A solar cover on your pool keeps in heat as well as water by retaining as much as 95% of the original water. If you live in a particularly hot and dry climate, evaporation is increased with exposure to the surface of the pool. Covering that surface means that more water is reserved.
Solar covers will help a pool warm up faster in the spring and help maintain warmth in a pool a little longer in the fall but one misconception about them is that they will warm up a pool in the dead of winter, which simply is not the case.
First things first, you have to bear in mind that only solar pool covers heat water. Other pool covers such as rigid and thermal covers will only retain the heat in your pool water but won't actually warm the water.
Covering a pool when it is not in use is the single most effective means of reducing pool heating costs. Savings of 50%–70% are possible. Pool covers on indoor pools not only can reduce evaporation but also the need to ventilate indoor air and replace it with unconditioned outdoor air.
What's great is that you don't need to cover your entire pool to reap the benefits. Many pools are kidney shaped, but you can float a rectangular cover over only a portion of the pool, and it'll still help considerably.
Generally speaking, you should have the solar cover on the pool whenever the pool is not being used. During the day, having the cover on the pool helps to prevent water and chemical evaporation in the hot sun and also warms the pool.
Solar covers work to raise the temperature by the pool up to 12 degrees because the tiny air pockets capture heat from the sun and transfer it to the pool water while also acting as insulators to prevent heat from escaping off of the surface of the water.
Right now, an unglazed solar system can heat a pool to 78-85 degrees Fahrenheit without much effort. Solar pool heating panels last about 20 years, so in that scenario you could be looking at about 17 years of cost savings.
A pool blanket should be used until the nighttime temperatures average at least 60 degrees, typically in early March. But you can leave the cover on for as long as necessary to achieve the desired water temperature.
How many degrees will a solar cover heat a pool? On average, a fully covered pool can gain between 10-15 degrees on a sunny day within about 6 hours.
So while a solar cover won't actually 'turn your pool green', it will warm your water by up to 8 degrees, so if the other conditions are right, adding a solar cover can easily accelerate algae growth, very rapidly. You need to get the water balance in your pool right before putting the cover back on.
You can leave your pool cover on any time you're not swimming. In fact, it's recommended.
Clean it, Dry it, Fold it and Store it for the winter. You can leave it on the reel, if you cover it. Keep your water chemistry balanced and remember to remove the solar cover when shocking the pool, and always store your solar cover in the shade or covered on the reel.
You can significantly reduce swimming pool heating costs by installing a solar pool heater. They're cost competitive with both gas and heat pump pool heaters, and they have very low annual operating costs. Actually, solar pool heating is one of the most cost-effective use of solar energy in some climates.
Solar heating should not be relied upon to create a warm pool 365 days of the year. On average it will heat your pool between 5-15 degrees warmer than the existing pool water temperature, which means it is not much help in winter.
Should Solar Cover Bubbles Up Or Down? Let's begin that with a simple answer: solar pool covers should face down, always. These covers generally work in the way the sun rays heating the air trapped within the bubbles. The heat, therefore, is then transferred into the pool water.
Many solar covers come in a bag for storage. Place the bag in a shed or garage where it will stay clean, dry and away from rodents that might try to chew through it but where the temperature stays well below 120 degrees F.
Water loss due to evaporation is substantial. A floating cover virtually eliminates evaporation if kept on when the pool is not in use. If the water level drops below the height of the skimmers due to evaporation and your pumps suck in air you will quickly damage them. A cover mostly stops this from happening.
So, simply grab a pair of scissors and shape the cover to fit snug around the surface of the water and it's edging. Be sure to lay the 'bubble-wrap' side down, facing the water. This ensures the cover with indeed, float. Your pool cover should span the length and width of your water and your water only.
Also known as summer covers, solar covers and bubble blankets, solar blankets keep the heat that the pool accumulates during the day in the water at night (when used).
You should cover your pool every night for several reasons. First off, a pool cover saves energy and conserves water by decreasing the amount of make-up water. Also, it reduces the consumption of chemicals, and finally, it saves a lot of cleaning time since it keeps the debris out of the pool.
Yes. Just make sure the cord is under the cover.
Simply fitting a solar pool cover will not make the pool go green. However, because solar covers will warm the water, they can accelerate algae growth. You need to change the pool conditions to prevent algae growth.
The rule of thumb is generally 8 hours, although it could be anywhere from 6-12 hours, depending on your pool's size. Each pool is unique, so to keep your pool pump efficient and effective, you need to figure out exactly what your pool's turnover rate is.