Best Solar Pool Covers 2017

Owning a pool is a lot of work. You need to clean it, refill it and even heat it from time to time. The filtering systems and the cleaning systems themselves cost a fortune. To top it off, you also must pay for heating and pumping systems. Imagine taking care of all these problems in one go, that is in fact, a low-cost solution. Solar pool covers will do just that for you. We have compiled a list of some of the best solar pool covers that will help you keep your pool clean and warm at the same time.

Blue Wave 12-Feet x 24-Feet Rectangular Solar Blanket

Blue Wave is one of the biggest manufacturers of pool based products. Their Solar blanket is quite transparent and allows the sun’s rays to pass through it. The air bubbles that have been strategically placed, act as an insulator that keep the heat retained inside. This helps raise the temperature of your pool at absolutely no additional costs. Solar pool heaters require additional pumping power and systems to help circulate the water.

The pool cover is made of 14-gauge material that makes it durable. So, you don’t need to worry about any mildly sharp objects cutting it.  It also comes with a 6-year warranty in case you do manage to cut it or damage it. This pool cover comes in many different sizes to ensure that there is one perfect size to fit your pool.

Pros –

• Multiple sizes available
• Clearer than most other pool covers to allow sun rays to penetrate

Cons –

• The bubbles are not thick enough
• The cover could be heavier since harsh winds displace it easily
• Very expensive if not on sale

Intex Solar Cover

This pool cover from Intex is meant for the round pools in your backyard. It comes in various sizes to accommodate pools of all sizes. The diameters range from 10 feet to 18 feet or your convenience. This versatile pool cover fits snuggly on the pool and helps retain the heat.  When not in use, you can easily store it away in a storage bag provided by them.

It is made of some lightweight material that will help you set it up easily. Since it fits snuggly inside the pool, you don’t need to worry about it flying anywhere. The perfect fit also helps reduce evaporation by about 95%. This will save you some money in the pump system. The PVC exterior helps you keep dirt and other debris outside the pool thus, saving on filtration systems.

Pros –

• Lightweight
• Value for money

Cons –

• Doesn’t increase temperature of pool
• The plastic covers deteriorate easily

SSR SSRA-100 Solar Sun Rings Pool Water

This pool cover from Solar Sun Rings is a different type of pool cover. It is something that one needs to inflate and probably use a set of these rings to cover the whole pool. The rings come in packs 6, 10 and 12. This device traps air between the two layers of UV resistant vinyl. The sun’s rays then penetrate this and move on further into the pool to heat it. However, the same air acts as an insulator to prevent the heat from escaping.

Using this principle, it can raise the temperature of your pool considerably. At the same time, it will prevent the cool winds from absorbing the heat from your pool. This system is however not useful to prevent evaporation or cover the pool from dirt.

Pros –

• Raises temperature of the pool
• Easy to use

Cons –

• Doesn’t protect from dirt and cannot prevent evaporation
• High chance of it flying away

16 Mil Ultra Clear Swimming Pool Solar Blanket by In The Swim

In The Swim introduces this pool blanket to help you keep your pool clean and hot. The pool blanket is made of a special UV- stabilized resin which helps the transfer of heat from the sun’s rays to the pool itself. The blanket is laced with thousands of bubbles. These bubbles create an insulation effect, which keep the heat trapped inside and thus, keep your pool warm for longer.

Since the blanket covers the whole pool, it also prevents any loss of water due to evaporation. Because of this, you won’t have to undergo the troubles of rebalancing the chemical levels of your pool water to suit your needs. The same cover also prevents any dirt or debris from entering. You can also choose to cut this sheet into various shapes and sizes to suit your pool without damaging the performance of the blanket.

Pros –

• Can be cut easily to suit shape of pool
• Comes with a warranty for 8 years

Cons –

• Very heavy
• Size is a bit too large which leads to unnecessary spending and efforts later in cutting to size

Robelle 1632RS-8 BOX Heavy-Duty Solar Cover

This pool cover by Robelle is simple but effective. It is placed with the bubble side face down on the water. This then allows the sunlight to pass through the cover and then heat up the pool. The bubbles then prevent the same heat from escaping by forming an insulating layer. The water is heated up during the day and then it is kept warm at night. This helps raise the temperature of the pool over the course of a few days.

The material used to make this pool cover is UV resistant. UV is responsible for the deterioration of the plastic. This prevents that from happening thus ensuring a long life for the pool cover. This pool cover also prevents any dirt and debris from getting inside the pool thus saving you some money which you would have spent cleaning it. It can reduce evaporation. Thus, you will not have to spend more on chemicals to keep your pool clean and free from bacteria.

