer by degree (my quote is "me and YouTube will try anything once"). We have a deck around half of the pool. I like the DIY solar covers holders that I've seen from other members on here for when it's going to be off for several hours. When it's just the wife & me in the evenings, I could pull it up onto the deck and possibly lay it under the hammock, but that's not a permanent solution since she's big on aesthetics (LOL). Since I'll be able to get it on & off from above, which seems to me would be easier than pulling it off from the ground, should I cut it to make it easier to handle or should I leave it in one piece? I understand that cutting it makes it lighter and easier to handle, but are there any drawbacks to cutting it? If cutting it is the answer, how many sections would you suggest (24' round pool)?
Thanks in advance.
1. What should I use to cover the cover when it's not on the pool? A large tarp or is there something better and/or cheaper?
2. Should I cover it every time I pull it off, or only if it's going to be rolled up for more than a certain period of time? My wife & I get in the pool some evenings after work and are in for anywhere from 30-90 minutes (average is probably 45-60). Should I worry about covering it for that duration or only if it's going to be off for several hours? I know that covering it every time would be best practice, but in reality, would making the effort to cover it on those days be worth the potential shortened longevity of not covering it?
3. I'm a moderate DIY'er and an engineer by degree (my quote is "me and YouTube will try anything once"). We have a deck around half of the pool. I like the DIY solar covers holders that I've seen from other members on here for when it's going to be off for several hours. When it's just the wife & me in the evenings, I could pull it up onto the deck and possibly lay it under the hammock, but that's not a permanent solution since she's big on aesthetics (LOL). Since I'll be able to get it on & off from above, which seems to me would be easier than pulling it off from the ground, should I cut it to make it easier to handle or should I leave it in one piece? I understand that cutting it makes it lighter and easier to handle, but are there any drawbacks to cutting it? If cutting it is the answer, how many sections would you suggest (24' round pool)?
Thanks in advance.
