Killed 2 covers in 3 years

[jspeacock1978]

I've killed two solar covers (bubble covers) in three years.

I purchased a clear solar cover with I think a 7 year warranty from Dohney's in June of 2016. Originally I figured I could keep the cover on all the time. Pull it back a few feet to add chemicals or remove it entirely to swim. During the second winter I had so much debris in the pool I pulled the cover off entirely and kept it on the roller until it was warmer. Unfortunately when I unrolled it in January of 2018, it smelled like hot plastic and more than half of the cover had disintegrated. They sent me a new cover under warranty in March of 2018.

I started worrying that UV or heat was breaking it down so I move the roller into the shade when the cover isn't on. I do remove the cover when I need to do a good cleaning or shock the pool and I typically keep it off until the chlorine levels are back to a reasonable level. Unfortunately the cover is falling apart again. Bubbles are filled with water and I fish out hundreds of plastic bits every time I pull the cover off. Obviously I'm doing something wrong. I'd like to buy a new cover to both keep the pool temp up (night time temps tend to suck the heat out of the pool) and keep evaporation to a minimum. Should I buy something else?

 

[Newdude]

They make a cover *for* the reeled up cover. It literally boils itself on the inside and you end up with popped/water filled bubbles, or millions of little bubble tips that broke off. Any longer than an afternoon off the pool and it needs to be covered or you risk boiling it.

 

[jspeacock1978]

I think this is where I went wrong the first time. The cover was on the roller and the outer portion was brittle and smelled like hot plastic, but the inner portion was completely destroyed and fell apart as I unrolled it. At one point I've tried putting moving blankets on the rolled up cover but its still really hot. Moving it to the shade under a tree seems to be the only solution to keeping it cool.

Is that really it? I'm still cooking my cover?

 

[mknauss]

If you have the cover on the pool most of the year, a one year life is pretty good.

I use ours for 6 weeks in the spring and 6 weeks in the fall. Dry it out, roll it up, and store in the garage all other times. I can eek out two years before the bubbles start to fail.

 

[Adamphotoman]

You need to cover the cover. Feherguard sells a 40 inch wide x Whatever length white plastic sheet that reflects the heat away from the cover. I think the amount of time you will get from the cover depends on your season. My season is only 4 months and I get four plus years out of the cover.
When I remove the cover I race to cover it as fast as I can. Shade is a good idea, but it is too much hassle to move the reel back and forth.