How to Heat Your Pool With Bubble Wrap

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Anyone with a swimming pool knows that heating it is expensive. Normal gas heat has been known to quadruple an electric bill. But there are solutions, including one that’s been around for more than ten years. Amazing but true, you can heat your pool with bubble wrap. They aren’t really bubble wrap. They look identical but are thicker. A bubble cover is passive heating. It insulates it by maintaining the water’s heat during the night and is the least expensive way to keep the water warm. It’s even affordable, ranging in price from $40 to around $240. It even extends the life and use of the pool, letting you to use the pool earlier and later in the season. Read on to learn how to heat your pool with bubble wrap.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

A special-order sheet of bubble wrap cover larger than your pool
A reel or other motorized mechanism

Step1

Measure your pool first. You’ll need to get a sheet of bubble wrap material that’s larger than your pool. They come in two different sizes--12 x 12 and 24 x 44. They have to be custom cut to fit the dimensions of your pool Phone a local pool supply carrier to see if they carry or can order this. Or go online to find a supplier.

Step2

You can motorize the cover or put it on a reel for easier use. This is difficult for round or differently shaped pools. Check with your pool supplier to see what works for you.

Step3

Know bubble wrap covers aren’t hard to put on. For manual use, you “walk it up” one side of the pool, then grab the other side and shake it out to fullness.

Step4

To warm up a pool, especially at the beginning of the season, keep it on for a while (days). They hold heat efficiently and can raise the pool temperature 10 degrees. Test the temperature with a pool thermometer to determine when the water’s warm enough to swim in.

These can also be used with spas.

Step5

Know these covers sit on top of the water, actually lower than the wind. They can be blown off in strong wind gusts, but that’s not the norm.

Step6

Know that according to Jordan Reed of Guiton’s Spas in Redding, California, they only last for three to four years. They wear out, especially from being in the sun. You know they’re starting to wear out, he said, when they get cracked, ripped, or the bubbles start to pop. Then you need to replace it. “They’re a key thing for people who don’t want to spend thousands to put in a ground heater,” said Reed.

Tips & Warnings

Bubble wrap pool covers need to be rolled up and back with each use to stay in good shape longer.
Don’t walk on them. It may be fun but it shortens the covers’ lifespan.
These covers pose a risk, especially around kids. Like a regular winter pool cover, if you fall in, you get tangled up and you’re in trouble fast. Educate your kids about this when using one.

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Comments

magic1 said

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on 5/29/2008 Dear jimdris:

Glad to know the word about bubble wrap and its versatility is getting around! And thanks for reading my article.

jimdris said

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on 5/29/2008 We've used bubble covers for several years on our above ground pool. In the hotter months, we've gotten the pool up to 90 degrees or so, which is grat for nighttime use. We've bought ours at pool supply stores, and yes, they only last 2 to 4 years.