Solar Rings??????

[badkins]

Anybody on here have any experience with Solar rings?
http://cgi.ebay.com/Solar-Sun-Rings-Amazing-21-000-BTU-Pool-Cover_W0QQitemZ4464957157QQcategoryZ116414QQrdZ1QQ cmdZViewItem

[matt4x4]

Sounds like an expensive take on your typical solar cover....except each bubble is MUCH larger!
I would need over 20 of these for my pool at 40 bucks each, that's 800 dollars - I DON'T THINK SO!!! I could purchse about 5-6 solar blankets that cover the WHOLE pool and also stop evaporation of water.
Besides, where do you store all these oversized frisbees???? At least I can roll up my solar blanket.....

[bubsmit]

We purchased just one of these rings from Leisure Living to give it a try in our hot tub, before we bought any for the pool. Don't waste your money. First of all, you have to physically blow these things up like you would a raft. Secondly, I could not get the thing to lay flat like a solar blanket. Also, like some one else said, you would need about 30 or more of these things to cover an average size pool. My advise, don't waste your money, just get a regular solar cover.

[cwstnsko]

One of the local pool stores sells them for $29 each, and the gave me a good discount off of that price when I bought 9 of them. it would take 12-13 to cover my pool fairly completely. I used 7 of the 9 rings I bought this spring covering about 50-60% of the surface area. I put them away a few weeks ago because the water was getting too warm (it was up to about 95.)

I've had a bubble style cover before, and I'd rate the rings at 60% coverage to be about as effective as the bubble cover was at 95% coverage. In AZ, a normal solar cover is good for 1 season before it starts to fall apart unless you take measures to protect it from the sunlight and heat.

When new, the rings are a bit of a pain to get to flatten out. The instructions on their web-site are better than the ones that came in the package.

Storing them is a bit of a challenge. You can't stack them in the sun or the ones in the middle will melt from the heat gain.

Since I stopped using them on my pool, I slid them under my bed :)

[PoBoy]

What store in Mesa did you get them from? Im over on Elsworth and McKellips.

Could you make these rings out of a regular pool cover? We have a free form pool with several squiggles that make it difficult to use a single piece cover. I was thinking perhaps cutting a larget cover into several smaller peices - mimic'ing these rings.

[rturrentine]

We use a solar blanket right now but it's a hassle for my wife and kids to take it off or put it back on. The rings seem like they would be easy to do.

I have a solar reel but it's ... well let's just say it's not good even though it cost over $200.

I've been thinking of cutting my solar cover up into manageable sections (20 x 40 right now). This would be much like the rings. Would this be a problem?

[cwstnsko]

I bought my rings at A&M pools at Val Vista and Southern. You could cut a bubble wrap pool cover into pieces and get some of the convenience, but the design of the rings makes them somewhat more effective. The magnets around the edge are also nice to keep them rafted up. I'm at Power and Brown. If you want to come over and check out the rings, or even borrow them for a few days, let me know. They're just sitting under my bed right now :)