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Solar Cover With Odd Shaped Pool


Zodie

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Anyone know what the best solar cover configuration would be for my oddly shaped pool? Here is a ruff drawing of it with sizes:

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/192/poolshape2.jpg

I was thinking I can buy a large reel and place it at the top. The reel would stretch to the maximum with of the pool. I would then cut the solar cover to only fit the water. However, this would cause it to drag while winding up. Will dragging on the concrete tear it easily? Another option might be to cut it into two pieces and put the real in the middle of the pool then rotate it slitly when rolling up each section.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

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Anyone know what the best solar cover configuration would be for my oddly shaped pool? Here is a ruff drawing of it with sizes:

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/192/poolshape2.jpg

I was thinking I can buy a large reel and place it at the top. The reel would stretch to the maximum with of the pool. I would then cut the solar cover to only fit the water. However, this would cause it to drag while winding up. Will dragging on the concrete tear it easily? Another option might be to cut it into two pieces and put the real in the middle of the pool then rotate it slitly when rolling up each section.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

If I were you I would totally toss any ideas of any sort of solor cover. They do little or nothing except raise the top three inches of the pool 10 degrees on a good hot day. They are more of a nusiance than anything else. Invest in a good Winter cover so you are ready for this next season. Get a freaking heater. Listen up, and listen well, Solor blankets for pools and spas are ba total gimmick. Do not wate your time making your life more difficult than it ought to be. Toss the stupid blanket idea now. Youy want to be yelling at your kids to put the blanket back properly? You want to spend your time doing that ? They have any solor blankets on any lakes or rivers that you like to swim in?

forget the solor blanket BS. It's all for the money. I will happily sell you a solar blanket custom fit if you really think that is what you need.

Stop being a woose and go swim.

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Anyone know what the best solar cover configuration would be for my oddly shaped pool? Here is a ruff drawing of it with sizes:

http://imageshack.us.../poolshape2.jpg

I was thinking I can buy a large reel and place it at the top. The reel would stretch to the maximum with of the pool. I would then cut the solar cover to only fit the water. However, this would cause it to drag while winding up. Will dragging on the concrete tear it easily? Another option might be to cut it into two pieces and put the real in the middle of the pool then rotate it slitly when rolling up each section.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

If I were you I would totally toss any ideas of any sort of solor cover. They do little or nothing except raise the top three inches of the pool 10 degrees on a good hot day. They are more of a nusiance than anything else. Invest in a good Winter cover so you are ready for this next season. Get a freaking heater. Listen up, and listen well, Solor blankets for pools and spas are ba total gimmick. Do not wate your time making your life more difficult than it ought to be. Toss the stupid blanket idea now. Youy want to be yelling at your kids to put the blanket back properly? You want to spend your time doing that ? They have any solor blankets on any lakes or rivers that you like to swim in?

forget the solor blanket BS. It's all for the money. I will happily sell you a solar blanket custom fit if you really think that is what you need.

Stop being a woose and go swim.

First, we do not know if the OP is in an area that needs a winter cover or if the pool is open all year. We also do not know if the pool is heated and what type of heat (and solar covers DO prevent heat loss overnight in heated pools and reduce energy costs).

Third, Please be a bit more civil when answering posts. Calling the OP a wuss (correct spelling) is not really appropriate.

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hehe... I was wondering if it is just a gimmick.. but some people say they really work well. I do not have a heater and I live in southern California. The link about cutting it into 10 pieces seems like it might be more work than just rolling two big pieces on a reel. I have never had any experience with solar covers so i don't know how manageable they are. Also, I don't want to spend more than a few hundred, so a full heavy duty cover is probably out of the question. I'm defiantly leaning for the benefit of heat and a bonus of cleanliness.

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best results with a solar cover are to keep the pool covered at night to prevent evaporation heat loss (which can be as high as 10 degrees or more) and to uncover during the day to get maximum heating from the sun. It is a bit of work but it can extend your swim season by a couple of months in many localities. As far as cutting the cover goes, I just cut mine into two sections that are workable by 1 person. It really depends on the size and shape of your pool. MIne is shaped like an 8 so I have basically two circular solar covers with one side cut off of each where they fit together. I never bothered with the floats. I just use my pole to lift up the cover and pull it on the deck where I fold it over a length of PVC and then roll it up. Doesn't take long at all. To put the covers on I just unroll them and slide them onto the water as they unroll. Even faster than taking it off.

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Maybe but I think 4 triangular sections might be more manageable for 1 person. Start with a rectangle and the 'squished' rectangle.Cut the rectangular section from corner to opposite corner and then from that corner cut across the 'squished' rectangle. With the size of your pool those sections should be more manageable. However, you might want to just start with the two rectanges and two lengths of PVC. Pull one off the pool and fold it over the PVC and roll it up then do the same with the squished one and see if it is manageable or not. If not cut into smaller sections until you reach a point that is easy to put on and take off.

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What about those solar rings that I've seen at some pool stores, would those work? I know that heat could still escape between the spaces but it may be good for an odd shaped pool. Plus they are probably easier to put on and take off the pool and store as opposed to a large solar blanket.

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What about those solar rings that I've seen, would those work? I know that heat could still escape between the spaces but it may be good for an odd shaped pool. Plus they are probably easier to put on and take off the pool and store as opposed to a large solar blanket.

Solar rings just don't work. The lightest wind tends to blow them off the pool and they do not really prevent enough overnight evaporation to prevent heat loss.

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  • 2 weeks later...

hehe... I was wondering if it is just a gimmick.. but some people say they really work well. I do not have a heater and I live in southern California. The link about cutting it into 10 pieces seems like it might be more work than just rolling two big pieces on a reel. I have never had any experience with solar covers so i don't know how manageable they are. Also, I don't want to spend more than a few hundred, so a full heavy duty cover is probably out of the question. I'm defiantly leaning for the benefit of heat and a bonus of cleanliness.

I'm in the Bay Area, and my cover (which is on pretty much all the time) really helps cut down on evaporation; I go at least 3x longer between refills. And, the water stays warmer later into the fall. I pretty much never run my heater any more. I suppose I could in the winter, if we were interested in swimming then, but we usually stick to just the hot tub.

Some places will claim the cover "focuses" the sunlight and heats the water more efficiently; that's nonsense. The amount of sunlight reaching the pool surface doesn't change with a cover. If anything it's less, because some of it gets reflected off. The advantage is all in reducing evaporation, because evaporation seriously cools the water.

I've seen people claim it helps keep the pool cleaner, but I don't get that. We still see leaves in the water. Maybe if you had a lot of leaves dropping on the cover and diligently used your leaf blower to get them off, maybe it would help. Not my experience though.

--paulr

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