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This pool cover offers all the same benefits as similar blue-shade covers, but it’s barely noticeable when installed over your pool. Read More
This blue solar pool cover cuts UV rays and features a solid three-year warranty. Read More
With heat absorbing air bubbles and lightweight design, this cover will keep your pool warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Read More
This massive in-ground pool solar cover is great for your large pool. Read More
The thin air-bubble insulation provided by this cover reduces the chemicals used in your pool and maintains a comfortable water temperature all year. Read More
The best pool covers keep your pool warm during cool times and reduce evaporation in high summer heat. They may all look similar, but solar pool covers aren’t the same. Size, color, material, thickness, and other factors all make a difference in how well a pool cover will retain heat, block UV rays, and work with your other pool tools to keep your pool clean.
Luckily, we did the research so you don’t have to. Here are some of the best pool covers in stock right now.
Heat up your pool quickly.
Retain temperature and keep the sun from breaking down your pool's chlorine.
This pool cover is shaped for your circular pool.
Huge pool? This solar pool blanket has it covered.
Multiple sizes available
Above-avg. 15 mm thickness
Thickness makes the cover heavier and more difficult to carry
To find the best pool covers, we poured over specs and product reviews online, looking for the solar pool covers that fit the needs of the average pool owner. We used our expertise as product testers to determine which pool covers had the best combination of features and price to appeal to the average user.
When you see the term “solar pool cover” kicking around, you might imagine something that’s powered by a photovoltaic cell, like a solar panel. This isn’t so. Solar pool covers are named for their ability to regulate pool temperature by retaining the energy from the sun.
Think of solar pool covers as insulation for your pool's water, which is useful in both warm and cool periods of time.
Solar pool covers have many benefits. They help the pool’s water retain warmth from the sun, thereby extending the period in which you can comfortably enjoy it.
Pool covers also reduce the amount of water that evaporates away from the pool, thus lowering your water bill. Chlorine evaporates with water, so limiting evaporation helps your pool retain chlorine as well.
On the subject of chlorine, another benefit of a solar pool cover is to reduce the amount of UV light that enters the pool water. While sunlight heats the water, UV rays can break down chlorine. Because of this, an uncovered pool will require more chlorine.
Additionally, the covered surface protects the pool from certain types of contaminants, like pine needles, leaves, and bugs. A pool with less dirt and trash in it means less pool maintenance.
Blue pool covers heat water slower, but they offer more protection for your pool's chemicals.
The type of solar cover you pick matters. Most pool covers are blue or clear. These two choices have different advantages.
Clear pool covers allow light to penetrate into the water quickly. For this reason, they’re most effective at heating water. Blue pool covers might be slower to heat the water in your pool, but they also let less heat out, thus, they’re better at keeping a pool warm for longer.
Another factor is that clear pool covers offer less protection from the UV rays that break down chlorine.
It’s up to you to decide if you would rather invest in warming your pool quicker or holding that temperature longer.
Solar pool covers vary in price, but you should expect to pay anywhere from under $50 up to a few hundred dollars.
Price will vary greatly depending on factors related to the quality of your pool cover and the size of your pool.
The simplest way to get water off of a pool cover is to lift it and slant the cover to one side, allowing the water to drain off it.
However, sometimes, this may not be an option. A shop vacuum that can handle water is one other option. Some shop vacs will enable you to suck the water off the top of the pool cover, effectively pumping it away.
To effectively use a solar pool cover, you’ll want to make sure that your pool cover sits flush with the top of the water. Most employ air bubbles or another such float to stay above the water and hold heat within.
A pool cover should not drape up onto the sides of the pool. If it drapes over the edge of the pool, this could allow water to evaporate out of the body of the pool.
Before you spread out your solar pool cover, make sure to remove any pool floats that might live in your pool.
Solar pool covers concentrate sunlight into the water and insulate it. Because they use the power of the sun, they can effectively warm up the water in a pool. However, this process happens slowly.
Adam Reeder
Freelance writer
Adam Reeder is a freelance writer, consumer advocate, and unapologetic watch geek.
Gabriel Morgan
Staff Writer, Home
Gabriel Morgan is a staff writer on Reviewed's home team, where he covers consumer education topics such as earthquake preparedness, radon in the home, and concerns about health and wellness in product design. He also writes product reviews and how-to articles on appliances, smart home technology, and goods for the home.
Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you're confident and satisfied. Have a different opinion about something we recommend? Email us and we'll compare notes.
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