Solar Reel Help

[csevel]

I purchased a FeherGuard Surface Rider Above Ground Solar Reel for my pool. I plan on installing it myself. Unfortunately, I can't make heads or tails out of the directions for removing the cover once installed. It may seem like a dumb question, but if you install the supports in the middle of the pool...how do you move the cover out of the way to swim ??

[Islander2C]

Do you have a deck around your pool? If so, I have the same reel system, but we didn't attach it to our deck or pool. We have it sitting on our deck on one side of the pool (it is a 27 AG round)deck and when we want to put the cover on the pool, we just move it up to the edge of the pool, and unwind it from there. We installed the straps about 1/4 of the way in instead of half way like the instructions. This way the reel doesn't have to sit across the middle of the pool, it can sit towards one end (if there is an "end" on a round pool ). Does this make any sense? So that even if you have to install it onto the rails of your pool, you can still do it at one end (curve) so that when it is rolled up, it is not across the middle of your pool.
You can see it in the picture attached, it is covered up with blanket to protect it from the sun when it is rolled up.

I agree on the instructions though...like I said in an earlier post, the money I paid for the reel, it should have come with an engineer to put it together and install it!!

[csevel]

No, unfortunately my deck only goes about 1/4 of the way around the pool and I don't want the reel to sit where we'll be sitting. I don't quite understand how to install on the top rails further to one side than the middle. It seems that the length would be too short to roll it up. Do you take it off its brackets and lower it to the ground??

[prh129]

I have a 24' round AG pool and I installed the solar reel on posts just outside of the pool. I had a couple of metal pipes from an old grapevine arbor that I used but 4 x 4 wood would work just as well. I used some carboard tubes (from Home depot) and concrete mix to make a base that sat in the ground about 16". The reel came with 5 straps but I ended up buying a roll of 50' of Feherguard strapping and used 7 straps spaced about 3 feet apart. (On that note there is a post somewhere from PhantomAndy about strapping - he found a cheap source for it if you need some). As I roll the cover up I have to walk from side to side to get the cover over the pool edge and keep it winding evenly but it's not that bad after you do it a couple of times.

My reel had three 8' tubes so I made the length as long as possible by only overlapping the tubes by 5". In addition to the 3 screws that came with the kit for assembling the tubes, I also used two stainless steel bolts and each joint for added stability. The length is still a little bit shorter than the cover at the widest part so I end up folding the edges in a couple of inches as I wind it in.

Peter

[matt4x4]

I was originally going to buy the feherguard, it's a relatively easy system to use with or without a deck.
The surface rider sits across the center of a round pool or about 1/4 in from one end on an oval pool., you connect the straps straight down onto the cover so when you roll it up it will fold the blanket in teh middle (on a round pool) and roll it up folded on itself.
You then need two people - one on each end - to lift up the reel and carry it off the end of the pool and set it down on the ground/deck.
I was going to buy their Premium one since it is MUCH better in design, it comes with female receivers you fasten to the top rail where it sits, you can then lift out one side and swing it out of the way and rest it in a 3rd receiver you mount on the deck at the appropriate location. If you do not have a deck, install a 4x4 post cut at the same height as the top rail at the appropriate point off the pool - mount a third receiver on it and set the the male end back into it.
The nice thing about the premium is it's a one person removal compared to 2.
Oh, BTW - The way to install it off to one end is to use 2 more 4x4 posts at the right spacing off the sides of the pool - let me try and draw something up on this......back later with pic attachment....