Clear Deck In-Ground Solar Blanket Roller $4000 pool option
 

Hello,

We are being offered this option for $4000 for our new T&D pool in the villages. Any comments or opinions? I'm not sure the option is worth it. Thanks
Joe

cleardecksystems*com

How big is you pool, and will you religiously put it out and remove. If your pool is 16x24 I would consider it. In ground is nice, but expensive to fix, but a folded up blankets can be moved anywhere.

Our solar blanket is $200 on Amazon. Since our pool is going to be Freeform, small at step end and angle out from there, we will have 2 sections for blanket so not getting a roller. But we are not using T&D, but a roller was much less than your quote.

Since the Warranty is only 2 years maybe pass. We have had a manual roll up with cover total cost <$500. Solar blanket will save on pool heating costs during winter. Quality solar covers last about 3 years due to UV exposure deterioration

We had one installed by T&D with a new build. We only use it in the winter months when we’re keeping pool heated. We’ve been very satisfied. Since we only use it a couple months of the year, it has been very convenient.

We have one and absolutely love it. Cover is stored underground in the pool deck when not in use. Totally out of the way and takes no storage space. Unrolls in about 30 seconds, and rolls back up in a minute with a crank handle. We use it when the overnight temps are going to be low and it really helps maintain water temp so we don't have to run the heater as much.

36x13

We have the option (it costed a fraction of that 6 years ago) and are very happy with it. If you plan to use your pool December through mid March I would recommend it. We use our pool daily during the winter and keep it covered whenever we’re not in the pool. The pool will loose its heat rather quickly in the winter if you don’t keep it covered. Between the cover, the solar, and the heat pump our pool is typically around 90 degrees all winter. Running the heat pump doesn’t cost us any more than running the air conditioning during the hot months. We have a rectangular pool so the cover fits very easily. It takes one person about a minute and a half to uncover the pool and about 30 seconds to cover it with the system. Good luck with the new pool.

We have it. Only use it in the winter.

At night, the pool loses heat - the cover keeps it in.

In the winter, I run my heater at night, with the cover on

I have one as well as solar and gas heat. Combined they work well.

However given the choice between a 4k cover or a 5,200 solar heat system I'd choose solar. There is simply more value in solar with less consumables to wear out. The covers do require replacement.

Not sure what you’re getting your information, those storage roller stuff take up zero space as they are housed under ground. Most convenient method of storage

One can still install deck rollers for 1/8 or less of the cost. We choose above up north, due to weather and housed below deck, at the time was iffy.

Can’t put furniture over it unless you want to move it, so yes it does take away space on your deck, above or below deck.

We were offered in deck, roller, for the pool we are currently building, but chose not to. Our 3rd house in TV, 2 neighbors started having problems at 3 years, no warranty. Not sure of the cost, but one did have to replace their unit. Some have lasted for years, then after spending thousands just don’t use it.

I swim until outside temp reaches 48 degrees, then I am done, I prefer water temp to be below 70. We have always used solar blankets, but they don’t last as long in FL.

We don't use the heater at all for the pool, only for the spa. Without heating, the pool water temperature is as cold as 62 in the winter and 91 in the summer. We hear the spa only when we use it. It takes 15 to 40 minutes to heat up the spa in the summer to winter. But we don't use the spa in the winter when the air temperature is below the mid 70's. It would be a hassle to cover up the pool, and it would make the pool look ugly.

Another question to ask is what kind of pool heater do you have. The best heater for a spa is a natural gas pool heater. It heats fast, but costs much more to heat with than a electric heat pump pool heater. But you only use the spa heater when you're using the spa.

If we wanted to heat the pool, we'd buy an electric heat pump pool heater just for the pool. The heat pump pool heater is much cheaper to operate than the natural gas pool heater, but heats at about half the speed rate compared to the natural gas pool heater.

The rough estimate for heating a pool with a natural gas pool heater is $500 to $1,000 a month during the coldest winter months. The cost to heat the pool with an electric heat pump during the coldest winter months is about $150 to $200 a month.

So, if we were determined to use the pool during the winter months, we would buy an electric heat pump pool heater, just for the pool, and use the natural gas spa heater, just for the spa. If we bought the electric heat pump pool heater, we would pay another $1,000 for the electric heat pump pool heater that has a chiller option, to cool down the pool, during the hottest summer months.

So, if you're using a natural gas pool heater now, to heat the pool, then you're better off spending that money on an electric heat pump pool heater that has a chiller option than the pool cover, if you need to use the pool in the winter months.

