Everything you need to know about Solar Pool Covers for your above ground pool
What if we told you there was an easy way to heat your pool without buying a special pool heater? Would you believe you could heat your pool naturally with the rays from the sun, cut down your energy costs from heating your pool (if you already have a heater), and keep the water from evaporating? Well, you can with solar pool covers! These inexpensive covers that look like bubble wrap do just that and more, so here’s a quick crash course on all things solar pool covers. Let’s dive in!
What is a Solar Pool Cover and how do they work?
Solar pool covers are a cost-effective way to harness the natural heat from the sun’s rays and keep the temperature in your pool elevated without having to use a pool heater (or use a pool heater substantially). Throughout the day the sun’s warm rays shine down on the pool and warm up the water, then at night as the air cools the water begins to evaporate and the temperature in the pool cools down. With a solar cover on the pool, the water will not evaporate, and it can retain the heat the sun has provided it all day. If used correctly a solar cover can add anywhere from 10-15 degrees Fahrenheit to the water temperature of your pool.
Solar pool covers are often blue in color and have small bubbles throughout one side of the cover. (They kind of look like giant blankets of blue bubble wrap.) The cover is intended to lie directly on the water, bubble side down, with the cover matching the exact size of your pool. These covers are not regular covers that keep out debris (although they can help slightly with that) and they are not safety covers to protect non-swimmers from falling in the pool.
Benefits of Using a Solar Cover
In addition to retaining the heat from the sun in your pool, there are a few other reasons you may want to consider purchasing a solar cover for your pool:
1. Saves Energy
Because the solar cover is just retaining the heat already in the pool, no extra energy is needed to run heating equipment. According to INYO Pools, the average gas pool heater uses about 4 gallons per hour with propane or 4 therms per hour with natural gas. An electric heat pump uses about 5 kilowatts per hour of electricity. So, depending on the prices of utilities in your area, you could be looking at a sizeable energy bill running heating equipment. Since a solar cover uses none of those resources you can see the savings without even doing the math.
2. Minimizes evaporation
Did you know that without a cover on your pool, your pool can lose an average of two inches a week to evaporation? It might not seem like a lot, but over the course of a year it could add up to thousands of gallons of water which costs a lot of time and money to replace. In addition to the cost, 75% of a pool’s heat is lost due to evaporation. Adding a solar pool cover practically eliminates evaporation, therefore, saving you money and greatly retaining the water’s heat.
3. Keeps bugs and debris out of the pool
Just like any pool cover, any bugs or debris that fall onto the pool’s surface will be collected on the pool cover and can be hand skimmed away. The more debris that is kept out of the pool, the less the pump must run, and the more energy is saved.
4. Lowers Chemical Costs
When water evaporates from the pool, you don’t just lose water – you lose your pool chemicals as well. As mentioned earlier, solar covers nearly eliminate evaporation, meaning you can prevent your pool chemicals from evaporating into thin air. That is another great cost savings your wallet is sure to love.
How to use a Solar Cover
Ideally, you’ll put your solar cover on whenever the pool is not in use. Daytime is the best time for it to heat up your water, of course, since it relies on the sun. However, keeping it on through the night prevents water and heat loss from evaporation. If you’re in and out of the pool during the daytime, the solar cover can remain off – just be sure to put it back on when you’re finished for the day.
Removing the solar cover can become quite a chore if you swim frequently or if you have a large pool. Some pool owners opt to cut the solar cover into pieces for easier removal or they may accordion fold it to the side of the pool, but more commonly you will see people install a solar cover reel. The solar cover reel is placed at one end of the pool where the solar cover is wound up using a handle when the pool is in use. When it is time to cover the pool again, you just pull the cover from the reel to be placed on the pool’s surface.
SAFETY TIP: It is very important you completely remove the solar cover before allowing anyone to swim, especially children and pets. Partially folding back the cover isn’t enough – it is still possible to get trapped under the cover. Always remove your solar cover to eliminate this risk.
When buying your solar cover, you may not find one that measures your pool dimensions exactly but that is no problem at all. Solar covers are available in standard round, oval, and rectangular shapes, so try to find one most similarly shaped to your pool. Buy one that is a little larger than your pool’s length and width and then trim it with scissors to fit your pool. (We review this in How to Size and Install your Solar Cover.)
Why you need a Solar Pool Cover
A solar pool cover is unfortunately never going to keep your pool as warm as a gas or electric pool heater, but it will keep in the heat and water. There doesn’t have to be a choice either when you think about heating your pool – you can use a solar cover in tandem with a pool heater to save money on utilities, water replacement, and pool chemicals. For the relatively inexpensive cost, it’s a smart investment for pool owners to install solar pool covers on their pools. So if you want to keep heat and water in your pool and money in your wallet, check out our selection of solar covers today.