Do You Leave A Solar Cover On During The Day?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 พ.ย. 2024
- From www.swimmingpo... - Swimming pool solar blankets, or solar covers, are not intended to be left on the pool all day although many swimming pool owners do exactly that. It is intended to be put on at the end of the day to prevent heat loss from evaporation during the cooler night time hours. Remove the cover from the pool in the morning to "recharge the battery" while also allowing the water to flow freely through the filtration system. If the solar blanket is left on the pool during the day, you may gain a couple degrees in water temperature, but you prevent the pool system from being able to filter and diffuse the water properly. The water on top of the blanket and at the surface of the pool has been super heated and deprived of chemical sanitizer with the cover left in place. That water on the cover will not have any chlorine left in it allowing algae to begin developing. When the cover is finally removed, all that dirty water full of bacteria and algae goes directly into the pool depleting available chlorine and promoting the pool water to turn green faster. Leaving a swimming pool solar cover on during the day, exposed to the harsh UV light of the sun, breaks down the materials much faster than using it only at night and it will need replacing very quickly this way.
#SwimmingPoolSteve #poolcovers #solarblanket #pools101
Why would they call them solar covers if they're not supposed to be on during the day. One of the reasons for solar blankets is to help heat the pool.
My experience tells me that you are very wrong. Last two summers using a solar cover (leaving it on whenever not in use)in Massachusetts, I used a fraction (probably 25% ) of previous years chemicals and the water heats up like never before (always 80-85). IOW, I gained much more than 'a couple' of degrees. I have no other heater. And to me there is nothing like warm pool water. And the savings on chlorine has been amazing. And zero problem with algae like you speak of or anything else. What water is on top of the cover? Maybe a little residual from rain but no factor at all.
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Got the same experience i use a lot less chlorine and the pool is always hot yes the cover unly last 2ys
Same. Never had algae in 5 years of doing this
Same experience here. I leave it on 75% of the year and never had any bad issues.
Hmm, I’m going to partially disagree. You can with solar covers get the temperature up to in excess of 36°c though this is too high, 28-34°c is good. There are different qualities in material also. A cover here in France is typically 200-400€, you could easily spend that in one season in heating costs.
But as a whole, whilst I dont disagree regarding the shortened light span, when you compare the cost of replacing a solar cover every 4-7yrs (quality/price dependant) it’s significantly cheaper than an actual pool heater.
The bubbles of the cover are also exposed underneath to allow the water to channel through and the exchange of heat. Yes, absolutely, if the sun is beating down on it, and the pump off, you will have an extremely hot layer, but then the pump should be running at that time of day. Never really had an algae issue as a direct result of the warm water in combination with the cover being on 24hrs.
And yes, I am a pool pro of 8 seasons with multiple pools.
Keep doing it
You're Genius! Thank you. Landed here because I ruined mine cover last year. It lasted only one season, because I left it on during sunshine. Not to mention that water got green despite of using a lot of chlorine and filtered enitre amount of water every night.
Makes so much sense! I’ve been leaving it on 24 hours daily when we’re not using it and the covers wouldn’t last a season. I thought it was a cheap product, not anymore.
I mean...they are still made very cheaply these days but using it only at night will definitely extend the service life
@@Swimmingpoolsteve after watching your video I’m sure it would have.
I've always left my solar blanket on during the day with zero problems. If it's hot days, I sometimes remove it. If the days are super hot, 100+, and the water temp gets too high, I'll leave off overnight. Why is it called SOLAR cover instead of NIGHT or LUNAR cover?? The bubbles are for heat production is what I've always understood. I don't mind replacing solar covers every 3 years or so, plastic starts degrading no matter what. They are fairly reasonable. I buy the lighter weight, so cheaper and easier to roll.
Despite the name, as I have described in this video these covers are intended for use overnight to eliminate the evaporative losses. They are not a heater and not meant to be used as a heater. It is detrimental to both the pool and the cover to leave it on during the daytime.
Helpful as always. TY
I have a friend who has a salt water pool and they love it. Any thoughts on alternative water 💦 chemicals?
Thank you! We were wondering how we were going to have our solar cover on during the day with the filter pump on. The obstacles of the pump circulating the water, the skimmer and the steps were all going to be issues moving the cover through the pool and it getting all bunched or tangled up. The simple solution is to put it on at night when the pump is off and take the cover off in the morning when the pump comes on. Great solution! What is your suggestion on storing the cover during the day to keeping the sun off of it and from it getting mildewed?
Thanks again.
That doesn’t make sense to me. How does the cover prevent the filtration system from cleaning the water? Especially if you have in floor cleaning built in
I have tried both for a couple of seasons. He is totally wrong. One cover during the day and two at night (strapping the first one down, the second on is very easy to put on top of it in this way) means consistently warm water. No algae (UV light breaks down chlorine so no cover makes it worse not better) and far less evaporation (which also cools the water down since it takes its energy out of your poolwater). You save on water, cleaning and energy more so than a cover that costs you 25 euro per season or so if it is gone in 2/3 seasons.
