Review on Sun2Solar Clear 16-Foot Round Solar Cover 1600 Series Heat Retaining Blanket For In-Ground And Above-Ground Round Swimming Pools Use Sun To Heat Pool Water Bubble-Side Facing Down In Pool by Whitney Bailey

Will this cover help warm up your pool? YES, there is no doubt about it. But it is also not a miracle product. Just because it is sunny does not necessarily mean your pool will warm up, it does have to be relatively warm as well. If an 80 degree pool is your goal, it will have to be at least in the upper 70s and sunny several days in a row for your pool to get that warm. My pool didn't hit 80F until it was in the mid 80s and sunny two days in a row. For me that was the third week of June in upstate NY. This cover also helps more of the heat stay in the pool at night, but not all of it. In summary, you can reasonable expect your pool to gain about 1-2 degrees per day provided that it is WARM AND SUNNY all day.Now, what is the price for this 'free' pool heating (aside from the actual cost of the cover)? Simply put these covers are a pain in the ass to deal with. Frankly I can't wait to get a real solar heater so I can stop using this cover. First of all, the more heavy duty the cover is, the HEAVIER it is. Which makes it more difficult to get in and out of the pool. Secondly, what a MESS it makes in the pool. Obviously the leaves and debris that fall in your pool while the cover is on stay on top of the cover. However, you cannot get the cover out of your pool without all that debris getting into your pool. It is virtually impossible. Which means all of the stuff that has accumulated on top of the cover ends up in your pool water. Depending on how long the cover as been on, most of the stuff can be soggy and will SINK to the bottom. Which means you have to vacuum it instead of being able to skim it. In short these covers actually end up increasing the time you have to spend cleaning your pool. I would rather skim my pool daily then have to deal with all of the stuff from the cover being dumped into my pool at once. Just another reason I want to stop using it.Now, the reason I docked a star from this particular cover? One of the seams on mine ripped the very first time I removed the cover from my pool. It eventually ended up separating completely, I can still use it but I didn't want the cover separated where it did. So although the cover is heavy duty, the seams don't appear to be. I expect it won't be the last time a seam separates on my cover. Hopefully I won't be using it much longer.