Tuesday, March 19, 2024

In Ground Solar Pool Covers

What Is A Solar Pool Cover

DIY Solar Cover Reel System for Above Ground Pool

A solar pool cover is basically a large solar blanket. It is similar to very strong bubble wrap that floats on the surface of the pool. It doesnt need to be attached to the pool as the surface tension, and its weight, holds it onto the pool surface. In 8 years of having a solar pool cover mine has never been blown out of the pool or even been lifted and we get some pretty strong winds here.

It has bubbles on one side and a strong flat layer on the other. The bubbles help to act as an insulator to stop heat transfer out of the pool.

A solar pool cover is different from a pool cover. A pool cover is intended to cover the entire pool to protect it during the winter and/or to prevent children or pets from falling in.

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How To Use Liquid Solar Cover

In addition to bottles, you can also find liquid solar cover in special dispersal packets, sometimes shaped like a cute little fish. Usually, youll just make a small cut in the dispersal packet, and set it free in the pool. Follow the instructions to be sure you add enough packets for your pool.

For bottled liquid solar cover, simply measure out the appropriate amount according to the volume of your pool, and pour it in. Thats it. Really.

We like to add enough liquid solar cover to last for a month, but always follow the manufacturers instructions for optimal performance. If you have a lot of splashout, heavy rain, or extremely dry conditions you may need to add liquid solar cover more often.

Tip: You can run your pump as usual with liquid solar cover in the pool.

Maintain Water Temperature For Free

Unlike other types of pool heaters, a solar cover helps to maintain heat in your pool for free. Other than the cost of the solar blanket, there are no associated costs to operate your blanket . Proper use of a solar blanket can retain up to 10 degrees of additional heat in your pool, depending on the amount of sun your pool gets throughout the day, and the duration it is exposed to the sunlight.

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Why Do They Not Last Long

When a pool cover is made, UV protection is chemically added to the material to prolong its lifespan. This protection only lasts so long though. UV rays from the sun are very effective at breaking down the bonds that hold the cover together at the molecular level. Nature is quite powerful in this regard.

Once the UV protections useful life has passed, it is just a matter of time before the material starts to become rigid. At this point, it becomes vulnerable to damage by wind, rain and falling debris.

If thats not enough, chlorine, the chemical that keeps our pools safe, also plays a big role in the deterioration of pool covers. Chlorine is a corrosive chemical that breaks down molecular bonds nearly as effectively as UV rays.

How Do You Install A Solar Pool Cover

Aqua Splash In Ground Swimming Pool Solar Cover Blanket Reel

Installing a new solar pool cover is not incredibly difficult, but there are a couple of steps you want to make sure you dont miss. First, simply remove the cover from the box it came in and lay it next to your swimming pool. Carefully unfold it, as to not create any rips or tears, and then gently spread it over your pools surface with the bubble side down . Our team suggests leaving it out in the sun for a couple of hours if possible to give the cover time to decompress.

If you have a solar reel, this can usually be done with one person, otherwise, we suggest having a family member or friend help with this process. The next step is to cut the solar pool cover to fit your pool size & shape if needed, you want it to be a fairly tight fit, with a tiny bit of excess so no coverage gaps exist that would allow heat to escape. Check out our Full Guide on How To Install Solar Pool Covers for more details.

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Sun2solar Clear Rectangle Solar Pool Cover

Now onto the cream of the crop. Many see the Sun2Solar Solar Cover as the best solar cover for an inground pool, including the vast majority of our team that was involved in testing the solar covers. Its affordable, durable, heats pools extremely well and it still offers good value for its price. The 16 x 32 ft. cover that we tested comes in either blue or clear color, and they are made from thousands of round bubbles.

This pool cover also comes in over a dozen different sizes for both rectangle and square pools, meaning less cutting and more convenience in setting it up. When considering what color to go with, blue can provide an appealing look, while clear does a better job at acquiring more heat.

This solar cover is 12-mil thick, and it can have a reasonable amount of durability. You can trim it to suit your specific needs, and you wont have to worry about voiding the warranty. This was hands down our teams favorite of the 20 solar pool covers we tested and is an online best seller.

So, how exactly does a solar pool cover work?

Our Teams Answer: A solar cover for swimming pools essentially works like a heating lid. It captures the heat from the sun and prevents your pool from debris and dirt. It also prevents heat loss as well as helps prevent the water from evaporating.

What Can I Do About It

There are some things you can do to slow the rate of deterioration and prolong the lifespan of your solar cover. They dont stop the breakdown from happening, but can delay the process.

