no expert but i'll challenge that blue vs clear solar cover notion

[tenax]

hope you didn't take it personally carl..more than one person here has claimed that a blue solar cover does not absorb heat but only contains it from the water..(and not saying that's what you in particular said)

yes, i do know how to stay on the good side of a supermod

thanks carl!

[CarlD]

A solar cover can heat your water by:
Getting hot and conduction of heat to the water.
Acting like a greenhouse and preventing heat from leaving (insulation)
Acting like a greenhouse and allowing sunlight to pass through and heat the water directly.

A clear cover does all three, but the first it does least effectively.

An opaque cover does the first two, but not the third.

A transparent blue cover does all three, the first slightly more effectively than a clear cover, but the third seems to be less effective than a clear cover.

I've had all three and prefer a clear cover, heavy enough to give good insulation.

[tenax]

very good explanation Carl..(and that's not a suck up) thanks a bunch for clarifying.