Solar cover on swimming pool. Anyone?

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

We had the reel - very expensive not reliable. Great when it worked, a major pain when it did not, which was often! I know people who have the professionally permanently installed reels and I still am not a fan or how that ends up effecting the pool use. It pretty well blocks off one end. It worked for them as elderly couple who like to swim a few laps each day.....

Got the floating rings for two reasons: I can handle them by myself, and if a child or animal does fall in it is easy for them to find a space then can pop up through. They aren't as efficient, obviously. And Some of them needed replacing after only one season.

Don't let the kids use them as toys!! We had teens over and they dove onto them and broke several

Also don't let the little ones and dogs walk on them - why do childrne need to step on everything??

But, it was cheaper to replace a few each year than having to replace the huge one all at once.

far from the best solution, but still a decent one.

I took it off in the AM and put them back on at nightfall.

 

[grammypam]

As far as taking a quick dip all during the day,we do that too. Having the pool cover isn't an issue. It comes off in the morning and it doesn't go back on till night.

 

[woodmort]

I've had two of those bubble wrap type in the 7 years we've owned our 18 by 30' oval pool--the first came as part of the package deal--and I'm about to replace it with a third. Our pool is above ground but completely surrounded with a deck so we have the reel at one end that is fairly well out of the way. My wife and I are both in our early 70's and have no problem rolling it out at night other than one accidentally pulling the other into the pool--our neighbors may think we fight a lot. The biggest PIA is winter storage--it doesn't come off the reel so I simply cover it tightly with a tarp. I think this may be why the need replacement as they disintegrate over the winter and begin to drop little octagonal pieces of plastic in the pool. On the other hand they do hold the heat in--we have a propane heater but the temps go into the 90's during the day and drop into the 50's at night. Propane is expensive. BTW, with a heater we generally use the poll from Memorial Day to Labor Day but I always try to get in on my birthday which is Oct 7th.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I have one of the bubble wrap solar covers for our pool (which we don't have any more).

Pros:

definitely keeps the water a lot warmer
kept the debris blowing from the forest out of the pool better


Cons:

algae growth exploded!
immediately I had to add more chlorine and just gave up eventually as the pool got too gross.

Gave the pool away.

Said pool cover is now a great firewood pile cover (aka tarp).