Pros –

• Lightweight
• Comes in a large variety of sizes

Cons –

• High price
• May not be durable under some harsh conditions

Sun2Solar Blue Swimming Pool Solar Cover

This amazing solar pool heater from Sun2Solar is guaranteed to raise the temperature of your pool by 5 to 10 degrees. It will do this without consuming any power whatsoever. All you have to do is, open the packet and lay this out on your pool correctly. It will do the rest by harnessing the heat energy of the sun. The thousands of tiny bubbles that have been embedded in this resin help trap the heat of the pool that has been accumulated by it with the sun’s help.

This solar cover also helps prevent any loss of water or chemicals due to evaporation. It is said to reduce the effects of evaporation by about 95%. It can also prevent your pool from getting dirty. This particular model is available in 3 colors namely clear, blue and clear diamond.

Pros –

• Easy to cut and shape for your own pool size
• Heavy enough to not get affected by strong winds

Cons –

• Thinner compared to other pool covers

Harris 18 ft x 36 ft Rectangle Solar Cover

The Harris pool cover is a clear blanket that will help you raise the temperature of your pool at no additional cost. All you need to do is unroll this blanket on top of your pool when it is not in use and you are good to go. This pool cover can raise the temperature of your pool by 15 degrees! That is nearly three times more than other pool covers in the market.

The clear transparent color helps the sunlight heat your pool while the bubbles retain the heat by acting as an insulator. This cover will also prevent your pool from leaves or other garbage that may get into it. The size ensures that the water doesn’t evaporate easily thus helping you save money on chemicals like chlorine. If you feel this size is too big for you, then don’t worry. It comes in a wide variety of sizes ranging from 12 x 18 feet to 20 x 40 feet.

Pros –

• The weight ensure that strong winds don’t displace it easily
• Very high temperature raising capacity

Cons –

• Very heavy
• Quite expensive

Splash Pools SCV3618IG In-Ground Pool Solar Cover/Blanket

The Splash Pools blanket for your pool is here to save your money and heat your pool at the same time. This pool blanket is constructed with a double layered resin to ensure that it is durable compared to most other pool covers. These blankets are subject to pool chemicals and UV rays which tend to deteriorate the plastic. The double layered resin helps retard this process.

This pool cover absorbs the heat from the sun and transmits it to the pool water during the day. At night, the bubbles embedded in this pool cover act as a good insulator and prevent loss of heat. The same cover also helps in keeping any unwanted trash out of the pool which might fall in due to the weather or other external factors. Similarly, it also prevents the water from evaporating thus saving money on chemicals.

Pros –

• Light weight. Thus, it is easy to set up

Cons –

• The blue color doesn’t allow as much heat transfer as a clear pool cover
• The light weight cover may tend to get displaced during strong winds

MidWest Canvas SC-BS-000043 Space Age Pool Cover

This 8-mm thick pool cover from MidWest Canvas will let you enjoy the pool season longer than others. This pool cover is blue and silver in color. The blue part will absorb the heat from the sun to heat up the water. The silver part in turn will reflect the heat off the pool surface back into it to ensure that the pool stays warm at night. In this way, gradually over a period of days, this will raise the temperature of your pool.

This pool cover is also UV protected. This means that the UV rays from the sun won’t be able to deteriorate the plastic cover. Thus, it will have a longer life compared to some other pool covers. The 8-mm thickness will help you coil it up easily and then unroll it when needed. It also protects from dust and prevents evaporation.

Pros –

• Silver side helps reflect heat better than transparent covers

Cons –

• Lightweight cover may move during stormy weather rendering it useless

Down Under Blue/Blue Solar Cover

This high-grade pool cover from Down Under is one of the best in the market. It is made by double blue layer technology which makes it more durable than other pool covers. It won’t get deteriorated by even the strongest of sunrays. By heating the pool during the day and retaining the heat at night using the bubbles, this pool cover can raise the temperature by 8 – 15 degrees easily.

The pool cover floats on the water, but its heavy nature helps it cover the pool properly and prevent any debris from dirtying the pool. Evaporation of water can cause a chemical imbalance in the pool. This pool cover helps prevent evaporation of pool water thereby saving you quite some money and time which otherwise may have gone in bringing back your perfect pool water.

Pros –

• Comes with a 3-year warranty
• The high-grade resin is highly UV ray resistant

Cons –

• The light weight may cause it to be pushed around by water ripples or strong winds

As mentioned before, you can choose to go for many other systems that help heat up your pool water. But when it comes to ease of use, this solar pool covers definitely tops the list. All you need to do is unroll it onto your pool and you are ready to go. If you choose to go for the other systems, not only will you be increasing your carbon footprint but you will also be spending a lot more. Even a solar pool heater will require you to have an additional pumping system (whose electricity you have to pay for) and additional pool covers to prevent them from getting dirty. The use of such solar pool covers will not only save you some money while helping the environment, it will also help set an example for others to switch to renewable sources of energy. If the prospect of a greener tomorrow and a hotter swimming pool pleases you, then click on the buy now button now!