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How Effective Are Solar Pool Covers

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Meyco 2040 Ft Rectangle Safety Pool Cover

Do Solar Pool Covers Work? The Good And The Bad of Solar Pool Covers

This is truly a model that can last for long thanks to its super strong construction. The manufacturer uses two ply meycolite mesh when it comes to making the cover. This type of cover is strong that it comes with a strength of more than 4000 pounds. You will always have a great time when it comes to the overall construction.

The model is also good in terms of resisting rot. Other than rot, the model is also resistant to mildew, sunlight, and chlorine damage. Since you might use chlorine for cleaning the water, it is good that you have a cover that actually resists it.

The cover will be held in place by using the time tested spring loaded brass pop-up anchoring system. You can be sure that the system will hold the cover in place at all times. Setting it up is seen as easy, so you should have a problem with it.

The mesh cover allows for the water to seep through while at the same time screening out the debris and leaves.

Our Rating:

  • Expensive

Liquid Solar Cover Benefits

Just like any other chemical, you add to your pool water, liquid solar cover is completely safe for people and pets. It wont irritate your skin , and it doesnt leave any residue on you or your swimsuit.

Note: While its not a good idea for your pet to drink pool water on a regular basis, liquid solar cover is safe for the occasional sip or two your dog might decide to take when youre not looking. Always check the safety notes for the brand you choose before using it, and before letting your pets into the pool.

Reduce Water Evaporation

You can cut water evaporation by about 15 percent with a liquid solar cover. Does it really work? Absolutely. We even tested it.

Heat Retention and Lower Heating Costs

Liquid solar covers are about 75 percent as effective as solar blankets at retaining heat. But remember, it works constantly without your having to remember to cover the pool at night.

This may be a tradeoff for never having to reel in, clean, and store liquid solar cover, though.

Keep Bugs and Debris Out

Well, heres one area where solar blankets and rings are the clear winner. Of course, liquid solar cover isnt going to keep bugs, leaves, and other debris out of your pool.

If you opt to use this heating method, youll have to stay on top of things with your handheld skimmer and vacuum.

Lower Chemical Costs

Nope, were actually adding a chemical cost with this one. But its an affordable one that offers a good return on that investment.

The Thickness Of The Cover

Thick covers have their merits, as they wont be easily blown off by the wind, and theyll achieve more heat retention than their counterparts. However, you dont want your cover to be too heavy, as youll have to remove it every time the swimming pool is in use, which can be too hard of a task. Plus, the thicker the cover is, the more money youll pay for it, so make sure that you find a cover that is thick enough to achieve maximum efficiency, but not too heavy to be easily removed.

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Swimline 18 Foot Round Above Ground Swimming Pool Leaf Net Top Cover

For those looking to spend some money on keeping their pools looking good, then this top cover is important. It comes with the design that should help with setting up this kind of performance. There is no doubt you will have a good time when it comes to using it. No more having to clean leaves falling into your pool. There is no doubt you will love having this type of model around.

The model is made of durable woven material. This material should be able to last you for years to come. Having the extra 3 feet of overlaps makes it to be a perfect fit for your pool. The best part is that it comes with the mounting hardware. This includes the cable and ratchet to hold the cover securely over the pool.

The leaf net as the name suggests will be important for catching even the smallest leaves. This is to keep them away from the cover and have a clean top always.

Our Rating:

  • Slow customer support response

Save Money On Chemicals

400B  Blue Solar Pool Cover

We use chlorine in our pools to destroy algae, bacteria and germs. Chlorine is expensive. The sun is an excellent heat source, but also produces UV radiation. UV radiation breaks down chlorine to an unusable state.

In a pool, chlorine is combined with other chemicals to give it some protection from UV rays, but its not a perfect system. Even with chemical protection, chlorine remains somewhat vulnerable. Solar pool covers provide another layer of protection against the loss of chlorine, meaning youll have to replace it less often.

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What To Look For In A Solar Pool Cover

Size, thickness and color are likely the most significant factors in choosing a solar pool cover you should also take into account cost and environmental conditions.

