Solar Panels and Solar Covers

Hi All!

I am divorced, still have my pool, yet back on here with a whole new name:) Yippie!!! Just filled my pool. Over the years this forum has been the only one I trust for REAL answers from REAL great pool owners and pool professionals not interested in selling me something I don't need or can get for less by substituting a non-pool designated item. Again Thank you all!!!! I have a 24' round Intex Ultra Frame 24'x52" pool with a 1hp pool pump and Hayward sand filter and I clean the pool myself. I am the pool girl! I have lots of leaves, debris and shade situations year round:( Love the pool for the money!!!!! Now on to my questions.

1. I have the black pvc, channelled Solar Panels (2) 4'x20's actually. Roof mounts are on the roof, yet I am not a roof kinda gal let alone 2x a year for install and take-down. Can anyone tell me if I have them put back on the roof can I just leave them there over winter and have the system blown out and capped in the fall and leave them up during the snow and cold in MN? I know the woven fabric? straps won't wear well up there year round but I figure eventually I can find a substitute for them. I certainly don't want to create "ice dams" or ruin my roof or the panels, but this roof stuff is for the birds! I cannot afford a different system. Last year I put them on some 2x6's? against my fence yet they look hideous!

2. As I am a new member it wouldn't allow me to search the forum. My last solar cover only lasted 2 years:( I need to purchase a new one today! Should I get a 12mil or 16mil, clear, black, space age, diamond vs. round bubble cover? I also need a reel...prefer to make one if possible.

HI, and welcome (back) to the forum!

For now, when all new users make posts, they go to a queue and wait for one of us to mod it in, which is why you didn't see your post show up immediately. So....this one is now in, and I'll delete your duplicate that's still in the queue.

Now that you've posted, use the Google search link in my sig and see if you can find the answers to your cover questions until somebody with some cover experience (not me!!) can come help you out.

Solar covers don't last long. Two years is pretty much on the low side but four would be alot. I haven't seen reel designs for Intex type pools and I haven't seen AG reels that I like at all but Watermom has ordered something that intruiges me, see the middle of page two of this thread where she mentions solar roller. I will order one if she finds it works anywhere near as well as it looks like it will. As far as what kind of cover to get - hard to say, I've yet to see any performance information. Color, I like blue cause I like to see my pool blue. Get one cut to shape if you can. 12 mil may not last as long but may be eaiser to handle than 16mil - 24ft is pretty big. Watermom cut hers into quarter pie slices to facilitate handling.

As far as roof mounted solar panels, I believe they are made for permanent mounting. Minnesota (where I grew up) may be an outlier. Check with the manufacturer. Be sure the plumbing to the panels and the panels will all drain down. Did you plumb it yourself? Does this roof get ice dams without the panels? Is the roof dark or light in color?

The thing I ordered is to take the place of an AG cover reel because there is no good way to mount a reel to an AG pool and the ones they sell for AG pools are flimsy. I bought something called a Solar Roller Cover stick. I haven't tried it yet because in the past month or so we have been replacing the pool (old one was 24ft, new one is 27ft), building a new deck and reinstalling the solar panels and burying the pipes. However, that was all finished this week and I plan to put the solar cover on in the next day or so and try out the new device. I'll be reporting on it shortly. If it works the way the online demo shows, it is gonna be great!

Big Dave mentioned me cutting my previous solar cover into fourths. You can read about this and see pics in this thread. (That was better than having it as one huge piece of vinyl, but I'm hoping that my new thing is even better.)

Watermom's Solar Cover Solution for her24' AG Pool

Just moved your thread where it goes . . .

Ice damns only 1 winter from heck. Having a dude over today and perhaps hook it up if he is ok with doing it. May need to figure out how to raise it slightly on one side to facilitate it draining it easier in the winter. idn anything about how to blow out the system. Does one have to have a certain size nozzle for the air pressure to work? Good grief now i need to purchase an air compressor. What size do i need?

Well I bought the 12 mil solar cover again and that is super heavy too. Next purchase will by an 8 mil so it is easier to manage. Didnt sound like anyone has had luck with the solar pill, fish or solar discs. Thanks for the response.

We have an oval AGP and cut our solar cover into strips widthwise. Very easy to put on and remove.

http://www.ellerbach.com/Pool/Solarcover/