DIY solar pool cover or solar blanket will be a nice investment to protect your beloved pool. This thing will provide various benefits.
Solar blanket can naturally heat your pool water. It will also keep out the debris and leaves. Pool cover also can reduce water evaporation.
Unfortunately, a pool cover with an automatic reel can be pricey and hurt your wallet. But this doesn’t mean you cannot have it and benefit from the pool cover.
Try to make or build your very own inexpensive pool cover to take care of your pool. It is easy to do and it saves your money.
Easy To Do DIY Solar Pool Cover
But before you start building your own solar cover for the pool, you need to prepare some materials. The building process of DIY solar cover is simple.
The materials you need can be found easily at any hardware store. Below are some things you need to prepare to start making your own solar cover.
1. The Frame
The frame of solar cover can be in any shape you desire, just make sure it stays simple. The best shape for pool cover is rectangular or square.
Build the pool frame according to your pool size. Plywood will be the right material for your frame’s back. Paint it black.
2. The Hose
When choosing a hose where your pool water is going to collect the energy of the sun, pick the black irrigation one.
About the length, pick one according to your pool heater’s size. Coil the hose inside the frame. It must be coiled in a spiral pattern and start from the outside.
3. Transparent cover
The two previous steps are for the base of solar heater for your pool. Now it is time to finish it. Enclose the frame you have prepared in the transparent sheet.
It is going to protect your hose from some elements while creating a greenhouse effect in order to trap the heat of the sun.
4. Pump the water and set the flow
The next step in creating a DIY solar pool cover is using the filter pump of your pool to flow the water through your DIY solar heater.
The goal is to set the proper flow right. This means the water shouldn’t go too fast or too slow so that the temperature will be perfect.
5. Check the temperature of the water in your pool
Once the system is running, you need to check the temperature of the pool water and compare it with the temperature of water outside the pool.
You can adjust the water flow rate in order to get the most optimal temperature you desire. Check back the temperature in an hour or two.
6. Mount the solar heater to your above the ground pool
Now set up your solar heater by placing it in the right position where the sun is available. If there is a widely open space close to your pool, place the solar heater close to your pool.
But if the pool area is shady, get another spot that is sunny to place your pool heater.
7. A more minimalist solar pool cover idea
If the idea above is too complicated or if you have an in ground pool, consider using lily pads DIY solar pool cover.
Use plastics in any color you want to create the pads. Place them in your swimming pool and let them absorb the heat of the sun to warm up the water.