Pool covers need to cover the pool from edge to edge. Large, high quality solar pool covers close to 800 square feet will cost around $300, whereas a smaller cover closer to 100 square feet will be closer to $100 or lower budget brands like Intex will have cheaper options available for many sizes. If your pool cover is slightly larger than your pool, you can cut it to size.

Thick pool covers are better, sometimes. A thicker cover will have better insulation but will also cost more, said Gilda Dobrica, founder of ProSwim NYC and creator of the Teach-Your-Child-To-Swim e-course they would be most useful in colder, windier climates. Thin pool covers around 8 to 10 millimeters can save you about $100, broadly speaking, and may be sufficient in warmer climates. Solar pool covers with thickness between 10 to 12 millimeters fall in the medium range.

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.

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In The Swim Premium Plus: Best Value Solar Pool Cover

This solar blanket from In The Swim is 12-mil thick, so its going to easily keep your pool water warm. This particular model is oval-shaped, however, the brand does offer a range of shapes and sizes.

With UV stabilized resin construction, it can withstand the suns rays, raising the temperature of your family pool up by 15 degrees. The small air bubbles on the bottom side of the blanket make it kind of look like bubble wrap, but bubbles paired with the thickness of the blanket work together to keep heat trapped in your pool and any bad weather.

An impressive seven-year warranty comes with this solar pool cover, and the seams have been reinforced to prevent rips. The In The Swim Premium Plus has an average user rating of 4.6 out of five on its website. Users praised how well this pool cover kept their pool warm, and some also mentioned how well it kept debris out of the pool too. Some users criticized the pool cover, stating it didnt raise the temperature of the water.

Selecting The Right Automatic Pool Cover

Solar Pool Covers (Solar Blankets) Tips, the Good & the Bad

Today we rely more and more on technology and automation to make our lives easier. But some technologies with multiple layers of components can decrease the reliability and increase the maintenance. Automation comes with a cost.

When selecting an automatic pool cover the initial cost and the cost over the lifetime should be considered. The prices for cable track system ranges from $10,000.00 to $30,000.00 plus yearly maintenance and parts. This luxury is great for automatic inground pool covers and can only be installed during the construction of the pool. Our Automatic Pool Roller cost is only $765.00 and our trackless Auto Pool Reel cost is only $1,495.00 plus your pool cover and can be installed any time.

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Will You Use A Solar Cover Reel

Solar pool cover reels are a great way to simplify the constant process of putting on and taking off your pool cover, and some covers even come bundled with one.

They essentially work like a toilet roll holder with a handle. You place the reel at one end of your pool , and rotate the handle to unravel your solar cover sheet over your pool.

Most traditional solar pool covers will work with a reel, but some thinner, more fragile covers can crumple under themselves when extending them across your pool. Just keep that in mind when looking at thickness.

How Effective Are Solar Pool Covers

  • Post author

Solar pool covers otherwise known as solar blankets are swimming pool covers that use the suns energy to keep swimming pools warm. But how effective are solar pool covers? Many pool owners are skeptical about the usefulness of covering their pools to retain heat or protect it. Read on for information on pool solar cover effectiveness.

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In The Swim Premium 12 Mil: Best Round Solar Pool Cover

The In The Swim Premium 12 Mil Solar Blanket is made of polyethylene and its thick material can raise the temperature of your pool by up to 15 degrees Fahrenheit. This can really help cut heating costs.

Raised air pockets on the surface of this thick blanket prevent your pool water from evaporating and protect it from things like falling tree branches or garbage – not to mention small, unwanted insect visitors. The air bubbles also trap heat and keep your pool warm. The thickness of this solar blanket means its pretty durable but the real winner is the impressive seven-year warranty to give you added peace of mind.

This solar pool cover also has UV-stabilized resin to prevent excess damage from the sun. If your pool isnt round, thats not an issue either as you can cut this pool cover to size.

While there arent many reviews for the In The Swim 12 Mil Solar Pool Blanket, it scores an average of 4.5 out of five stars on the companys website. Users state that it effectively warms the water.

The Different Solar Pool Cover Options

525TG Titanium Green Solar Pool Cover

There are four solar pool cover options that are relatively popular on the market these days.