In fl we put a solar blanket over the pool about this time of year. Will take the water from 74° to 84°. We leave it off until say Thursday then swim the weekend etc
When it's cooler it's generally less humid. It's more so the relative humidity. Wind increases evaporation also.
I disagree, at least in my situation. So it depends I guess. In short my experience is: leaving the cover on all the time when you do not swim means:
- Higher temperatures
- Cleaner water
- Less algae
- Far less evaporatoion
- Less leaves for another reason too
Some reasons for less algae: a dark cover will filter UV light that breaksdown chlorine, while if you remove it the sunsrays will have an easy time to break it down. Also: there is more wind during the day than during the night. So more leaves fall in.
My cover disintegrated even though in the first two seasons I took it off during the day. Porbably because I left it in the sun for some hours of the day.
The new translucent cover is a lot sturdier and into its second season there is no sign of it disintegrating at all. It is on all the time.
Also: I run a heatpump plus SW system and cotton ball filters (pool contains 26.000 liters of water) for 8 hours per day. I use the SW part once per day or per two days. Never have even a sign of algae at all. I had it in the first year when I used it too infrequently and the pool became slippery and sometimes the water was a tad greenish. But that is gone.
The temperature of the water hovers between 30 and 32,5 C. In my climate nights are mostly between 10-15 C and days mostly between 22-28 C.
Edit: I add another blanket on it during the night btw. A dark one. That helps to insulate it a bit more I think.
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What about sunny but cool days, w temps in the 60s and 70s?
not true as long as you turn to filter on regularly on a timer etc it will be ok
During the winter?
Shouldn’t it be called a night cover not a solar cover? I was told the main advantage of a solar cover was to stop evaporation which is one of the main ways your pool losses heat. If you take the cover off the warmer you pool gets the more it evaporites and will find an equilibrium. My equilibrium is around 74.
I'm considering building a frame over my poil so I can install a polycarbonate roof to protect the pool from excess sunlight rain and make the area generally more pleasant when it's raining outside. Could do give me your opinion on that, and what percentage of sunlight might possibly be best to minimize? In other words using a polycarbonate sheeting with light tint, medium or dark? The structure I imagine would not be airtight and the outer perimeter of the pool would be exposed to some elements but minimal. I would greatly appreciate any advice you could point me to 🙏
Pool dome covers are popular in some areas. I would research these products before you decide to build something custom for yourself
Steve, if you were going to build a new pool for you (personally). Would you build a gunite, liner, or FRP pool? What kind of filter would you install? Thanks, Mike.
Gunite / shotcrete is my preferred. I would use a cartridge filter for sure.
I’m not sure if you’re still responding to comments on a video this old, but I’ve seen other videos where you say that the automatic pool covers are a great idea. If they’re closed for safety, how is this different?
Are there any exceptions you would make to this? Such as, closer to the end of summer, if the forecast shows that the daytime HIGH temp will suddenly dip for a day or two by 10 degrees lower than the current pool temp, then the daytime high temps will go back up to, or above, the current pool temp again?
In that case, would it be worth leaving the cover on for a couple days to retain as much heat as possible so that the pool temp will still be “swimmable” when the high temps return again?
For example, if the daytime temps have been in the 90sF and 80sF, and the pool is 82 degrees, then we see that the temps will suddenly dip and the daytime temp will be in the low to mid 70s for a couple days (nights would also cooler than usual), then daytime temps will go back up to mid 80s. In a case like that, would leaving the cover on during the day for a couple days be worth it to extend the swimming season a little longer?
In other words, are there rare cases to you in which leaving the cover on for a day or two is worth it?
This is something I ponder end of summer every year while trying to extend the pool season as long as possible.
Thank You! I greatly appreciate your videos!
If it really came down to this I would just take the cover off for 15 minutes in the morning and evening. The pool needs to off gas. Pull the cover, scoop debris, brush the pool and cover again.
@@Swimmingpoolsteve Wow! Excellent advice! Exactly what I needed this morning, as we have a sudden drop in temperature today from yesterday in the Southeast US. Thank You So Much!! My husband and I greatly appreciate you and your channel!
Mind blowing, but I get it now! Thanks for the advice.
-First time Pool owner
PS I do not like a cover rolling contraption, it’s so obtuse. Am looking for a recommendation of how to roll it more efficiently that’s easier to hide. Maybe PVC pipe and 2 people?
Hi Steve, new to your channel. Question about my solar cover. I have no shade what so ever to keep the sun from beating on the cover while it’s out of the pool. What do you recommend to cover the cover so the sun doesn’t degrade the cover prematurely. Thanks.
