Best Solar Pool Covers: Blue Vs Clear Options
What is the best solar pool cover? First, consider the size and shape of the cover. Your choice will depend on the type of swimming pool you have: round or rectangular, in-ground or above ground. It is essential because if your cover is not large enough to fit your pool, it will not be effective. Another important thing to consider is color. Unlike blue covers, the clear options allow the sunlight to fully penetrate into the water, making it warmer and, therefore, are more efficient. Thirdly, make sure that the product comes with air bubbles. They separate the cover from the water, facilitating sunlight penetration. One more important feature is the thickness that ranges from 8 mils to 16 mils. The thicker the blanket is, the better it retains heat. And finally, look for a product that offers protection from ultraviolet light as it will last longer. We believe that the Blue Wave NS525 14-mil Solar Blanket meets these criteria best.
Solar Pool Covers: Explaining the Technologies Behind
Swimming pools are, without a doubt, one of the most time-consuming and costly home investments you can make. That said, it's difficult to identify greater feeling than that first sunny summer day spent by the poolside.
Recently, many pool owners have opted for solar pool covers over tarps. Unlike traditional pull-over tarps, solar covers capture sunlight during the day to naturally raise the temperature of your pool.
The solar blanket looks like a sheet of bubble wrap, effectively trapping water heat while allowing more of the sun's rays to penetrate the water underneath. At night, the dense bubbles trap heat to keep it from escaping.
What Are the Advantages of Solar Pool Covers? Blue Vs Clear Covers
If you want to spend more days by the pool, we recommend investing in a Solar Pool Cover.
Independent studies show that solar covers can raise water temperature by more than 30 percent. High quality covers also have the two-fold benefit of decreasing heat loss by evaporation and reducing expensive pool chemical decomposition.
Even with a standard cover, the problems of evaporation, humidity, and wind exposure can counteract the heating effects of the sun. Solar covers can help by trapping the full energy of the sun into your water, making it possible to swim comfortably earlier in the season.
In short, solar covers help you get more out of your pool. In general, opaque blue covers let less sunlight penetrate the water, causing heat to get trapped into the blanket itself.
By contrast, clear covers absorb less light, yet allow light to pass into the water. The cover itself is less hot while the water remains steamy below.
What Are the Best Solar Pool Cover Brands?
The most popular solar cover brands are Sun2Solar, Intex and Blue Wave. These companies regularly release durable, cost-effective options for in- and above-ground pools.
For Intex and Blue Wave, we recommend opting for a heavier cover, since both brands offer covers ranging from 8 mil to 16 mil. Most customers find the 14 and 16 mil covers more reliable, since they aren't as easily blown off by strong winds or subject to heat loss.
Review of Solar Pool Covers
Below, you will find a review of the best solar pool covers at a price ranging from $16 to $170. Some options are great for above-ground swimming pools while others are more suitable for in-ground ones. There is an unsophisticated budget-friendly cover that is very portable and easy to use. Also, you may want to try a liquid solution that contains a long-lasting chemical additive reducing water and heat loss.
1. Sun2Solar Blue 16-Foot-by-32-Foot Rectangle Solar Cover | Best for Above-Ground Pools
Available in a wide range of sizes, the Sun2Solar cover is made of a sturdy film of compact bubbles. Over the course of the day, these bubbles help to retain and capture heat to guarantee a 24-7 comfortable swim.
The cover also helps to prevent up to 95 percent pool water evaporation, in addition to reducing pricey chlorine decomposition due to sun exposure. By investing in the cover, you can enjoy potentially year-round swimming and fill the pool less often.
Users appreciate the cover since it can be easily trimmed to fit. Rest assured that trimming the cover doesn't affect the manufacturer's warranty.
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Sun2Solar: Check the current price
2. Blue Wave NS525 14-mil Solar Blanket, Clear | Best for In-Ground Pools
The 14-mil Blue Wave blanket is dense, sturdy, and effective enough to increase your water temperature by 15 degrees F. Packed with dense cells, the use of insulating thermal bubbles ensures a warm swim during the spring, summer, and early fall.
The cover is best for in-ground swimming pools. It can withstand deterioration caused by chemical treatments and persistent sun exposure.
Users should be careful trimming the pool cover since it's only protected under a limited six-year warranty.
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Blue Wave: Check the current price
3. Intex Solar Cover for 12ft Diameter Easy Set and Frame Pools | Best Budget Option
Inexpensive yet durable, the Intex can cover a standard 12 foot diameter, circular-rimmed swimming pools. The heat retaining cover can reduce evaporation by more than 90 percent, paying for itself in a little under a month.
Users appreciate the Intex since it's easy to store; it comes with a reusable carry bag that can be slipped away at any point.
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Intex: Check the current price
4. Solar Sun Rings Sunburst Design 6 Pack | Best Customizable
Not a fan of rolling out sticky, heavy covers over your pool after every swim? You might be better served by compact solar sun rings that keep your pool warm while you enjoy the water.
The standard pack comes with six spacious disks that can removed by one person within minutes. Each ring has magnetized corners that helps to keep all the rings together.
If you're feeling too warm, you can flip over a ring to decrease the water temperature at any point.
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Solar Sun Rings: Check the current price
5. SunHeater Liquid Solar Blanket, Non-Toxic and Safe for Swimmers | Best Liquid Solution
If you prefer to keep your water exposed, the liquid SunHeater additive helps to reduce all forms of water, heat, and chemical loss due to evaporation. Just one 32 ounce bottle can extend your swimming season by weeks in the spring and fall.
Only four ounces are needed for every 20,000 gallons of water, making it one of the most cost effective ways to extend your pool's utility.
The SunHeater is great for those that live in rainy climates since solar covers have a difficult time in poor weather.
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SunHeater: Check the current price
What Is Needed in Addition to a Solar Pool Cover?
Interested buyers should keep in mind they'll also need a pool cover reel to effectively use the solar cover.
The Vingli cover is easy to assemble and designed from sectioned aluminum pipes. With a heavy-duty construction, the Vingli is meant to keep your solar cover on the water's surface no matter the wind disturbance.
10 Best-Selling Solar Pool Covers Comparative Table
What are Solar Pool Covers? Solar pool covers are a sheet of material which overs the exposed surface of a pool’s water, to prevent evaporation and to keep leaves and debris out of the water as well. A solar version of this concept harnesses the light of the sun to heat the water, and can be done through a few different approaches.
The most common and ubiquitous concept is for the sheet of pool cover material to contain blisters which magnify the sun’s rays in a similar way to a magnifying glass, beaming solar energy into the water and gradually heating it. It usually has a unidirectional thermal composition which lets heat in, but doesn’t like to let heat out.
There do also exist photovoltaic versions of this with flexible panels and a low-wattage flexible element which converts sunlight into electricity, and then into waste heat. These are very rare, not commonly on the market, and actually a lot less efficient.
Solar pool covers are ideal for places with very sunny summers, but may not work as well in rainy or overcast climates.