Been there done that, it's no where close to worth it. just a pain in the butt for very very little gain

Bubble wrap-type heating blankets don’t really heat your pool enough to matter, but they definitely keep a pool from LOSING HEAT, and we’re talking many degrees every night. You should definitely have one. However, they have two problems. First, as mentioned UV light makes them decay in about two years, so expect to replace them. Second, rolling them up is a bit of a pain, especially if the roller isn’t bolted down, and at my house, it wasn’t. Rolling up the cover was really a two person job, and I lived alone. The result was that it was hard to roll it up in a straight line, and it would double over or roll toward the right or the left.

The Clear Deck system is just a place to store your cover underground so it doesn’t show. It looks much nicer. But it is still a big roll of bubble wrap, and if it doesn’t roll in exactly right, it will jam, and that’s harder to deal with below ground than above ground. It’s more likely to jam with a curved pool than with a rectangular pool. You don’t actually need the bubble wrap during the hottest months unless you like your pool at blood temperature. It might give you an extra month or two of warm enough on each side, especially combined with an on-the-roof solar heating system. December through March, those won’t provide enough heat unless you are okay with a pool that is only 75°. Like swimming in the Pacific. Brrr. A dedicated heat pump for your pool will take care of that, but mine cost $6,000 installed. They cost much less to run than regular pool heaters, whether gas or electric, but even so, I learned to turn it on only a few hours before people wanted to swim. If you want to swim daily, it will probably double your electricity use in the winter. But you’ll be able to have your pool at 90° all winter if you want to. IF you use solar heating on your roof and a pool cover.

Call Pinch A Penny Pool Store - 352-561-4331
 

I bought a cover for my in-ground pool at Pinch A Penny pool store for under $200. Call them at 352-561-4331 and obtain a competitive estimate.

We built a T&D pool this year and got the underground clear deck solar blanket. We just started using it with temps in the 50’s at night. When I get up in the morning the water is still 84 degrees (has dropped 2 degrees overnight). It’s suppose to maintain 90% of the heat overnight. Easy to roll out in about 30 seconds, and just as easy to roll back underground in about one minute. It was expensive but well worth the money if you want to use the pool year round. Plus, the unit being all underground makes things so clean.

We have an above ground roller system for around $400 total. Your welcome to come over and see how it works!

For the cost, and the actual impact of lost heat……..go with Liquid Solar Cover. Avg size pool uses 1 qt/mo, maybe less. Have compared results of heat loss with typical bubble-type solar cover and difference is negligible. Not even close to worth the hassle of dealing with on/off of the cover, plus storage. And there are a lot of better things to spend $4K on around your pool/patio than an in-ground roller storage set up……certainly be worth a try before investing that kind of money! ������

Absolutely brilliant as always Toymeister!

Have read info on Liquid Solar Cover, but have never known anyone using it. We have always used solar covers up north and TV. How long have you used Liquid Solar, and what temp do you keep. Can’t compare dollar use, because no 2 pools are the same.

What is classified as average pool (ours is 27x12’ widening at an angle to 18’.
We have a 2’ waterfall
Until our home is after 1 year warranty we are not adding solar panels.

We are about to sign off. Thought about solar panels (heat pool water) instead of inground pool cover - but on reflection decided to look into solar panels that create & store electric. The extra expense will offset the heat pump in winter and the increased aircon in summer. Well that’s the theory at any rate - ask me in a few years if it works!!!

I am guessing blankets only are need from maybe December to February, for heat loss here in TV. Not sure yet as this will be our first pool build in TV, and won’t be completed until January. So blanket it is for next year, of course if it stays as hot as this year I don’t think we will have a problem

That’s correct, I use mine in Jan through March/April.
The cover we are discussing is installed at build, the roller is in the pool deck, you open a door to unroll.

When it gets to the season to use the cover, I change the filter times to filter a few hours at early in the AM, and run the heater, to recover the heat loss - you only need to run for an hour or two.

Looks great BUT...
We have solar pool covers and the best usually last two years. Yes, I hate the stand, but we only use in cooler/ cold months. We have solar roof heat which is great and added a pool heat pump last year. We swim year round now.
A few concerns, life of the cover? Must you repurchase cover from only them? Do you have extra room in the compartment for thicker material? Is the material 100% non rust stainless? How does the water drain and not create mold inside the container or on the concrete around or underneath? Where does the water drain to? If drains to outside concrete then opportunity for critters to come thru.
It will be a haven for critters even with a birdcage.
I would definitely want to talk with customers who have had for a while.
You can buy the heatpump for that amount.
Good luck.

