Yes another pool cover question

[lilhall]

Sorry but I did search the forums but could not decipher a good recommendation on covers.

I have an in-ground 17' x 37' pool in Massachusetts that no one uses because its too cold even in late summer. The pool has never been over 68* and a heater or spending lots of money are not in the cards for this year. I tried a make my own solar system which did not do anything. So that leaves me to try a cover.

• will it help heat the pool at all?
• Is it worth it (taking it off just on weekends)
• should I spend the extra money and get the clear one?
• sounds like 8Mil may be the way to go.
• What company has the best deals on them.

Any assistance is greatly appreciated.

 

[awstevens]

Does your pool not get any sun? I am in MA as well and my pool was up to 65 a few weeks ago before I turned the heater on. My in laws don't have a heater and their pool routinely gets into the 80's during the middle of summer.

I don't think a solar cover is going to help much unless you add a heater and/or cut down some trees.

 

[jblizzle]

Covers do more to prevent heat loss to evaporation than "add" heat.
The sun will add heat everyday, but often it is all lost at night, so the cover can certainly help.

Seems that all the "solar" covers only last 1-2 season, so I suggest the cheapest you can find.
Color will not make much of a difference.
The thicker the material, the heavier and more annoying it will be to put on and off.

What was your solar heater? The DIY solutions tend to not have enough surface area exposed to the sun to help much. The commercial panels do a better job and are really not that expensive.

 

[CJadamec]

A solar cover help get the pool to a warmer average temperature. They work by stopping evaporation of the pool water which is a major source of heat loss. It won't be an overnight heat gain but given some sunny days and warm temperatures your pool will get warmer.

The color of the cover really isn't important. Blue or clear doesn't make a difference.

I keep the cover on my pool all the time unless I am swimming. Which means taking on and off a lot. It's worth it to get a cover reel to make this job as easy as possible which promotes using the cover more often.

A solar cover is a must haven't you plan on adding a heater down the road. They cut heating costs by as much as 60% depending on weather conditions.

 

[lilhall]

We cut some down but are getting close to property line now. A few more would certainly help. I would love to get high 70s

 

[jm1]

I'm in Northern CA, where it routinely stays below 75 for weeks at a time in the summer. I am a big fan of covers. I used a Doheny clear 12mm for 2-3 years, and it broke up (despite the "7 year warranty") and bought a blue 8mm from Pool Supplies dot com (aka Leisure Living), and a reel for it. Cover was <$100, Reel was about $150. Our pool is slightly smaller than yours, so you might have to upgrade to the more expensive/larger roller, although they claim up to 20'. As I said, I'm a big fan--I leave it on for the week, roll it for the weekend, and with 2 people, it's 2-5 minutes on or off--I lose a lot less water and can keep the temperature 70-75+ from May- Sept/Oct.

I also disagree some on the heating up bit -- I believe a cover on a pool in direct sun does increase heat transfer to the water a bit -- but the insulating factor is much more important. When I leave the cover off, I lose 1/4" of water a day, and the pool is steaming on the 55 degree mornings.

My advice: do it. 8mm max (12 is heavy and difficult to move), and get the reel. Good luck.