Solar Cover Disintegrated

[Bicster]

My solar cover has disintegrated!

I noticed a few blue plastic circles in the water and didn't think much of it. Today I got to remove the cover and the thing basically tears and falls apart in my hands dropping a bunch of blue plastic circles in the water.

It's only two years old - is this normal and to be expected?

 

[TO116]

From what I understand, yes.

They should be replaced every few years because they begin to break down.

I guess longevity depends on a lot of factors. Initial quality, UV exposure, chlorine exposure, etc.

 

[Mike1162]

Do you have a link for your cover? The heavier ones (mils) should last longer than two years.

 

[Homebrewale]

I get about 3 years from each cover. I have noticed that one of the main things that shortens the life is leaving the solar cover on a roller out in the hot sun. It should have a cover over it at a minimum. When I'm no longer going to use the cover for the summer, we carry it back to under our trees for storage to keep it out of the sunlight.

 

[Bicster]

I don't have a link for it, but as I've been Googling them I've come to the conclusion it was a cheap one - maybe 8mil?

 

[cowboycasey]

I believe when it is rolled up and not on the pool they overheat and disintegrate.. last year I bought a 5 x 20 drop cloth and it gets put over my cover when it is not on the pool... Has worked great and my cover has not gone bad this year (year 2)... CCS CHICAGO CANVAS & SUPPLY Canvas Drop Cloth, 4 Piece Set, 5 by 20 Feet - - Amazon.com

 

[JohnT]

Normal. Sadly.

 

[borjis]

At the very end of season 3 mine had started falling apart. I tried for a fourth but those blue circles where everywhere, Everytime I took the cover off.

I covered it on the roller most of the time.

 

[ProudlyConfused]

I'm on my 6th season with mine. Noting it is a super heavy 16 mil blanket.

When not in the pool, we have a cover that goes over it. The cover is basically a tarp with velco down the center, I dont recall where we found it online.

We use the same cover for storage during the harsh Michigan winter months and have seen no damage.

 

[gx22]

I had scrap pieces of solar cover left on the ground when I changed my solar cover. After 2 years the solar cover in the pool the bubbles burst and it tears in many places. However the scrap pieces on the ground are still intact even though they receive the same amount of sun and gets hotter temperature than the pool cover. This makes me believe the pool chemicals deteriorate the cover the most.

 

[Newdude]

The little plastic circles are like an ice dispenser when you see them. Its one at first...... then two of them........ 9768 of them.......

 

[marcgr]

It seems like it’s the part that’s exposed to the sun while on the reel that fails for me. I’ve started buying them several feet longer than I need and simply cutting off a couple feet when it starts to deteriorate.

 

[Bicster]

The little plastic circles are like an ice dispenser when you see them. Its one at first...... then two of them........ 9768 of them.......

This ^

I have them everywhere now!

 

[DorsalSpine]

It seems to me solar cover life is a function of heat, sunlight, chlorine content, thickness. The sweet spot for me was a 12 mill cover, a reel to wind it up, a cover to protect it on the reel and good water management. I assumed a three year life with any years after that a bonus. The warranty is typically BS and almost impossible to get them to honor.