Re: Clear Solar Cover
Howdy,
Ultimately it comes down to how much you want to pay vs how well you take care of it. Although no one has hard data that I've seen, consensus is that the clear covers may allow for more solar energy to penetrate during the day, thus giving a little more heat. The big benefit to a cover is nightime insullation and evaporation reduction during the day, which should not be color dependant.
I bought a 14 mil clear cover for about the same price as you listed in April of 2005. It spent two winters covering the pool 24/7, and has been stored from late June-August in my shed. Otherwise its either covering the pool or piled up on the deep end concrete (I don't have a reel). When its piled up, I've never used the white plastic cover you're supposed to. I'll be lucky if it survives the rest of this season, as one end of it is pretty badly degraded (the end on top of the pile which sees the most sun when its rolled up).
All in all, I'm pretty pleased with the performance and life span. I could get more life out of it by taking better care though. I'll buy a clear one again, but I may get a "cheaper" model.
Nater
16x32 Vinyl IG, 20,000 gal, Autopilot DIG-220 w/60 series cell, Dolphin Diagnostic Pool Boy
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