What the heck do you do with your solar cover?

Jump to latest Follow Reply
I have my oval cover split in 2 and use the rollers mentioned above. Once rolled up, I slip the 2 rolls into a sleeve a made from a white tarp and hang on some hooks I mounted on the wall. It works pretty well. I usually keep the pool covered during the week and uncover on the weekends.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mariane
I too am looking for a better setup. I just toss it on there when not in use, it's like - 6" bigger than the pool all around, so it kind of bunches up and does it's thing. Even though my pool is wide open to the North Dakota NorthWest Wind, It hasn't had any issues yet.

When i take it off, I just kind of roll it up into my body and drag it off (from the deck) - then I either set it in the shade or in the garage if it'll be off longer. I'd love a reel, but can't really quantify how that would work with my setup.

20200606_204657.jpg
 
Here is the roller I made:

DIY Solar Cover Roller

Someone in another thread had asked about how I built my own solar cover roller. So here it is. Initially, I had purchased a SolarRoller and it worked pretty well for about three years after which the aluminum pipe corroded through. So I looked at several alternatives and came up with the...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
mine is 18x24 oval AG, I fold in the width a few times on each side, so it’s like 10x24. Then fold it over itself and pull it out when it’s about 10x3ft and grab in the middle so the extra water drains out. I then place next to pool in a bunch, part of it sits in sun, it’s only of when we swim, back on in the evening

Eventually I hope to put a reel Together
 
My reel came with the house. I purchased some parts to refurbish it [Wheels, roller bearings, and straps]. It works like a dream. It actually takes longer to put on the protective cover sheet. I use a stretchy bungie type rope. It stays cool enough and the Gazebo shades the rolled up blanket for part of the day. I installed a pull rope so one person can put the cover back on the pool. You can see the blue pull rope at the bottom centre of the covered Solar Blanket.

Covered cover.jpg
 
Last edited:
We put ours on a reel, and it was well worth it. We've accepted we're inherently lazy people, and if it's not easy to do we won't do it. With the reel it was easy to roll on and off, so we actually used it routinely and kept the pool cleaner and warmer.

Now that it's hot we put it out on the lawn to dry last weekend (killed the lawn in one day! Do not do this!!) then folded it up and put it into the garage for the summer. I honestly have no idea where the hubby put the reel. I haven't thought to ask, he must have disassembled it and stashed it somewhere.

We got this one from Amazon to span our 16'. It sags in the middle, but was still very functional all through fall, winter, and spring.

Nova Microdermabrasion Swimming Pool Cover Reel Set 21 FT Aluminum Inground Solar Cover Reel w/Thermometer

We only paid $114 for it.
 
RS220 said:
. . . . . . We've accepted we're inherently lazy people, and if it's not easy to do we won't do it.

Now that it's hot we put it out on the lawn to dry last weekend (killed the lawn in one day! Do not do this!!)
Click to expand...
We are the same (I thought I was the only one) and same if it's not easy . . . .

It's not only in sunny California, also any hot sun even in Michigan.
We also spread the solar cover on the lawn to dry last weekend and it killed the grass in one day. The sun burned the grass through the cover. :hammer:Isn't the solar cover supposed to "keep the heat in"? My DUH moment. :scratch:
 
  • Like
Reactions: RS220
mariane said:
We are the same (I thought I was the only one) and same if it's not easy . . . .

It's not only in sunny California, also any hot sun even in Michigan.
We also spread the solar cover on the lawn to dry last weekend and it killed the grass in one day. The sun burned the grass through the cover. :hammer:Isn't the solar cover supposed to "keep the heat in"? My DUH moment. :scratch:
Click to expand...

You are in good company! I call realizing your inherent flaws and accepting that you will not change and planning accordingly wisdom.

I knew it would kill the grass, I just didn't think it would be that fast. Our lawn is a battle as it is and this was definitely a setback, but it's beginning to recover. Harder since we have no irrigation and everything has to be manually watered. So yes, lesson learned. No solar covers on the lawn.

yard.PNG
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
RS220 said:
You are in good company! I call realizing your inherent flaws and accepting that you will not change and planning accordingly wisdom.

I knew it would kill the grass, I just didn't think it would be that fast. Our lawn is a battle as it is and this was definitely a setback, but it's beginning to recover. Harder since we have no irrigation and everything has to be manually watered. So yes, lesson learned. No solar covers on the lawn.

View attachment 149233
Click to expand...

same thing happened to us, which is why I made my DIY solar roller. For what it's worth, our lawn recovered though.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mariane
Before I replaced the wheels on the reel I had to drag the wet blanket on the reel over to the shade. After I replaced the wheels I just pushed the reel to the end of the deck [I was Pavlov's dog and I just continued]. After reading these posts I am letting the wheels work for me. It only takes 1/2 a minute to wheel the rig over to the shade. I still cover the cover.
Even with the 12 ml cover I loose 3 °F every night. So I wouldn't be without it. North of the 49th parallel.
 
Gopherboy6956 said:
Ha - we're only 2 hours south of the 49th :)
Click to expand...

Fargo - what I refer to as the deep south. :laughblue:

A solar blanket is mandatory in these parts. If I leave it off overnight I can see the dollar signs rising from the water like steam. We went with a Cleardeck storage system. We love the clean look, the convenient storage solution, and the protection from the wind. We regularly get gale force winds in our area. Our neighbour had his above deck roller system actually get ripped from the concrete and thrown into his pool, mandating a new liner.

The only problem we have with the Cleardeck is that it bunches up in the middle when rolling it in unless you go back and forth pulling the blanket to the sides. I don't know why it does that but it's a small PITA for all the advantages we get.




m.
 
For what its worth I need to pull on each side as the cover bunches up. I maybe need to do this 3 or 4 times. Your system looks really nice. It is super clean as you mentioned. Do you have any problems with the cover rubbing on the deck and coping?
 
The cover does get dragged over the coping and edge but it doesn't seem to take any damage from it. I've been wondering if my bunching experience is the norm with Cleardeck. It appears that I'm not the only one.

But it's still a feature I'd get again a million times over. Between the clean appearance, convenient storage (especially in the winter), and weather protection there's no way I'd have a pool without it.


m.
 
That Clear deck thing does look cool for sure. Yea - its very windy here as well.

Does anyone else wash their covers? I mine has had a thin layer of dirt etc from when its on the pool, so I laid it out on the deck yesterday and used the pool brush to clean and then rinse it.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply