another way to heat your pool without the hastle of a solar cover, is to find out how, but you can (during the cooler months) extend your pump hoses by attaching a few feet of PVC to the return. The longer the more efficient. Some guy I talked to had it gone nuts, up and on the roof of his house and back down, this short 2-3 feet though will heat your pool up just as if not better than a solar cover. Then of course when you have warmer/hotter months, take it off and put your hose in as usual. If you already have a solar cover as I mentioned before, and NEED to use it often.........a reel is nice. Sometimes you can "MAKE ONE YOURSELF" cheaper than buying one.