  • Purchase a pool cover with excellent UV protection built into it.
  • When not in use, keep the cover out of the sun by placing it in a shelter or covering it with a protective cover.
  • The bubble side of the cover is where the thinnest, most vulnerable material is. If its not possible to avoid sunlight, at least keep the bubble side protected. Either roll up or fold the cover so that the bubbles face inward.
  • Keep the chlorine concentration in the pool at recommended levels. Using more chlorine than necessary is not good for your budget or the pool cover.
  • Remove the solar pool cover when shocking the pool, or if too much chlorine has been accidentally added. Keep the cover off until chlorine levels fall back to normal.

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Our Summary On The Best Solar Covers For Inground Pools

We hope you enjoyed this guide on how to choose the absolute best solar pool cover for your inground swimming pool!

There are many benefits to having a quality solar swimming pool cover from maintaining your pool temperature to balancing out your pools chemicals. You can use the above reviews to decide which product is the best solar cover for your inground pool, our teams personal top pick is the Sun2Solar Clear Rectangle Solar Cover.

Let us know what you think about our top solar cover choices for inground swimming pools in the comment section below!

Protect The Pool From Debris & Bugs

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If you dont cover your pool, you risk leaving it exposed to a number of elements. Leaves, debris, and even bugs can fall into the water. This can risk damaging your filter. Also, as a solar cover maintains a steady temperature, it can reduce the chance of mildew developing inside the pool as a result of uneven temperatures.

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What Makes The Elite Solar Pool Blanket Different

The Elite Super Bubble Ultra Heat Deep Colour Blankets are proven to heat better than standard pool blankets thorough smart design, including:

  • Larger bubble sizes, making it the best insulating round bubble blanket available
  • Thickness of 550 micron
  • Darker colours that heat better than lighter colours, giving you a warmer pool and a longer swimming season

Elite Super Bubble Solar Blankets are salt-safe and chlorine safe and will out-last other round bubble blankets due to their thickness and bubble design.

Choose The Elite Solar Pool Blanket For Superior Performance

Ten years ago, the team at Elite Pool Covers set out to improve on all aspects of the run of the mill round bubble blankets and succeeded by developing the Elite Super Bubble Blanket that is proven to out-perform all solar types of round bubble blankets on the world market.

There are a number of run of the mill round bubble type blankets on the market. These tend to keep the heat in your pool the same, as they all have similar small bubble size, same average insulating qualities, same lifespan and similar thicknesses.

The Elite Super Bubble Solar Blanket is truly superior and is proven to outperform all other round bubble blankets according to independent scale tank tests and comparative guarded hot plate tests to Australian Standard AS4859-1.

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My Experience Of Using A Solar Cover

We live in the Canary Islands, which are off the coast of north Africa, so the climate here is pretty warm generally. We have solar heating panels on the roof which obviously heats the water up quite well, but without a solar cover, much of that heat is lost overnight.

We are not masochists, and dont want to die of shock when we get in the pool, so we want the temperature to be at least 82ºF/28ºC before we put a toe in.

Before we bought the solar cover we usually managed to swim comfortably from mid-April until mid-October. With the solar cover we are often in the pool by early March and swim until mid-November at least..

My pool normally loses 1.5-2ºF overnight without the cover on but hardly loses anything overnight when it is on.

In the summer, on a sunny day , without our solar heating on, I often see an increase of 2-3ºF during the day when I have the solar cover on.

Interestingly, we had a power outage for just over 24 hours last summer and I had the pool cover on. My wife and I wanted to swim late afternoon so I rolled the cover back and in we went. The water temperature in the top foot was much higher than the water below by at least 10ºF. Of course the pool pump had not been running so the water had been undisturbed which is why this was so noticeable.

As an aside, it was amazing how the warmer water had such a defined edge to the cooler water below. It was not a gradual transition from hot to cool as I would have expected but a sudden change.

Solar Pool Covers: Rectangular Oval Custom Sizes

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A Thermal Pool Cover is recommended for all pool heating systems. Heating a pool without a cover is like heating a house without a roof the heat just goes right out the top. Without a pool cover, the cost of operating a Heat Pump or Gas Heater is doubled, and a Solar Heater’s effectiveness is dramatically decreased. For convenience a roller may be added to ease placement and removal of the cover. If a pool cover is not being used, the size of the heater must be increased by 75% – 100%.

Solar pool covers save energy, reduce evaporation loss as much as 90% and cuts nighttime heat loss while keeping your pool free of debris. High profile bubble covers are available in Economy 8mil, Deluxe heavy 12mil and Premium extra heavy 15 mil bubble. Rectangular, round, free-form and custom sizes are available.

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Liquid Solar Cover: The Future Is Now

Is it really possible that you could pour something into your pool water that magically warms it up? Yup. Thats basically how liquid solar cover works. Except its not magic its more science!

