Solar cover for odd shaped pool (Coverstick/ solar factory?)

[mart242]

I did a search but didn't get many hits so I thought that I'd ask.

My pool is a 20x35 like this:

The only area where I could put a cover is on the long straight edge because the deep end has a diving board and the shallow end has a shed with the pool stuff.. the long straight edge is 12" away from a fence and ~2" in the air so I thought that I could anchor / attach a roller to the side of that concrete but to do this it means that I would have to fold the cover before rolling it (ie: fold it so that it's 20' long instead of 35'). Is folding a cover even doable?

Another option is the coverstick from solar factory. Their little video on youtube make it appear to be easy to use but I don't know if it's really the case.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3INbk6EDtFQ http://solarfactory.com Has anyone used their product?

Thanks

 

[JohnT]

Re: Solar cove for odd shaped pool (Coverstick / solar factory?)

You can put the reel in the center of the pool. For you, the reel could be at the widest part of the pool. You need to move it for swimming, but I've had mine that way for several years.

 

[mart242]

Re: Solar cove for odd shaped pool (Coverstick / solar factory?)

You can put the reel in the center of the pool. For you, the reel could be at the widest part of the pool. You need to move it for swimming, but I've had mine that way for several years.

How much of a pain is it to move it? These rollers don't seem light weight when you add the weight of the cover to it..

I'm also not sure about WAF.. (wife approval factor) especially since it would lay right in front of the diving board.

 

[JohnT]

Re: Solar cove for odd shaped pool (Coverstick / solar factory?)

It's not terrible. Some have rollers, but I have to lift mine over the diving board to get it out of the way.

 

[mart242]

Re: Solar cove for odd shaped pool (Coverstick / solar factory?)

It's not terrible. Some have rollers, but I have to lift mine over the diving board to get it out of the way.

So your roller doesn't have little wheels and you simply lift one end and rotate it? Would you happen to have a picture of your pool set-up with it?

 

[JohnT]

Re: Solar cove for odd shaped pool (Coverstick / solar factory?)

It's not terrible. Some have rollers, but I have to lift mine over the diving board to get it out of the way.

So your roller doesn't have little wheels and you simply lift one end and rotate it? Would you happen to have a picture of your pool set-up with it?

No, I sure don't, and I don't have the solar cover out yet to take one.

 

[mart242]

Re: Solar cove for odd shaped pool (Coverstick / solar factory?)

No, I sure don't, and I don't have the solar cover out yet to take one.

It's already that warm in Indiana? Lucky guy!

 

[mas985]

I have the solar roller although I don't use my cover very much but I am hoping to change that this year. The roler is not all that hard to roll up and put away but you need a good stretch of land to store it. A long fence works well so you can hang it up. Putting it back on is a little harder but if you follow their suggestions of opening it out 50% before putting it in, that helps quite a bit.

 

[JohnT]

Re: Solar cove for odd shaped pool (Coverstick / solar factory?)

No, I sure don't, and I don't have the solar cover out yet to take one.

It's already that warm in Indiana? Lucky guy!

It is, but it's going to be in the 60's next week so I haven't bothered with the solar cover yet.

 

[PaulR]

mart242,
Mine is shaped vaguely like yours except the narrow end is narrower and the fat end is flatter. I got a cover that was too narrow and too long, then made two strips out of it (laid the long way). Each strip is manageable without a reel. Trimming to fit made for some wastage, but the kids like popping the bubbles so I can give them scraps to play with.
--paulr

 

[mart242]

mart242,
Mine is shaped vaguely like yours except the narrow end is narrower and the fat end is flatter. I got a cover that was too narrow and too long, then made two strips out of it (laid the long way). Each strip is manageable without a reel. Trimming to fit made for some wastage, but the kids like popping the bubbles so I can give them scraps to play with.
--paulr

Hmm.. thanks for the info. I may try it without a roller at first then. It's not like there's an obvious spot to put the roller. Two companies I spoke to yesterday told me to put the roller there (green line = roller, red rectangle = diving board):

I'll have to do some measurement but I'm hoping that I could simply anchor one end of the roller and rotate the other end to move it out of the way (may not be possible due to steps to enter the pool):

 

[balagon]

I've got a somewhat kidney-shaped pool (a spillover spa fits in the kidney indent), and the reel is positioned across the widest part of the pool, not the narrowest. It's a Rocky's reel, and it's their suggestion that you put the reel at the widest point of the pool; otherwise, you'll be dragging the cover over the deck in order to roll it up. For you, that would be at the points marked 10R. Do you have flat deck at those points on either side? If so, you'd be good to go.

The CoverStick looks intriguing, but ultimately I'm suspicious. I think it's going to be a PITA to wrestle those pieces out of the pool.

 

[mart242]

I ended up getting a rocky's roller which I've put at the green line as per my picture above. I have to fold part of the cover before rolling it (a bit of a pain but it's getting easier with time), roll it and then swivel one end of the roll so that the roller is not above the pool anymore. It works pretty well I'd say. It would definitely have been easier if it had been at the widest part of the pool but that wasn't possible due to the diving board (moving the roller out of the way would have been a pain).