Solar cover reel?

[changeyez]

I am looking to see if I can somehow get a solar cover reel for my pool cover. The shape is so "strange" that it may not be possible. I have to buy a 24x40 rectangle cover and cut it to fit the pool. It is so heavy to pull off everytime we want to use the pool that unfortunately once it's taken off it doesn't always get put back on and we lose heat.

Any ideas to combat this issue (maybe not even a reel for the cover)?
Thank you.

 

[kul]

The reels work best when the pool is a rectangle. You could get a reel to get you part way there if that’s worth it to you.
I don’t have a reel because my pool is at 2 elevations. I just buy 2 now with one as a backup since it gets destroyed with the frequent removing/putting back on etc. Try to buy them in the offseason to save some money. They are not made to last (or at least mine never make it past a season).

I’ve also tried cutting it into strips which can make it more manageable. This year I just went with a slightly smaller size so I can leave it intact and just yank it off when we are going to use the pool. I hate it but it works. For example this week I heated the pool over the weekend and we ended up using it for 3 days because of the solar cover. In those three days I turned on the heater for only a few hours on day 2-3 just to get it 5 degrees warmer.

 

[changeyez]

We have no heater and it gets windy every evening so the cover must go back on to retain heat and water. I cut it into 3 pieces once which was easier to remove but hard to replace as the pieces all looked almost the same.

 

[MSchutzer]

Put the solar reel across the top end of the pool, then fold part of the cover over the top of itself and roll it up. See marked up photo:

 

[changeyez]

That is a great idea. Any recommendation on a brand for the reel? The cover is going to weigh roughly 70 lbs.

 

[kul]

Wow that’s a heavy cover!

 

[changeyez]

Well, it’s 24x40 until I cut it down so it won’t be that heavy. But it’s 12mil thick.

 

[proavia]

With a cover that big and heavy, look at the "Rocky" brand.
There are others that are similar as well.
You will definitely need something heavy duty enough to handle the size and weight.

 

[nuttyp]

Along with several friends in my area here’s the process we’ve gone through. First and despite others’ experiences, we buy a cover and cut it to size. It’s compelling, seems like the right thing to do. We suffer a little bit on aesthetics – not as pretty as open water but it doesn’t look too bad. We pull it on and off every day for awhile but eventually we use the pool less often. So we buy a reel and we’re back to using the pool more often since the reel makes removal and replacing so much easier (after all the setup work). The reel detracts more on aesthetics as it sits near the pool edge attached to the cover and sometimes obstructs play around the edge, but using the reel is so much easier than dragging the cover around. After a while though, even using the reel gets a little tiring and we’re back to using the pool less often. In some climates like mine we don’t need a cover in the summer, so we dry out the cover (thoroughly, not always easy to do, need a yard) and find a clever way to store it, usually hanging in the garage. After one or two seasons, we notice the cover and reel don’t look quite as nice, but we keep using it for a bit. At the start of seasons one, two or three, we patch a few tears in the cover - and we notice some of those plastic air-filled bubbles are floating about or grabbed by the skimmer. We might also fashion new Velcro straps to keep the cover on the reel after discovering that ropes and bungee cords add to the tearing problem. We might also notice more deterioration especially if the cover was not dry when it was stored. If we’re lucky and have a “good” cover, by season three we discover that the 10-year warranty is a prorated thing, so we need to consider starting over – and maybe the reel has some issues by then too. Throughout the process perhaps someone finally tripped over the reel and had a minor injury (or worse). Or maybe it fell off the wall in the garage and damaged you or the car – like a mayhem insurance commercial Faced with that entire experience, the whole setup ends up on the curb for the landfill. Granted some climates make the prospect of a cover more compelling. Here in South Florida the cover saved me a few degrees of loss per night in the winter. In the end we’re back to the no-cover scenario and always the decision whether to spend more on heating daily or swim less often, usually some combo of the two. That’s just my experience and opinion, and that of a few friends – your experience and tenacity will of course vary. --- Joe

 

[PoolBrews]

I would cut this into two - that is what I did for my large irregular pool in MI many years ago - and use two reel covers. I would cut it at the red line - then you'll have two pieces that should roll up fairly easily. The green lines are where I would put either a reel cover with wheels or the DIY reel cover discussed here on the site made with DWV pipe that floats on top of the cover. The advantage of putting it here is that each piece is rolled up from the center. The blue lines show where you could put them at each ends of the pool.

Another advantage is that if you just want to take a quick dip you can just roll up one side or the other.

 

[kul]

@nuttyp this is so true! I felt like I was reading my own cover story. I was just thinking about how we end up using the pool less and wondered if just sucking it up and heating were the reasonable option. I’m not there yet. I use the cover for 3 reasons
1) evaporation protection
2) heat retention
3) FC protection ( though this less so now that I have a SWG)

 

[Newdude]

As much as it was a PITA with the cover, my biggest gripe was that all we wanted to do was run down there and cannonball into the pool. The solar cover destroyed that ability because it added the 5 min step of removing it. When the cover died on year 5, and the almost dead reel had been MacGyver-ed one too many times, I chose to go without the heater so we didn't need another cover and reel.

Putting it back on never bothered me. In fact, I loved it. It was positioned upstream of my returns so I'd jack the pump RPMs and the circulation would push the cover back into place as I unrolled the reel. It made me feel Jedi like every last time. But the taking off part was a buzz kill, also every last time.

 

[kul]

all we wanted to do was run down there and cannonball into the pool. The solar cover destroyed that ability because it added the 5 min step of removing it.

Totally! Can’t be spontaneous. First have to give a dirty look to the cover.

 

[nuttyp]

Thanks @kul and @Newdude for the humorous replies. I had totally forgotten about the loss of spontaneity. When my dog sees me putting on a swimsuit he can't wait to chase me to the edge of the pool as I cannonball in. I'm sure he'd be off sleeping if he had to wait for cover removal. I also tried a couple brands of the floating chemical "fish" dispensers that are supposed to reduce evaporation / heat loss. Those did nothing to help except to add an unknown "space-age" chemical.

 

[Newdude]

Those did nothing to help except to add an unknown "space-age" chemical.

Liquid solar covers do help, just not to the same extent. And any slight waft of a breeze pushes it all to the down wind side, which is basically ever.

 

[changeyez]

I don't mind the loss of spontaneity as we have to get the kids ready to get in the pool anyways. We live in Northern California where it can be pretty warm/hot during the day but cold overnight so we need to have a cover or the pool just doesn't stay warm enough. We do not have a heater for it and I want a solar pool panels but we have a tile roof with skip sheathing so can't get it. It is also windy every night here so evaporation is a killer without a cover.

 

[kul]

The fish liquid or whatever is unhelpful. I tried it last year and it didn’t work for me due to water movement. Perhaps it would be helpful in an enclosed environment