Solar blankets, floating rings, or other heaters

Hi everyone!

Has anyone tried solar blankets or floating rings? We live in upstate NY and would like to take a bit of the chill off the pool so we can get more weeks in it, but don't want to necessarily spend $3000 to put in a propane/NG heater or have panels installed on the roof, so we're exploring some other options.

Any online reviews of the rings so far are either 1 star or 5 star, which isn't really helpful. And I can't seem to find any reviews of the blankets at all. So, if anyone has some experience with them, please do share :)

The rings have been discussed on here before with the consensus being that they aren't so great.

The solar covers, on the other hand, make a world of difference. The do more to keep you from losing heat overnight than actually providing a lot of heat.

If you combine a solar cover with a solar panel, that is the best way to get the water warmed up. You do not have to install the panels on the roof. Many people don't. You might want to check out FAFCO solar panels. They don't cost all that much and work well.

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Hope this helps! Welcome to the Pool Forum!