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 : )