I know it sounds crazy, but yes, you can use a tarp to heat your pool! The process is simple: just take the tarp out to your yard and lay it on the pool in direct sunlight. The sun will heat up black fabric which will maintain the temperature of your already heated pool.
A swimming pool tarp, for example, that's black on both sides is like a giant solar panel. Because a black tarp on a swimming pool's water surface traps solar heat energy, it will eventually turn cool, refreshing pool water into a tepid, warm bath.
Air bubbles in the pool cover act as an insulator in a similar way that your thermos would keep water warm. A pool cover will, therefore, keep your pool water warmer for longer.
Choose a heavy-duty woven polyethylene or polyvinyl tarp, because this will give the pool cover extra weight and keep it in place. Do not use old-fashioned canvas tarpaulins, as they do not hold up well over time.
At the bare minimum, yes you should put a tarp underneath your Intex pool. Inflatable pools, Bestway and Summer Ways pools will also benefit from a tarp. What is this? Although a tarp will help protect your pool there are far better choices such as foam tiles or proper commercial under pool pads.
Black hose trick
Fill up your pool using a long, black garden hose (PVC is best). Make sure the hose is in direct sunlight so that it can absorb as much of the sun's heat as possible; since black absorbs more heat, this is a cheap yet effective way of heating your pool.
Use a gas heater
Gas pool heaters offer the fastest heating of all the options in this post. And that makes sense because just like a grill or oven, a gas heater creates heat by burning gas. But at the same time, they also have the highest monthly operating cost of all pool heating options.
The easiest way to heat up water in a paddling pool fast, is to simply cover it with a couple of bin bags. The unlikely household essential should be placed over the water in the pool and left for 45 minutes. The material warms up the water quickly and it stays warm for the rest of the day in the sunshine.
Without a heater it very much depends on the weather. A number of hot sunny days or quite a few cool cloudy days, anything from two days to a month. It also very much depends on how much you want to get in the pool, ie are willing to try the pool at cooler temperatures.
Black covers are opaque, allowing no light or UV rays to pass through the cover. The opaque quality and black color do allow for very fast and easy heat absorption, heating your pool quickly. However, this comes at a cost: black solar covers are typically the first to break down from wear and tear.
In short, pool covers do not need to be kept on pools during the day. By covering the pool at night and uncovering it during the day, you can save time heating your pool's water. Because dry, windy weather may increase evaporation, it is recommended to remove the cover only on humid, sunny days.
When the "bubble paper" pool cover absorbs the suns rays it gradually heats the water in the pool while the cool pool water keeps the solar cover cool. The pool cover will usually heat the pool water up by one degree per day.
Conclusion. Solar rings not only keep your pool water warm but also reduce the amount of dirt and debris that might end up in your pool. With solar rings, you won't have to worry about any chemicals or electricity to maintain the temperature of your pool.
Swimming pool covers made of sturdy fiberglass mesh will prevent anyone from falling into the water, provided they are attached and installed properly. Some fiberglass mesh covers can hold up to 400 pounds per square foot.
If you wish to completely cover the supporting constructions, too, then a larger tarp will be needed. If I have a pool that is 15 square feet in size, with walls three feet tall, and the pool sets 5 feet high from the ground, then I would seek a tarp that is 28 or 30 square feet in size.
By far the best material to place under a swimming pool liner is Armor Shield or Gorilla Pad. These materials are breathable allowing moisture to escape and are extremely tough, keeping insects and moles from coming through and piercing the vinyl pool liner.
In dry and/or windy conditions, the evaporation rate of the pool increases. Therefore, it is generally beneficial to have a transparent or bubble cover on during daylight hours. In warm, humid conditions the evaporation rate decreases. In this case, it may be more beneficial to leave the cover off during the daytime.
Directly convert solar radiation into usable heat: In an in-ground pool, a cover can increase the water temperature by 5 degrees F for each 12 hours of coverage.
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.