  • 1. Straight line vinyl cover: This is a sheet of vinyl that you allow to float on your swimming pools surface. As it disallows evaporation, your pool stays heated for a longer period.
  • 2. Insulated vinyl cover: Here several layers of vinyl are attached to each other with air pockets between them. This helps to prevent heat transfer from your pool into the air.
  • 3. Pool bubble cover: These are the pool covers we have covered in the review section. This design largely resembles bubble wrap, allowing heat to become trapped within the bubbles, thereby both transferring heat to your water while ensuring very little escapes. It is an extremely popular option.
  • 4. Liquid solar pool cover: This pool heating solution is relatively new on the market and the verdict is still out there. How it works, is that you have a floating dispenser that floats in your pool. It contains a non-toxic liquid chemical that floats on top of your pools water. It is said to trap solar energy. Due to the non-toxicity of the liquid chemicals, it is still perfectly safe to swim in your pool.

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Should You Worry About Quality

Sometimes you can get away with buying a cheaper product for more or less the same end result, but not so much here.

Solar pool covers spend a lot of time in direct sunlight, and even though theyre designed for prolonged exposure, its no secret that cheaper covers will begin to disintegrate into little pieces within the first year or two.

This can result in tiny pieces of plastic getting caught in your skimmers, skimmer baskets, and ultimately your filtration system, causing all sorts of problems that could have been avoided with a better quality cover.

Thickness is a decent indicator of quality, but its also not uncommon to see thinner covers outlast their thicker siblings. Most are labelled as UV resistant too, so that doesnt tell you much.

The only reliable way to know is to check the reviews beforehand, of which there are plenty.

Are Solar Pool Covers Worth The Investment

Its summertime, which means its going to become harder to regulate your pools temperature and control the heat loss that happens due to water evaporation. To solve this, many swimming pool owners are now investing in solar pools, but should you invest in a solar pool cover as well? To answer this question, you need to understand how solar pool covers function. In the next few points, we detail the features of solar pool covers and how they work to help you decide whether or not they are a worthy investment.

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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.

What Is A Solar Pool Cover

Solar Safe Pool Covers offers savings and safey for your family

With no cover at all, pool water absorbs a substantial amount of sunlight. A white plaster pool averaging 4.5 feet in depth absorbs approximately 60% of the suns energy. This energy will heat the pool by about 0.7°F per hour under the noontime sun.

But this heat gain is counteracted by water evaporation, which is dependent not only on water and air temperature but also wind on the pools surface and humidity. Evaporation would cause the same pool to lose about 5°F for every ¼-inch of water evaporated.

Solar pool covers capture the energy of the sun and transfer it directly into your pool water to keep it warm. Depending on where you live, a solar cover may not keep the water as warm as an electric or gas heater, but the tradeoff is that it can actually save you money by reducing water evaporation.

Before we continue, are you tired of fighting with your pool? Youre not alone. Most people are frustrated by their pools because they dont know what to do or how to fix it when something goes wrong. Our comprehensive illustrated guide and video lessons will show you exactly what to do so you can get back in the water fast. right now and purchase our Pool Care Video Course today!

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How Much Does Each Type Of Pool Cover Cost

Now that weve gone over the upsides and downsides of both types, lets talk about the elephant in the room. Even if youre wealthy, you will have a moment or two where you dont want to spend more money than you have to. So, lets talk about the type of pool covers and what you should expect to pay.

Liquid pool covers are the cheapest option upfront. A single bottle of liquid pool cover will be between $15 to $25 in most cases, with many companies offering bulk discounts for people who are open to stocking up. You will need to keep paying that fee as part of your pool maintenance.

Regular solar blankets, on the other hand, will cost between $50 to $300. If you have a specialty pool that has a unique shape, you may need a custom cut solar blanket. This can cost extra. Though that can be a major drawback, there is one perk we want to emphasize here: you only need to pay this money once!

What Is A Liquid Pool Cover

A liquid pool cover is a bottle of non-toxic solution that gets poured on top of the pool. This creates a microscopic film over the pool that locks water inside without harming people who are swimming. You do not have to remove the pool cover in order to swim. You just dive right in, and the pool cover will go back to the surface of the pool naturally.

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