Durable summer/solar pool cover and reel with irregular pool

[miguelrg]

Hi everyone,

last year I finally got rid of our summer pool cover. It was disintegrating and the little blue dots were showing up everywhere in the pool, skimmer, etc. It was a pain. The cover we had was from the previous owners, I think it was this model:

https://intheswim.com/p/premium-plus-rectangle-blue-black-solar-pool-cover-12-mil-7-year/d2e31306-8a80-4605-9f67-2a20d340d1fd.html

I'm not sure about the thickness though, it could have been that same 12mil or a different one.

Any good durable solar cover anyone can recommend that hopefully won't suffer from the blue dot illness in a couple of years??

Also, my pool is irregularly shaped (kind of a weird kidney), I'd love to have a reel but I cannot figure out how to make it work. If anyone has experience with using a reel system with this kind of pool i'd love to hear your tips.

 

[Mdragger88]

I don’t know about a reel so maybe others will chime in soon.
For the cover just get the cheapest one & plan to replace it every couple/3 years because that’s how long they all last no matter what they say or how expensive they are. The blue dot illness affects them all. It is the nature of the beast.

 

[proavia]

Maybe post a few pictures of your pool. Someone may have an idea how to use a reel with your pool shape.

Any time the cover is not on the pool and is outside in the elememts, the solar cover needs to be covered to protect it from the UV rays of the sun.

 

[Dman101]

I installed a Rocky reel for my “blue dot” cover back in 2015. Our pool is sort of reverse kidney, with the widest section at the middle where the steps are. So I chose to install the reel at the middle of the pool, spanning the widest part. This when the cover was reeled in, it stars with the widest part and finished with the smaller rounded ends. This worked pretty well, but of course now I had a “bridge” across my pool, which really got in the way of enjoying it. If we were using it a lot, I’d unbolt one side of the reel, not too difficult with the attachment knobs, and swing it around to one side. But it was awkward to do that, and I’d often find myself not putting it back, and hence not using the cover for days at a time. We have pretty breezy summer afternoons and evaporation was a problem, but when I used the cover, it seemed to drag on the pool cleaner hose (Polaris 360 pressure cleaner) and restrict its movement. When the cover started disintegrating after a few years I removed it and the reel as well, and that’s been a few years now. So, in summary, the reel did work but not great for me, so I’m curious to get ideas here too.

 

[Mdragger88]

Some folks have an easier time dealing with 2 smaller solar covers vs 1 large one - especially with oddly shaped pools. Perhaps that might be an option as well.