Things You'll Need:
- An Appropriately Sized Solar Cover
- Possibly a Solar Reel System
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Step 1
You need to make sure exactly how big your swimming pool is and then purchase that size solar cover.
There are different grades of covers, but a rule of thumb should be buy the best. It's your pool and you want the solar cover to be made of the best materials on the market so that it can trap that heat for you.
The goal is warmer water to swim in , so don't cheap out! -
Step 2
When the cover arrives, remove it from the box and place it reflective side up,(which means bubble side down) on top of your swimming pool water. It should remain floating there whenever your pool is not in use.
If your pump is not running, your cover may heat down as far as several feet into the pool. Don't jump in though until you have circulated that top layer of warm water or else you may be in for a cold shock! -
Step 3
As a suggestion, you might want to also purchase a solar reel system, which allows you to crank a handle and roll up your solar cover on this long segmented pole. If you do that, your cover will stay clean and out of the way. It makes the tedious job of taking the solar cover on and off something that one person can easily accomplish.
The alternative to no solar reel system is to wrestle your cover off each time that you want to use the pool, which usually takes two people.
The inherent problem with this method is , what to do with the cover when it comes off of the pool? Most people simply lay it on the grass, which allows it to bring foreign material like grass or dirt with it when it's time to drag it back on. -
Step 4
A solar cover is a nice pool feature and quite popular among pool owners. It is well worth the money when you realize that it can extend your pool season by several weeks before and after. There are alternatives to a solar cover such as a pool heater, a solar heater or even those solar fish that dispense a liquid designed to trap heat in the pool invisibly. I myself however cannot recommend the fish, since it is relatively new on the scene.
Comments
timh1111 said
on 4/25/2009 OK, So here's a question......Now I run my filter at night. I just started using my Solar Blanket. Should I remove it at night so it it is not disruptive to the filtering of the pool when it comes on or is it OK to leave it on the pool when the filter is running?
flexsol said
on 3/11/2009 I want to thank you for creating such a great post, it is very helpful. I also wanted to let you know that although some "solar fish" are relatively new to the marketplace, Flexible Solutions has been manufacturing liquid solar pool covers for over 15 years, and offers a great deal of tests, testimonials, and safety data. Check out their website, http://www.flexiblesolutions.com, or my Squidoo lens, http://www.squidoo.com/liquidsolarpoolcovers