My pool is 26 feet diameter, so putting the solar cover on and off by hand is really difficult. Reels wide enough to roll the whole cover were expensive and likely to sag in the middle, plus it sounded tough to space the straps properly so it would roll evenly.
I got a round cover and cut it into three pieces. In the photo, the center seam is still intact, but I cut the two outer seams. So there's one large piece down the center of the pool, and a smaller pieces on each side. The middle piece rolls onto the reel, and the outer pieces are easy to roll and unroll by hand. It takes roughly 5 minutes to cover the pool, and less than that to uncover.
This reel is adjustable, set at about 16 feet. It's clamped to blocks of 2x4, mounted on 4x4 posts about a foot from the back of the pool. It's temporary, so I just used metal post anchors with spikes that drive into the ground, no concrete or digging.
Close up shows my none-too-elegant swivel system. Attached a square of plywood to the top of the post and used a long bolt to connect the 2x4 block to the plywood, leaving it loose enough to pivot. That way, I can unclamp one end and walk that side away from the pool if I need it out of the way.
Planning to build a deck over the fall/winter, and build in a prettier way to support the reel. Meanwhile, my water temp is 85 degrees even though nights are dropping into the 60s
I got a round cover and cut it into three pieces. In the photo, the center seam is still intact, but I cut the two outer seams. So there's one large piece down the center of the pool, and a smaller pieces on each side. The middle piece rolls onto the reel, and the outer pieces are easy to roll and unroll by hand. It takes roughly 5 minutes to cover the pool, and less than that to uncover.
This reel is adjustable, set at about 16 feet. It's clamped to blocks of 2x4, mounted on 4x4 posts about a foot from the back of the pool. It's temporary, so I just used metal post anchors with spikes that drive into the ground, no concrete or digging.
Close up shows my none-too-elegant swivel system. Attached a square of plywood to the top of the post and used a long bolt to connect the 2x4 block to the plywood, leaving it loose enough to pivot. That way, I can unclamp one end and walk that side away from the pool if I need it out of the way.
Planning to build a deck over the fall/winter, and build in a prettier way to support the reel. Meanwhile, my water temp is 85 degrees even though nights are dropping into the 60s
