Solar Pool Covers

A solar pool cover is the most cost-effective product to your pool. Advanced light diffusion properties enhance the sun's solar rays, thus using free solar energy to heat your pool. Even if you already have a heater (solar heater, heat pump or gas heater), solar pool covers will save you a lot of money on energy and bring new advantages (which we’ll discuss further in this article) that the heater couldn’t supply. Without a pool cover, solar heater's effectiveness is dramatically decreased and the cost of operating a Heat Pump or Gas Heater is doubled.

Evaporation is the cause of losing 70% of heat provided by pool heaters (mechanical or natural). By reducing an estimated rate of 70%-95% of evaporation, which is the greater cause of heat losses,  a solar cover for pool (or blanket) will not only serve as a natural heater but also as the best way to save money on the involved operating costs of swimming pool maintenance. The evaporation rate depends on a range of factors such as the surrounding conditions (the wind speed, shades form fences or trees), the climate (dry or windy climates have superior rates of evaporation), the humidity, to name some. Also, solar covers for pools increase the water temperature about 10-15 degree, permitting the extension of your swimming season.

The most popular swimming pool solar covers are clear and blue ones. Some tests have shown that a clear solar pool cover is more efficient for passive solar heating, reducing evaporation. Black covers absorb more sunlight and silver blankets acts in a different way, reflecting the heat back into the pool. There is no best solar pool cover in this matter as they all have diverse pros. Although they have different approaches, the principle of having a solar swimming pool cover applies to all these color schemes.

Solar blankets can be made from a variety of materials such as Resin, Polyethylene (UV stabilized, film), vinyl to resist deterioration, or polypropylene. The common covers have bubbles (very tiny bubbles) that capture solar heat and pass on to the pool. In this kind of covers, one side has bubbles and the other is flat. Place the bubble side on the water and the smooth side on top. There are covers that contain bubbles in diamond shape, which diminish the space between bubbles, resulting on maximum heat preservation. Vinyl covers have a longer life than the bubbles type, since it’s a heavier durable material.

For an inground pool solar cover, it’s recommended (despite not being strictly necessary), that you get a reel to collect your blanket. There are automatic solar pool cover reels, which is a great choice for the large pools given that a manual job is sometimes a hassle to the consumer. Reels also help to get rid of dirt on the cover. For above ground pool solar covers, you’ll notice that it’s exceptionally easy to install and take off the blanket, even without a reel. For both in ground and above make sure of the measure of your pool, as a bad call here can result in less efficient equipment.

A solar blanket pool cover may be designed to round, oval, rectangular pools. Some covers even adjust to the shape of your pool or you could look for a custom, if it’s not any of the mentioned designs.

Depending on the density of the material, the effectiveness may vary. Even so, common covers are durable and reliable. Electric and gas heaters often last less years than a solar blanket pool cover. Most of heat pumps and gas heaters have a two-year warranty, which is, compared to some seven-year warranty of many covers, a great disadvantage.

·         Save energy on other heaters since the cover is a natural heater, absorbing thermal energy form and maintaining it.

·         Effectively conserve the heat, reducing evaporation (great fact to be in consideration) thus saving water (water bill).

·         The blanket is also effective in keeping indoor pools warmer, by minimizing convective heat loss.

·         It’ll cut nighttime cooling that has a drastic effect on heat losses.

·         A solar cover will keep your pool water cleaner by blocking out dirt and debris which will save the chemical consumption by 35%–60%.

·         Reduce cleaning time.

·         Solar covers are durable (lasting several years).

·         An above ground solar pool cover is exceptionally easy to use.

·         Simple accessory as a swimming pool solar cover reel can help preventing the blanket to get dirt on, when collecting it.