What solar cover to get

[rdefino]

Is there any one solar cover better than another? I've been reading and searching threads here and really haven't found a good answer.

I'm getting a 18x34 oval AG and want a decent solar cover. Any thoughts on a particular brand to look at?

[BigDave]

I believe that the general experience is you get a couple seasons no matter how thick it is - if you get three or four you're ahead. I've only used the blue round bubble type but don't recall different performance from other types.

[CarlD]

I've tried just about every solar cover known to humankind-except the liquid ones (Ugh!). What I've found is the warranties don't add up to anything--all they warranty are the seams, not the bubbles..and the bubbles are what fail. I've never been able to get more than 3 years from a cover, but always 3 years. IF you are religious about covering your cover EVERY time you roll it up, and wash it regularly, you MAY get a 4th year.
I've found the cheaper thinner ones work just as well as the expensive thicker ones and last just as long. I DO suggest you get a good roller, preferably an all-metal one. They last far better than the plastic ones.

You MUST store your cover in a heated space or it won't survive the winter.

[Watermom]

You MUST store your cover in a heated space or it won't survive the winter.

Carl, I always just leave my cover rolled up on my pool deck (and covered) in the winter and it seems to be ok. But, I do agree that regardless of how expensive of a cover you buy, the life span is the same for either.

If you don't cover it whenever you take it off the pool to swim, it is likely not to last more than one season. I go to Walmart and buy cheap white sheets and use those to cover mine. When it is not covered, it is unbelievable how hot it gets inside those rolled up layers! :eek:

[CarlD]

Lisa, up here in the frozen wastes, any water trapped in the cover will damage it, and the extreme cold makes it terribly brittle. You'll be lucky if the cover actually survives the winter. I frequently get a foot or more solid raft of ice in my pool. We had snow as "high as an elephant's eye!"

Covering it in the summer is important, I have a "Solar cover cover" that's merely a long, white sheet of plastic that works.