Solar Blanket

[joeg]

Good day all!

Just wondering how long can you leave a solar blanket on for?
is it ok to leave it on for 8 hours while Im at work ? Plus over night?

Please and thank you

 

[heweydewey]

Hi,

I leave mine on all the time whenever we're not using the pool. We dont have a heater so we use the solar cover to keep the heat in. If the pool is too warm, I'll take the cover off but for the most part I leave it on all the time.

Also, make sure you leave it off after you shock your pool. The high chlorine level will start the shorten the life of the cover.

 

[JasonLion]

You can easily leave it on for days at a time, but you don't want it on all of the time. You want at least a few hours a week when the pool is exposed to sunlight.

 

[joeg]

Hi,

I leave mine on all the time whenever we're not using the pool. We dont have a heater so we use the solar cover to keep the heat in. If the pool is too warm, I'll take the cover off but for the most part I leave it on all the time.

Also, make sure you leave it off after you shock your pool. The high chlorine level will start the shorten the life of the cover.

Awesome thank you so much.

 

[Jenischmeni]

Hi,

I leave mine on all the time whenever we're not using the pool. We dont have a heater so we use the solar cover to keep the heat in. If the pool is too warm, I'll take the cover off but for the most part I leave it on all the time.

Also, make sure you leave it off after you shock your pool. The high chlorine level will start the shorten the life of the cover.

Awesome thank you so much.

This is what I do, too. Mine is on the pool more than not. (And the times that I forget to replace it at night make me kick myself the next day!)

 

[joeg]

Hi,

I leave mine on all the time whenever we're not using the pool. We dont have a heater so we use the solar cover to keep the heat in. If the pool is too warm, I'll take the cover off but for the most part I leave it on all the time.

Also, make sure you leave it off after you shock your pool. The high chlorine level will start the shorten the life of the cover.

Awesome thank you so much.

This is what I do, too. Mine is on the pool more than not. (And the times that I forget to replace it at night make me kick myself the next day!)

I was under the impression that these covers where to keep the heat in at night only. Where I got that idea from i dont know..

lol

thank you

 

[Jenischmeni]

I wonder if some of the threads might be discussing two different things. What I'm talking about is the thing that looks like blue bubble wrap.

I, too, read where someone was saying it doesn't heat the water during the day and is really only for nighttime use. I'd argue that point because I know that mine will significantly warm the water if left on while the sun bakes at it.

(Which I could - if I really wanted to - confirm with temperature tests.)

I think some might be talking about a general cover for the pool.

 

[Yakiman]

Jong, I thought that also but a couple of my friends who live here told me that their pool would really heat up with the solar cover on on a sunny day. So I tried it, and it's true. We get a lot of sun here and it can also get really windy so the prevention of evaporation probably has something to do with it. But it does seem that the sun heats up the water even with the cover on (for me anyway).

 

[Yakiman]

I'm talking about blue bubble wrap.

 

[Yakiman]

Sorry for the typo Joeg!

 

[heweydewey]

I think the solar cover helps to retain the heat. It will prevent heat loss that you would get from water evaporation. (I think thats what I read somewhere - I dont claim to be smart though!)

We dont have a heater anymore, but our pool has gotten pretty warm some seasons just with the solar cover (the blue bubble wrap stuff) - sometime getting over 90 degrees. Also this is in Erie, PA too.

 

[toofast]

So I gotta ask, why does the cover need to come off for a few hours a day to get sunlight. In my case I have a clear cover, so is the answer different if the cover is NOT CLEAR ?

 

[joeg]

I wonder if some of the threads might be discussing two different things. What I'm talking about is the thing that looks like blue bubble wrap.

I, too, read where someone was saying it doesn't heat the water during the day and is really only for nighttime use. I'd argue that point because I know that mine will significantly warm the water if left on while the sun bakes at it.

(Which I could - if I really wanted to - confirm with temperature tests.)

I think some might be talking about a general cover for the pool.

Jenischmeni,

I think i was told by a friend not to leave it on or could've of read it on the internet. Not sure
yeah thats what I am talking about the blue bubble wrap.

What would a general cover do? protect it from debris?

thanks

 

[joeg]

Jong, I thought that also but a couple of my friends who live here told me that their pool would really heat up with the solar cover on on a sunny day. So I tried it, and it's true. We get a lot of sun here and it can also get really windy so the prevention of evaporation probably has something to do with it. But it does seem that the sun heats up the water even with the cover on (for me anyway).

Awesome I cant wait to leave in on for longer periods of time. As I have no heater and would like the water to be a bit warmer for the kids.

No worries about the typo.

 

[Jenischmeni]

I wonder if some of the threads might be discussing two different things. What I'm talking about is the thing that looks like blue bubble wrap.

I, too, read where someone was saying it doesn't heat the water during the day and is really only for nighttime use. I'd argue that point because I know that mine will significantly warm the water if left on while the sun bakes at it.

(Which I could - if I really wanted to - confirm with temperature tests.)

I think some might be talking about a general cover for the pool.

Jenischmeni,

I think i was told by a friend not to leave it on or could've of read it on the internet. Not sure
yeah thats what I am talking about the blue bubble wrap.

What would a general cover do? protect it from debris?

thanks

I just typed "solar cover" into Google and then chose images. I saw two different types. One looks like what I have - bubble wrap and the other looks like a plain, blue, vinyl cover. (Which seems to be like what you said - to keep off debris and such.)

Perhaps, I don't know for certain, better terms might be "solar blanket" and "solar cover"?

I know that if it's been a colder period and the cover hasn't been off for several days, the chlorine level and pH tend to to rise. (Again, just my own personal experience.) It makes sense that the chlorine level would rise since it's not really getting burned off by the sun's rays.

 

[toofast]

I really don't think the chlorine levels ever going to rise.

 

[Speedo]

In the beginning of the season I leave my cover on for weeks. I try to give it some breathing time; however, this year I decided to cut my cover in half, which allows wind to blow under it (I also ran the cable and winch so I could use twine to tie it down since I didn't want it pulling directly on the coping). This setup seems to be working fairly well, but I do make an attempt to uncover it for at least part of a day on a weekly basis. Haven't had any problems.

To clarify -- it's not suspended above the water, just tied down so it can't move more than 2-3" (the wind picks it up a few inches, off the water then sets it back down in place once the gust passes).

 

[Jenischmeni]

That's a very, very clever idea!!! Thanks for sharing it!