Well I have an answer but not one that will be convenient for you to implement. Being a vinyl liner installer among other things I have access to sheet vinyl. I have a rectangle cut that drapes over the rolled solar blanket. It's heavy enough it mostly does not blow off without attaching bungees. I don't like wrapping it completely. I like it open on the bottom and the heavier vinyl works well versus say a light duty tarp. So now what? I am not sure...maybe you can invent a solution of your own or source some vinyl. Has to be new. Used liners dry to a brittle glass like consistency. Good luck on your new scavenger hunt / project
i live in arizona and i'm using sunsetter canopy attached to a arbor next to my pool it is working great... i put it up when i need it and roll it down at night... best of both worlds @@Swimmingpoolsteve
I usually roll mine up every decent day when the sun is out and leave it on overnight or in the rain. So far (knock on wood) it has been Ok. Temperature has been hovering between 78 and 80 without using the heat pump, so we're happy. I am curious about one thing, we have our water tested at our local pool supply and maintenance store and my chlorine is around 6.8 and they weren't concerned about it, just curious because that's high as I know (from these videos that it should be around 3ppm) We have a salt-water pool, 16X36X8ft deep with sand filter, is this normal. I have set the salt water Jandy Pro Series TRUClear to just 30%. The water is clear, no smell and we do get in it, should we lower the chlorine or will the sun do it anyway?
i tried that and i got algae. so this year i just decided to put in a new raypak heater. Not using a cover and just paying the extra for gas. I work at 4 in the morning so getting up to take the solar cover off at 3 in the morning not really working for me. Lovin the gas heater though.
This agrees with what I was thinking...
Steve help please dichlovr trichlor liquid chlorine
Not Salt thank you
I need to know which is easiest for a 27 foot round 54 inches deep vinyl liner above ground pool new install.
Which is the best?? Non stabilized tablets in an offline e chlorinator (which I bought but have not installed
YET).
Need to know which chlorine to use Please
Right now I am using liquid chlorine
Pentair 1.5 hp vs and 150 square foot filter
I know there are trade offs as levels rising ..cya, calcium hardness, salt from the different types of chlorine
I have no experience with a swimming pool solar cover.
Given:
I am thinking about purchasing a solar cover (a cover with plastic air bubbles only, no batteries) using it for the months of Sept and Oct in NC. I was gonna keep the solar cover on the pool all the time and run my pool pump until I randomly remove the solar cover to swim in my the pool. I am hoping to warm the water a few extra degrees. I have diving suits which help a lot for cool pool water temps.
(Keeping warm is a good thing and a few extra degrees helps)
Question:
How effective is a typical solar swimming pool cover. Do the darker color solar pool covers warm pool water better than lighter color pool covers? And are bigger plastic bubbles better than smaller plastic bubbles?
Hi there - as per times video a solar blanket is not supposed to stay on your pool during the day. It is detrimental to the pool and the cover. So color, bubble size does not matter because these would matter if you put the cover on in the sun, which is not the intention of this product.
@@Swimmingpoolsteve Thanks Steve, you are a big help as usual. Thanks for clearing up my misunderstandings.
Then why not just cover the pool at night with a regular old pool cover? Why call it solar? I thought the purpose of the color and bubbles was to capture the solar heating effect of the sun?
Ok, now I need an automatic cover reel or something lol
Yes, I try to explain to pool owners that a solar blanket does not work as well when it stays permanently rolled up at the end of the pool! It's a chore to put it on and off daily but still the correct technical process.
Can you Leave it ON while the pump is running?
Yes
do you keep your pump on while your blanket is on the too?
Yes I run the pump through the solar heater with the blanket on top. “Too?”
Is there a solar cover reel you recommend for a rectangular pool 19x28
There are many great roller assemblies. I like Rocky's Easy Rollers myself.
What's a solar cover? LOL, I never use them. From what I understand, the most they can do is warm the water slightly just below the surface by just a few degrees, and that's it. The rest of the pool below the first inch or two is usually not warmed up. Besides solar covers preventing some debris in entering the pool, I see little or no use for them.
Reduces evaporation at night by over 90% which is an enormous energy efficiency improvement.
@@Swimmingpoolsteve Understood about this. I closely monitor the amount of water I lose because of evaporation, and I lose about an inch or two per month. As for me, I just rather add the water than use the solar blanket daily. Because I don't have a solar cover reel. I find it's a hassle to use.
@@louisd95714 It is mostly for people who are paying to heat their water. In this case it saves you a lot of water. Especially once the cold weather arrives and you want to extend your swimming season.
@@Swimmingpoolsteve I see now, this makes perfect sense, especially because I do not own a pool heater.
Water should be circulating from the drain, skimmer and returns so that warm top section of water should be getting sucked in and spit out constantly
Nope. You are not correct. It's a solar cover. Not a lunar cover.
Canadian super mario
Utter nonsense