solar cover, how to increase ease of taking on / off

[xycosse]

Solar covers for a pool are great, keeps water, chlorine and heat in. What's awful is having to put the cover on and take it off, it makes me use my pool a lot less when I have to go through the hassle for a quick 30min swim. Especially if I don't have anyone else to grab another corner and have to try to mangle with the thing myself.

I've tried using cover reels in the past, which kind of makes taking the cover off easier, but it still ends up being a big hassle. Trying cover the pool again, I find myself having to pull pretty hard, which ends up just pulling the whole reel towards me (I guess I could bolt t right into the ground?) and I tend to still need a 2nd person on the other end to get it to unroll at all smoothly.

This last cover I got, I cut it into three pieces and tried to just drag it off the pool side ways and back on, it was sort of easier to do with one person but it's still a big hassle. That cover is now falling apart so I'm looking into getting a new one.

Besides spending $7000 on an automatic pool cover track system, does anyone have any tips for making working with pool covers easier? My pool is 30 feet long, in ground, which I think is a lot of the issue.

 

[Teald024]

I believe the best way is to use a cover reel. You can get the cover off in less than 30 seconds.
Putting the cover back on is the real issue.
I found some webbing or rope (as an example) on the internet and attached it to the cover at each end in the center with some stainless steel bolts. That way I could pull from the center of the end and it would go on the pool easier. I then fixed the corners and was done. Allowed me to put the cover on in 2-3 minutes.

 

[Uncle Salty]

We purchased a Rocky’s Reel when we put our pool in and it works great for our 20X40. It lags to the decking and you can unfasten it to roll out of the way as needed.

Salty

 

[Arizonarob]

One of our pump gurus on the forum @mas985 got bored tinkering with pumps, so he set his sights on his PITA solar cover. Let’s just say the cover didn’t stand a chance.
You can read his DIY thread Here.

 

[xycosse]

@Uncle Salty Did you get the 3A or the A model?

I'm looking into the rocky reels now, maybe the reels I had in the past were just awful reels and a rocky would be easier to use. I'm wondering if I should get the one with the 3" or 4" tube. I do tend to thicker covers.

 

[awstevens]

I just had this reel delivered. I'm putting it together this week and will report back after I do. This is my first experience with a reel after covering/uncovering by hand last year. I may end up regretting it but I couldn't justify the higher cost for a rockys.

 

[DorsalSpine]

Before we went to the auto cover we used a reel. It came with wheels that locked so you could roll it out of the way when it wasn't in use. It was easier that way but still a job for one person. I could do it but my wife still struggled with the weight of the cover. My $.02 is that the bigger heavy duty reels are money will spent. Adding a rope to the end of the cover helped as well.

 

[Uncle Salty]

@Uncle Salty Did you get the 3A or the A model?

I'm looking into the rocky reels now, maybe the reels I had in the past were just awful reels and a rocky would be easier to use. I'm wondering if I should get the one with the 3" or 4" tube. I do tend to thicker covers.

I have the 3A model and have had both 16mil & 8mil covers and it works great with either. I have a brand new 16mil I’ll be putting on when I get back home in a few days. Rock’s cost a bit more but this is one of those cases that you get what you pay for.

Salty