I'm not sure where you came up with $150-$200 per month on a heat pump, but that number is far too high. Here in Florida, my pool is small (7K gallons), and my heating costs run from $10 to a max of $40 per month during the coldest months. When I was in Georgia, my pool was 18K gallons, and heating costs were between $20-$60 per month during late fall (we closed end of November) and early spring (opened 1st of March). In both cases we had a 144K btu heat pump. We used a solar cover at night during cold periods to reduce heat loss over night, and programmed the heater to turn on at 11am and heat the pool to 88 degrees.

There have been numerous tests done by reliable sources, and this does not work well. Heat retention by a solar cover is in the 75%-85% range, while for liquid it is in the 40%-50% range. In addition, you are adding chemicals to your pool that simply don't need to be added. I had tried this in the past (prior to doing my research), and it makes a mess and doesn't work well. By mess... after using for a while, take a look at your filter and you'll see the type of gunk and residue that is now also throughout your system - pump, heater, SWG, valves, etc.

Normally, yes. We are using ours now - otherwise the heat pump has to run for several hours instead of 30 minutes each day. When night temps are below 70, the water temp drops significantly if you're keeping the pool in the high 80's.

Thanks for info, we had pools up north, that we closed, from September to May, kept cover on every day. No birdcage so debris and leaves were downfall, plus cool nights. So very different for us to be able to use pool close to year round.

From past experience solar blankets are a real pain to fold up and store. I’d definitely consider the built in.

Our cover is six years old and counting. Based on the condition of the cover, I give it another year or two. Our pool is 12x24 and a good replacement cover is about $175 from various online merchants. The replacement cover is actually larger than our pool, but you simply cut the new one to an exact fit for the pool. We use the cover about 2.5 - 3 months per year, taking it on and off 2-3 times per day. The only problem with replacements is finding a cover with a good attached pull strap to unwind it from the storage reel. There is drainage in the storage compartment and it drains outside the birdcage through the pool decks existing drainage system. We have never noticed critters getting into the pool/birdcage through the drainage, although we do get the occasional gecko or small frog visitors, so I guess they could be coming in from there. We have no rust anywhere in the storage system as all stainless hardware is used. We have plenty of room for a thicker cover, but are happy with the thickness of the cover currently being used.

Our birdcage/pool abuts a wildlife preserve and has large podocarpus hedges on both sides, so there is lots of pollen in the area. During the 9 months of the year the cover is rolled up under the deck it does get kind of dirty. The first time of the cold season it’s pulled out it does need some cleaning. I pull it over the pool and spray it well with a hose and stuff gets rinsed into the pool water. After a thorough rinse of the cover, I roll it back up and skim and vacuum the pool and we are good to go for another winter. I also use that occasion to do the annual filter change so we have optimal water flow when running the heat pump during the winter. If we were year round residents I would unroll the cover every 2 - 3 weeks throughout the year to keep it clean and avoid the annual cleaning task, but ya do what ya gotta do.

A couple words of caution with a pool cover. If a pet falls into a covered pool it can get trapped under the cover. Never let a pet into the birdcage when the pool is covered and unattended. Second, pool covers reduce water evaporation and therefore hold in chlorine, so the setting on a salt water pools chlorinator need to be adjusted accordingly to maintain the chlorine levels between about 3 - 5 PPM. Hope that answers your questions, and swim on : )

Check out this link to build your own solar reel that is easy to operate for one person and is light enough to just roll up the cover and remove from the pool.

DIY Solar Cover Roller | Trouble Free Pool

I cut my solar cover into two pieces, and used two reels. It cost me less than $50 to make. I used two for several reasons:

1) Less weight for each rolled up piece. It's light enough that my wife can easily roll these up and remove them.
2) I have a free form pool. Having a single piece would not have worked well for rolling up the cover. 2 pieces works great.

It's also easy to put back on. Just drop the reel onto the pool, and unroll. It goes out very easily with no folding or pulling required.

I'm in my 4th year with these reels and they are still working great! I buy the cheapest solar cover I can. The difference between the $200 cover and the $60 cover is only in thickness. They will both last about the same amount of time as it's the sun and chlorine that destroy them within 2 years here in Florida. The thinner cover is much easier to roll up and is considerably lighter. I track everything in a spreadsheet (I'm an engineer... :)), and the thinner cover retains the same temp (within 1 degree) overnight as the thicker, more expensive cover.

You need to use DWV pipe. PVC will sink in water, DWV will float. Only place I found it was at Ace Hardware in Wildwood.

Great info, for us. Our pool shallow end will be width 12’ angle out to 18’….28’ length. Thinking cutting cover in half would be easier to remove. Thoughts?