Pool Temperature - solar pool cover

[tarungogia]

Folks, looking for some help/feedback.
Our pool (situated in South Florida) is under a screened patio is always cold. Temperature outside in afternoons are touching 90 but it is still cold to enter. we have tried going in late afternoons but both my boys constantly complain. It could be also we have two big trees in the back so not a lot of sun reaches the pool. Pool Thermometer (a very old one - not sure if it is accurate, i have ordered a new one from amazon) reads between 70-73F.

Am looking for some options to see how we can maximize the use of the pool. have been reading about solar pool covers. Will appreciate any tips / feedback if they work or not and if there are recommendations on the brand/model.

 

[mas985]

Solar covers are the most economical way to increase the heat of the pool by reducing the amount of heat that is lost each day. A pool cover can add 5-15 degrees of pool temperature depending on the conditions. They are especially effective when used with a pool that experience a lot of dry wind and cool air temperatures.

The downside of course is you have to remove before swimming which can be a pain.

 

[tarungogia]

Thanks @mas985. Do you have any recommendations on brand/model of pool cover. per my research sun2solar is popular.

 

[mas985]

Get the lightest and cheapest you can find. There is very little benefit to a thicker heavier cover. In fact, the heavier it is, the less likely you will use it.

 

[jimmythegreek]

Agree any cover is fine they don't last long anyway cheapest is best

 

[JonoVegas]

Don't forget a solar reel to hold the solar cover and make it much easier to take on/off. I have been using solar covers for years and they definitely do the trick in heating and maintaining the pool water temperature. BUT they do have downsides:

• You need space for the reel/cover somewhere close to the pool yet out of the way or place to easily move out of the way when not in use
• Depending on where your pool is the solar cover will collect leaves, dust, etc on the cover. then when you roll up the cover to remove that Crud goes in your pool, so be read with a net to get most of it before it dispurses in your pool
• Sure one person can roll-out/up but its much easier for two.

I would still highly recommend solar covers as they really do the job for low cost. Just not a perfect solution... as most things pool related

 

[bjpeters]

Am sort of surprised by the recommendations to get a thin solar cover (8 mil). I have always purchased the 12 mil cover thinking it lays on top of the water better and retains more heat and is still not nearly as heavy as the 16 mil covers. Am I wrong?

 

[mas985]

Thicker cover just weighs more and costs more. I have had 5, 8 ,12, 16 mil covers. Lifetime is about the same and no difference in heat retention. Most of the heat retention of a cover comes from covering the water (i.e. evaporation reduction) and any thin plastic will do that. As for the insulation properties, that is almost entirely due to the bubbles, not the plastic thickness.

 

[Newdude]

that is almost entirely due to the bubbles, not the plastic thickness

And the bubbles are the same on all the covers regardless of how thick they are. With the exception of few people that rip their covers, most cover failures are from the flimsy bubbles popping.

 

[kabbak]

My Sun2solar 1200 series (measures 9mils and made by Toile Soleil in Canada) last more than twice as long as the several others I've tried. Key difference is their bubbles are dome rather than "deli cup" shaped. My experience has been that that the "deli cup" bubbles fail at the sharp corner of the "mesa" of the cup and do so much sooner than the sun2solar domes. I also found the Sun2Solar seams to be better sealed and trap less debris. I always get clear covers and try to keep FC at 3ppm. High FC voids cover warranties, though I've not seen rigorous analysis of actual cover failure causes. E.g., Chlorine, UV exposure, exposure to heat out of the water, abrasion, etc.

FWIW, here in CA, my cover collects leaves in winter that I rake off the cover with a lightweight plastic rake. A thicker cover (1600 series I now have) makes me feel better about this "raking abuse."
My cover is on a Rocky's Reel.