Solar Cover Reel Location

[YaySummer]

Hello! I’m in the process of planning a 16 x 28 oval above ground pool. I found one picture where someone seems to have mounted their solar cover on the long side of their oval pool. They must fold in the two sides before reeling it up? I’d like to mount mine similarly if it won’t become an annoyance… I’m wondering how it might work out. Thanks!

 

[cj133]

I can only offer my opinions.
I bought what's considered a very good reel and a very good cover. I had mine mounted near the center of the oval and it worked ok.

But ultimately mine ended up hung up behind the shed never used again after the first year.
It was way too much trouble for way too little if any gain.

It may have increased the temperature of the water, but it was never enough to matter and it may have reduced chlorine consumption but again, not enough for me to care.

If I was you I'd look into a heater of some sort and skip the cover and the reel. In my case, we hired someone to trim a tree and it made 10 times the difference that cover ever did. I've also considered a heater but just haven't done anything yet.

 

[Newdude]

Hey Yay !!! Got any pics of yours? I'd mount the reel across the end of the oval, but not quite at the end. So the last 3 ft or so would double roll. I think going sideways will be too much trouble to fold in half and then roll up a twice as heavy PITA cover.

If you or @cj133 go with a heater, you will race to put a cover on after getting the first energy bill.

Solar covers are amazing to their capability. They don't warm the pool. They stop the bulk of evaporation where 70% of your heat loss occurs. Most see a 5-7 degree increase from the loss they would have had. But. On a cool week, it's of no enjoyment that the pool is 67 when it would have been 60. However, when the air Temps dip for a day or two, the pool stays mostly its original temp. So it's worth it's weight in gold on those days. We also found that if we got a cold spell, nobody felt like swimming when it was 65 or less anyway. But the pool would warm up that much quicker when the nicer temps returned.

No two seasons were the same. Some years it made all the difference and some years it was a moot point. But it did always work to it's ability.

 

[phonedave]

Hello! I’m in the process of planning a 16 x 28 oval above ground pool. I found one picture where someone seems to have mounted their solar cover on the long side of their oval pool. They must fold in the two sides before reeling it up? I’d like to mount mine similarly if it won’t become an annoyance… I’m wondering how it might work out. Thanks!

I don't know the size of your pool. I have a round pool, so my cover goes across the middle. My pool is 27' across and I will say, a reel that long is expensive, and even though it is beefy aluminum tube, it does bow in the middle. If there was any way to go with a shorter reel, I would do so. In your case I would be highly tempted to go across the short dimension of the pool.

I have two supports off to the side of my yard. After I roll up the cover, I pivot on end to one of the supports, then pivot the other end to the other support. That gets it out of the way. The reel and cover also live on the supports during the winter (wrapped up in a tarp).

I find that the cover makes a huge difference in extending the season for me. As Newdude said, it is not about warming up the pool as much as it is keeping it from cooling. If I leave my cover off during a cool night, my pool temperature will drop significantly. If I have the cover on, the drop is negligible.

 

[Charlie Bezzina]

Hello. I've tried folding my bubble cover while it is on the pool, and I found it impossible. It sticks to itself and drags itself all out of shape. Total pita. YMMV (but I doubt it).

 

[toolerb50]

For my oval, I don't have a reel but ended up cutting my cover into halves for ease of removal. First year I always made an effort to put the cover on. After that, it's been in the shed or laying by the side of the pool because it's too much of a hassle for little benefit. It does make a difference to retain heat on cooler nights towards the end of the season and helps keep debris out in the fall. You didn't mention if you are expecting it to heat the pool however you won't see much benefit with a cover and would be better off with a heater.

 

[cj133]

Hey Yay !!! Got any pics of yours? I'd mount the reel across the end of the oval, but not quite at the end. So the last 3 ft or so would double roll. I think going sideways will be too much trouble to fold in half and then roll up a twice as heavy PITA cover.

If you or @cj133 go with a heater, you will race to put a cover on after getting the first energy bill.

Solar covers are amazing to their capability. They don't warm the pool. They stop the bulk of evaporation where 70% of your heat loss occurs. Most see a 5-7 degree increase from the loss they would have had. But. On a cool week, it's of no enjoyment that the pool is 67 when it would have been 60. However, when the air Temps dip for a day or two, the pool stays mostly its original temp. So it's worth it's weight in gold on those days. We also found that if we got a cold spell, nobody felt like swimming when it was 65 or less anyway. But the pool would warm up that much quicker when the nicer temps returned.

No two seasons were the same. Some years it made all the difference and some years it was a moot point. But it did always work to it's ability.

No, no I won't.
I understand what it would cost to run a heater which is the primary reason I don't have one yet.
I've also looked into solar heaters of different styles.

I won't be wasting my time with a solar cover again.
In fact, this winter I didn't even cover it because I didn't want to deal with that one either.

 

[YaySummer]

Thank you all for your input! Our nights get pretty cool here, so I plan to use a cover. I have a tight space that I’m working within, so I think I’ll plan to cut the cover in a couple pieces instead of trying to fit in a spot for a reel.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

A solar cover and reel are not that heavy. I was able to move mine to the side of the house alone after rolling up the cover (previous 16' x 30' pool). With my current pool, I'm not able to use a reel so I cut it lengthwise into two sections. If you mount it over the width of the pool, two people can easily move it out of sight. Having done both, I would use a reel before cut the cover into sections. Either way, I will continue to use a cover. For me, the warm water is worth the extra hassle.

 

[Charlie Bezzina]

Search for the thread about DIY bubble cover reels using foam wall PVC/ABS pipe. It looks like an excellent solution.

 

[toolerb50]

I saved this pic from a post I came across a while ago and thought it was a good idea. Basically they made a cradle out of pvc at one end of the pool. This would allow you to roll or bunch it up into the cradle.