Liquid solar cover contains aliphatic alcohols, which form a monolayer film on the surface of the water, thereby requiring upwardly escaping water molecules to expend energy in forcing adjacent molecular chains sufficiently apart to pass between them

In plain English? A one-molecule-thick layer of fatty alcohol sits on the surface of the water, inhibiting the waters ability to evaporate normally. Preventing evaporation prevents heat loss, and voilà! Your pool stays warmer than if you had no solar cover at all.

Liquid solar cover ranges in price from about $10 to about $30 or more, depending on brand and whether you buy a single container or a pack of multiple containers.

Do Solar Pool Covers Really Work

Yes! Every time you lose water, through splashing or evaporation, you have to replace it. And new water takes energy to heat. Solar pool covers help retain the heat already in the water by reducing water evaporation. And they act as a magnifying glass to amplify the suns warming effect on your pool water.

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Splash Pools Scv 2412 Oval Solar Cover

With the Splash Pools Oval Solar Cover, you get three size options to find a great fit for your above-ground pool. We found one that should have been a great fit, but we were dismayed to see that it was several inches smaller than advertised. This resulted in a large gap around the perimeter of the cover that allowed debris to get into the pool and reduced this covers effectiveness. But it still did a pretty decent job of increasing the waters temperature.

Our biggest complaint with the Splash pools solar cover is that it started to disintegrate within the first year. When this happens, youll notice your pool starting to fill up with little plastic bubbles that can easily clog your pump and vacuum. For us, the headache this caused wasnt worth the few degrees of warmth we got in exchange, which is why this cover is in the last position of our list.

  • Started to disintegrate in the first year
  • Filled pool with plastic particles
  • Smaller than advertised

How Much Is Best Solar Cover Reel For Inground Pool

How to Fit a Solar Cover for a Swimming Pool

Best Solar Cover Reel For Inground Pool come in a variety of designs and pricing ranges. Itâs difficult to predict product costs nowadays.Because the price range is so wide, you dont know how much something costs. For example, a pair of pants can range from $20 to $200 depending on where you buy them. Similarly, additional goods like as best solar cover reel for inground pool.

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Roll With The Only Below The Deck System In The World

A well-maintained swimming pool provides years of enjoyment and lasting memories. As a pool owner, you can save significantly on pool heating and retention costs through regular use of a solar blanket. But a conventional above-deck solar blanket roller presents a challenge for easy one-person operation and detracts from the overall beauty of your backyard. However, with a ClearDeck® In-Ground Solar Blanket Roller, the blanket is concealed below deck and completely hidden out of sight when not in use. As a result, your deck will be less cluttered, allowing you to enjoy the beauty of your pool and landscaping as you envisioned. Check out ClearDecks key features:

  • Greatly reduces heat loss and saves on heating bills
  • No more unsightly reel on your deck
  • Retracts and extends in less than a minute
  • Eliminates tripping hazards

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About Our Solar Covers

With a solar cover you can keep the heat in your pool for FREE! We carry a variety of solar cover styles that can help to maintain the temperature in your pool. Whether your pool is too cold to enjoy consistently throughout the summer or youre currently spending a fortune heating it, youll be able to extend your swimming season and save money with a solar cover. Solar covers are designed for inground, semi inground and above ground pools. The bubbles should face down into the water when you put your solar cover on.

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How Long Does A Solar Pool Cover Last

Because a solar cover is made of plastic material, it will begin to deteriorate after a while. Also, because of the outside elements and chemicals in your pool, the pool cover will begin to dry around the corners and the bubbles will start to deflate as well. High-quality solar pool covers can remain in good quality condition for about 4-5 years on average.

Why Trust The Spruce

Robelle Heavy

Erica Puisis has been covering the best products for outdoor and indoor living at The Spruce since 2017. Her research and areas of expertise have included pool heaters, cleaners, and water testing equipment. To find the best options for this essential pool accessory, she considered the thickness of each solar cover, its ability to retain heat, block UV rays, or provide passive heating for pool water, and the length of any warranty periods.

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You Can Remove Liquid Solar Cover But Why

Although we cant think of any reason why youd want to, the only way to remove liquid solar cover from your pool water would be to drain the pool and refill it, and no one wants to do that if it can be avoided.

The thing is, if you decided to stop using liquid solar cover for any reason, all you have to do is wait a while. The chemical naturally dissipates over a certain period of time, depending on how large your pool is and how much liquid solar cover you have to use.

For this reason, for as long as you want to use it, liquid solar cover must be added to your pool on a regular basis, so be sure to add it to your swimming pool maintenance schedule.

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