Solar Cover Reel

[Watermom]

They make solar reels for round pools. You roll up the cover then swing it away from the pool

Carl

Yes, but to swing it away from the pool, you still have to clear the top rail of the pool. Hard to do. That cover is HEAVY especially when it has some water trapped in the rolls. Plus, a 24ft diameter is LONG. There is also the concern about the weight of that huge piece of vinyl sagging in the middle.

I have thought and thought about this through the years and cutting it into fourths has been the best choice for me and my pool. I wanted something that I could manage by myself because 9 times out of 10, I am getting in the pool by myself. In the years before I started doing it this way, I was just lifting it a little at a time out of the water into a heap onto the deck. Not too attractive, also not too good for the cover. But, by cutting it into smaller pieces, I can easily roll each section up onto the PVC and then lift them out one at a time to neatly stack on the deck and then cover with a white sheet. All it cost me was the price of 4 pieces of PVC and some endcaps. Cheap, easy, neatly rolled and stacked on the pool deck and I can do it by myself. Works for me.

[matcin2531]

That is awesome. You have a creative mind for sure.

[chinewalker]

FYI -- I edited my post #6 above to include pics. The reason for this reply is to bump it up to show a new post because simply editing a thread does not make it reappear as an unread post. If you are interested, scroll back up to post #6 to see the pics.

It looks like the system works quite well. I especially like the clips you made for it. Good job. I'm still debating how to do it. Since mine is only 18', I'm considering just cutting it in half first and giving that a try.

What happens when you turn on the pump? My cover is still in one piece and the return line from the pump blows it all to one side once in a while.

[Watermom]

As long as my return jet is aimed downward, it does not move the cover. If it is aimed at the surface of the water where I would normally keep it to push floating debris into the skimmer, then it does push the cover.

[Scrapple]

What great idea! I bought a solar cover for my 15x30 oval AG pool. Have used it once because it is such a bear. I guess this would work for my cover too. Going to try it!

Thanks

[Watermom]

What great idea! I bought a solar cover for my 15x30 oval AG pool. Have used it once because it is such a bear. I guess this would work for my cover too. Going to try it!

Thanks

Which idea are you referring to? There are a couple of different ones in this thread.

[Scrapple]

All of them