We’ve talked on this website about the benefits of a pool cover also known as a solar blanket. The common bubbly dark blue design (other colors are available too!) were a common sight for me growing up with friends who had pools in their backyard.
A solar blanket serves several main purposes largely related to using the sun’s rays to heat your pool water while also retaining the heat that it already has. It also helps to keep leaves and other debris out of the water which is a side benefit.
But how should you actually put the solar blanket on your pool and how and where will you store it when not in use? A solar blanket reel is an obvious choice but only if your yard allows for something that long to be easily accommodated.
If you backyard design and dimensions allows for it, a solar blanket reel is the easiest and quickest way to apply, remove and store the blanket. If your backyard isn’t big enough for a reel, you can cut the solar blanket in pieces so that’s it’s easier to put on and take off as needed.
Below we’ll discuss what to consider when buying a solar blanket for your pool and whether or not a solar blanket reel is even worth it.
We’ll talk about getting an oversized blanket and manually cutting it to size to fit your pool as well as how to cut the final product in half to make it easier to handle if you don’t have a reel.
Pros and cons of a solar blanket reel for your salt water pool
What are the pros and cons of using a solar blanket reel?
As long as you have the space for it, it can be a great addition for your pool that helps you use it and store it while also providing benefits to the blanket itself, making it more likely that you’ll use the blanket regularly.
| Pros of a solar blanket reel | Cons of a solar blanket reel |
| A very quick and easy way to roll and unroll a solar blanket quickly. | You need to have enough space in your yard close to your pool to leave it permanently. Standard sizes are 14′ – 22′ in length so they do take up space. |
| It’s generally a one person job to use although a second person can certainly help out. | Many people buy reels and store them by the side of their house when they have no room in their backyard. Human nature dictates that the reel ends up staying there not being used instead of being carried by two people each time it’s required. |
| Keeps the solar blanket cleaner since they remain off the ground all all times. | Can be a tripping hazard if you have little kids accessing the pool. |
| Solar blankets are heavy so winding the reel is easier on your back than dragging or carrying it. | Solar blankets are sold separately so they’re an extra expense. |
| The reel compacts the blanket in a tight roll keeping it safe and not requiring a separate storage area. | Assembly is required often requiring use of a drill and screwdriver. |
If I was in the market for a solar blanket reel, I’d make sure I bought a strong, sturdy one with a large handle for easy rolling and unrolling. It would have a wide sturdy base which is important since solar blankets are quite heavy and thick once you start rolling them.
Do you have enough room for a solar blanket reel in your yard?
The benefits of a solar blanket reel easily outweigh the cons: You don’t need the reel but the fact is that it will make your life easier and make it more likely that you will regularly use the blanket each night.
When you’ve been swimming for a few hours and just want to get inside and dried off, the thought of dragging a pool cover by hand across the water perhaps by yourself probably isn’t at the top of your list of things to do….A reel makes it much easier and quicker to do, even by yourself.
But the real question of whether or not you should buy one relates to whether or not you have the necessary space in your yard. A typical solar cover reel is anywhere from 14′ – 22′ wide as it needs to be at least the width of your pool.
In our backyard, we have a waterfall on the corner of two sides of our irregularly-shaped pool with plastic steps so that eliminates two possible places for the reel. On the other three sides, there’s no room because we have a landscaped backyard and the bricks around the pool are really only wide enough to walk on. There is literally no reasonable place to permanently place a reel of that size.
Before you buy a solar blanket reel, think about where you’re going to put the reel with the expectation that it will need to stay there for the entire summer pool season.
Also, this pretty much eliminates the ability to jump in and climb out of the pool on the side that you place the reel on, for what that’s worth.
Can you use a solar blanket on an odd-shaped pool?
A solar blanket and reel both work best on a regularly shaped pool with few angles such as a rectangle or square. It just make it easier to roll and unroll.
Once you have to custom cut various angles and differing sides of your blanket because of a kidney, L-shaped, lagoon or other odd-shaped swimming pool, it will simply make it more challenging to roll and unroll. At some point, it simply won’t be possible or worth it.
Some very odd shapes with extreme differences in length on different sides of the pool – the aforementioned L-shape for example – may make it virtually impossible to fit the blanket on a reel without getting a very large one which may not be desirable or even possible in your backyard.
Think about how much effort you’ll need to expend every time you roll and unroll the solar cover on your pool should you have an odd shape. It’ll help determine whether or not a reel makes sense for you.
Cutting your solar blanket to fit your salt water pool
Unless you have a standard pool shape and size, you’re probably going to end up having to purchase a larger uncut solar blanket and then cut it to size to fit your pool, just like I did.
Here’s how you do it using a sharp and clean pair of household scissors:
- Unroll the solar blanket over top of your pool and make sure you cover the entire surface of the water.
- Let the cover lie flat for several hours on the surface of the water on a nice hot day (preferably) so that the sun can flatten out any bumps and ridges if the blanket was purchased folded up, which it most likely was.
- Cut the solar blanket to size but keep a few extra inches on each side to be safe. You can always trim later! You can’t add it back if you cut too short.
- Let the cut blanket sit on your pool overnight and come back to it the next morning.
- Do any final cuts or trimming so that the blanket completely covers the surface of your pool right to the edges.
- Cut excess parts of the blanket to cover areas of the pool that are outliers such as plastic steps if needed.
Cutting your solar blanket into pieces to make it easier to apply
Placing a solar blanket on a pool and removing it are generally 2-person jobs for most people. Doing the job yourself is very difficult. It can also be dangerous if while leaning over to pull the cover on your own, you slip and fall into the water.
Given what I’ve read from various retailers, standard bubble solar blankets generally weigh between 360 g – 570 g per square meter.
That means you’re looking at a solar blanket made from vinyl, polyethylene, and polypropylene weighing around 20 lbs – 40 lbs (9 kg – 18 kg) for a wide variety of common pool sizes.
So in the instance where you can’t or don’t want to buy a reel, how can you most effectively place and remove a solar blanket if you’re going to be doing the work alone?
You can do what I did: Cut the blanket in half so that’s it’s in two pieces.
In fact, if needed you can cut the solar blanket in more than two pieces if it makes it easier to pull on and off.
Just follow the 6 steps above to cut the correct size and shape of your blanket. Then cut it into long strips of 2 or more so that you can apply the cover and remove it with one person.
It’ll make each strip lighter and easier to carry and drag across the pool.
Summary
Buying a solar blanket for your pool is a great choice for the main reasons of heat retention, preventing large scale water evaporation and keeping debris out of the pool.
Whether or not you buy a reel to roll your solar blanket on is largely dependent on whether or not your backyard has the room and dimensions to store it. A solar blanket reel has to be wide enough to cover the widest part of your pool so once you determine that length, you can decide if you can fit a reel into your backyard.
If you’re unsure, it’s best to try moving your solar blanket manually first to see how it goes. While some people plan on storing a solar blanket reel around the side of their house when not in use, it typically ends up staying there, not being utilized.
Check out my other article on lowering the costs of your salt water pool which among other things, discusses the use of a solar blanket and additional methods to save money.