Intex Ultra XTR 9x18 ft AGP Solar Blanket Recommendations 2024

[Holdensheroes]

Hello TFP! Need a new solar blanket for our Intex Ultra XTR 9x18 AGP. This is our third year, loving the AGP experience! I bought an Intex solar blanket & solar roller in 2022 when we got the pool & thought it would last longer, not so. Our patio & pool face due West, so even here in Eugene, OR, it's extremely hot every day from noon till sunset especially in Summer & after two years of use it completely disintegrated into small bits of blue plastic flakes that are everywhere! I've looked online for a better quality blanket that properly fits the pool@ approx 9x18 ft, no luck. Our current Intex blanket, now in the recycle bin, was apparently made to fit a range of pool sizes bigger than our 9x18 ft, a fact I just learned by searching our online shopping history. Anyway, the blanket never really worked as intended with the Intex Solar Roller, IMHO. The roller has two major design flaws that become obvious upon actual usage on the pool. ONE: the clips poke through & rip the blanket. TWO: the roller brackets on the metal pole slip & make the strings uneven as it rolls up. When the solar blanket is also wider than the pool, it never rolls up straight & the whole thing is a ridiculous mess & very frustrating! In the 2024 9x18 ft solar blanket genre, so far I've only found the same Intex product we have that failed after 2 years. Is there anything else out there? Also, we plan to modify "customize" the roller, if possible. I've seen good ideas from people online who moved the roller mount from atop the pool rails across the short side to a free-standing mount outside the pool secured into the ground, making it easier to roll the blanket on/off & freeing up the space inside the pool. SO, ANY SUGGESTIONS IN ON A SOLAR BLANKET FOR INTEX ULTRA XTR 9X18 FT POOL IN 2024? ALSO, HAS ANYONE MODIFIED THE INTEX SOLAR COVER ROLLER FOR BETTER FUNCTIONALITY? WE'D LOVE TO SEE WHAT OTHER INTEX OWNERS ARE DOING IN 2024!
Thanks in advance from Holdensheroes in Eugene, OR.

 

[1poolman1]

Hello TFP! Need a new solar blanket for our Intex Ultra XTR 9x18 AGP. This is our third year, loving the AGP experience! I bought an Intex solar blanket & solar roller in 2022 when we got the pool & thought it would last longer, not so. Our patio & pool face due West, so even here in Eugene, OR, it's extremely hot every day from noon till sunset especially in Summer & after two years of use it completely disintegrated into small bits of blue plastic flakes that are everywhere! I've looked online for a better quality blanket that properly fits the pool@ approx 9x18 ft, no luck. Our current Intex blanket, now in the recycle bin, was apparently made to fit a range of pool sizes bigger than our 9x18 ft, a fact I just learned by searching our online shopping history. Anyway, the blanket never really worked as intended with the Intex Solar Roller, IMHO. The roller has two major design flaws that become obvious upon actual usage on the pool. ONE: the clips poke through & rip the blanket. TWO: the roller brackets on the metal pole slip & make the strings uneven as it rolls up. When the solar blanket is also wider than the pool, it never rolls up straight & the whole thing is a ridiculous mess & very frustrating! In the 2024 9x18 ft solar blanket genre, so far I've only found the same Intex product we have that failed after 2 years. Is there anything else out there? Also, we plan to modify "customize" the roller, if possible. I've seen good ideas from people online who moved the roller mount from atop the pool rails across the short side to a free-standing mount outside the pool secured into the ground, making it easier to roll the blanket on/off & freeing up the space inside the pool. SO, ANY SUGGESTIONS IN ON A SOLAR BLANKET FOR INTEX ULTRA XTR 9X18 FT POOL IN 2024? ALSO, HAS ANYONE MODIFIED THE INTEX SOLAR COVER ROLLER FOR BETTER FUNCTIONALITY? WE'D LOVE TO SEE WHAT OTHER INTEX OWNERS ARE DOING IN 2024!
Thanks in advance from Holdensheroes in Eugene, OR.

You could try something like this. For ease of use, cut it in half, or quarters, the tiny slit won't make any difference in performance. Don't store it in the Sun, it can literally cook itself. I've seen ones that were rolled up, not covered, scorched on the inner layers when rolled out.

https://intheswim.com/p/premium-plus-18-round-blue-black-solar-cover-12-mil/404479.html