There are plenty of different colors for your solar pool covers.
The purpose of solar pool covers is great for three reasons, regardless of the color you choose. The first, is obviously, to cover your pool. The better protected your pool is, the more use you are going to get from your pool. Second is that the solar covers, when the bubbles are faced down, are heated up which will heat up the surface of the pool through conduction. The third (and usually the most important) reason people like solar pool covers is that they prevent evaporative heat loss by up to 95%.
Most of the time, when it comes to color, humans choose what they think looks the best. But you know that there is a difference in performance, depending on the color of the pool cover you choose? Here are the pros and cons of the most popular colors of solar pool covers:
If you like the look of your pool or you don’t want a cover to be overly noticeable, you might opt to get a clear pool cover. Here are the pros and cons of having a clear pool cover:
Pros of a Clear Pool Cover
Clear pool covers are good for yards that get a lot of sunshine for a long period of time throughout the day. Here are the pros of the clear pool cover:
Stronger than Other Colors: When it comes to solar pool covers the thickness is the best way to determine the quality. Most clear solar pool covers come in a thickness of 12 mils (one-thousandth of an inch) or 16 mils. Alternatively, Blue solar pool covers only come in 4 mils and 8 mills, which is likely to get you between one and three years at the most.
Does a Better Job of Heating the Pool: Clear solar pool covers let more light through. Therefore, that means that there is more heat being absorbed deeper into the pool. Alternatively, darker colors hold a lot of heat but only heat the surface of the water. While both will help keep the surface heat inside the pool, the clear solar panel will heat more of the pool.
Cons of Clear Solar Pool Covers
While the pros of clear solar pool covers are evident, there are a few cons that differentiate clear from the other colors too:
Needs at Least Six Hours of Sunlight: While the good thing about clear solar pool covers is that more light gets through, the bad news is that less heat is absorbed per hour. Therefore, if your pool does not get at least six hours of sunlight per day it is advised that you get another color pool cover.
Clear Solar Pool Covers are More Expensive: Considering their thickness, compared to other colors, it makes sense that clear solar pool covers are more expensive. However, pools can be a pricey endeavor to begin with. Adding extra expense for covers when you don’t need to might not be something you can afford to do. While it is an investment, it might not be something you feel you need to get right away.
Blue Solar Pool Covers
Blue solar pool covers are the standard solar pool cover. They are cheaper but they need to be replaced more often. Therefore, it depends on your personal idea of investment versus saving money on the front end. However, if you are careful and take care of your solar pool cover properly you have a much better chance of getting your money’s worth.
Here are the pros and cons of blue solar pool covers:
Pros of Blue Solar Pool Covers
Blue solar pool covers are likely going to be the easiest to find and since they are not an overly expensive pool accessory, it can be a quick pickup. But just because they are the standard doesn’t mean they are sub-par. There are plenty of pool owners that are perfectly happy with their blue solar pool covers. It really just comes down to your lifestyle and preference.
Blue Solar Pool Covers Keep Heat in the Pool Better: If your pool is already warm and you do not usually need sunlight to warm it up, you are going to like the blue solar pool cover. This color of pool cover is best at keeping heat inside the pool.
Blue Solar Pool Covers Don’t Need a Specific Amount of Light: Darker solar pool covers do not rely heavily on the sun, ironically, to keep the pool heated. Therefore, it doesn’t need a set amount of hours each day in order to do its job. While the sun does heat the bubbles and keep the surface of the pool warm, it does not allow heat to escape as easily either.
Cons of Blue Solar Pool Covers
Blue solar pool covers are good for a pool because it does protect it and is more universal, since it doesn’t need a set number of sunlight hours and it keeps heat inside the pool. Although there are a few cons that make blue solar pool covers less enticing to the average pool owner:
Blue Solar Pool Covers are Hotter than Clear Solar Pool Covers: Solar pool covers are designed to trap heat. However, the way they are supposed to trap heat is inside the pool, not inside the pool cover. Unfortunately, the darker of the two covers in question, the blue solar pool cover, heats up a lot more than a clear solar pool cover. The problem is that since the heat gets trapped in the pool cover, it does not transfer into the pool. So while the surface of the pool may get warmed up due to conduction, there is not much of a chance of the pool itself getting heated up any more than it already is.
It is Easier for Heat to get Released back up to the Air with Blue Solar Pool Covers: Since blue solar pool covers will trap the heat inside the pool cover itself and not disperse it evenly through the water, there really is no barrier. Therefore, the new heat that comes from the sun can easily escape back into the atmosphere.
In summation, the way you use your pool will likely guide the type of solar pool cover you get. Ultimately, though, experts say if you only use your pool cover at night, go with dark blue, if you only use your pool cover during the day, get a clear pool cover, but if you are going to use your pool cover both at night and during the day, the light blue gives you a good mix of value and solar benefits. However, you have to get the solar pool cover that works best for your specific pool.
