Best Solar Pool Cover Reviews 2018

We understand you want to extend your swimming season; we also know that all you need to do so is a solar pool cover. Here we are, with a review and guide to help walk you through the decision process of buying the best solar pool cover for you. We’ve researched many products and brands, and picked out five of them that we believe have the best features. These five are just a snapshot of what these brands have to offer. If you need to, there are other options from these brands that you can also check out.

Overview

PROS

CONS

SPECS

Type

Size

Mil

Material

Color

Our Top Choice

Harris Rectangle Solar Cover

With a commitment to excellence in service and customer support, Harris Pools ensures it delivers a meticulously done job that’s tailored to meet its customers’ needs.

It has a 7-year warranty cover, keeps pool chemicals from dissipating, and increases the pool temperature by 15 degrees F while reducing evaporation by 90%.

Some customers complained about the seam cut.

Rectangle

16 x32 feet; 45 pounds

Resin

Clear

Best Value

Doheny’s Oval Solar Pool Cover

With its Clear-Tek technology, Doheny’s creates pool covers that trump solar blankets in heat transfer and retention. It provides quality products at an affordable price.

It has air pockets that aid in direct heat transfer and it doesn’t become brittle over time.

No cons were reported at the time of this review.

Oval

12 x 24 feet; 60 pounds

Durable resin

Clear

Sun2Solar Supreme Rectangle Solar Pool Cover

Sun2Solar is endorsed by MCS, NICEIC, and RECC to manufacture and install trusted solar products. It aims at taking away dependence on synthetic fuels and transferring it to solar energy.

It’s made of a durable resin material. It’s also thick yet lightweight such that you can fold it away easily.

Despite its durable material, a few people complained about the cover not lasting as long as they expected it to.

Rectangle

25 x 45 feet; 100 pounds

Durable resin

Clear

In The Swim Premium Solar Pool Cover

In 35 years of operation, In The Swim has garnered significant customer loyalty due to its high level of customer satisfaction. It delivers affordable quality pool products.

This pool cover absorbs heat well because of its black underside, and its 12 Mil thickness is also a plus for heat retention.

This cover may fall apart quicker than you’d like it to.

Rectangle

18 x 32 feet; 78 pounds

Resin

Blue

Blue Wave Round Above-Ground Pool Cover

Blue Wave is an established manufacturer and supplier of swimming pools and accessories with 12 bestselling product lines. It marries excellent customer support with quality products.

It’s UV-protected; it’s made to last under harsh sunny conditions. It impedes breakdown of pool chemicals such as chlorine.

Some customers complained that some dirt still got between the cover and the pool.

Round

4.5 x .06 x .06 feet; 5 pounds

Durable resin

Blue

(Updated June 9, 2017)

Skip ahead and go directly to the reviews.

Related Reviews

Best Pool Float Tube

in Lawn, Yard, and Garden

Kelsyus SwimWays Floating Lounger for Pool - Fabric-Covered Inflatable Floating Chair

Best Robotic Pool Cleaner

in Lawn, Yard, and Garden

Dolphin Nautilus Plus Robotic Pool Cleaner

Best Inflatable Pool

in Lawn, Yard, and Garden

Bestway Rectangular Family Pool – Easy-to-Use Drain Valve, 224 Gallons Capacity, Sturdy Consruction

Best Automatic Pool Cleaner

in Lawn, Yard, and Garden

Polaris Vac-Sweep Pressure Side Pool Cleaner with Dual Venturi Jets and Tailsweep Pro – Available in 3 Models

Watch Our Solar Pool Cover Review

How Do I Choose the Best Solar Pool Cover?

You return from a long week of work travel, and all you want to do is take some laps around your refreshing pool. All you can think of is how relaxing it’ll be, but there’s a problem. It’s Fall, and the pool’s going to be too chilly to enjoy. You feel disappointed, fix yourself a bath, and decide to make do with that. But what if we told you that you can extend your swimming season long after summer, by doing something as simple as buying a solar pool cover?

The operation of a pool cover is basic - it transfers heat from sun rays to your pool, thereby raising its temperature. Needless to say, they’re a great way of saving on energy costs. We understand that choosing the right pool cover can be tedious since there are so many factors to consider, and sometimes you don’t even know what to look for in the first place!

That’s the purpose of this review - to point out these factors and guide you toward the pool cover that best suits your needs. Firstly, let’s look at the different types of solar pool covers based on function, design, and shape. Here they are:

Bubble Covers: These covers have air bubbles on the underside of the pool cover that trap and transfer heat to your pool. It further seals the heat and keeps it from going back into the atmosphere. They’re mostly UV-ray-protected making them last longer, even in harsh sunny conditions, but eventually deteriorate with prolonged exposure to the sun. They’re made of polyethylene and polypropylene materials with different thickness gauges from 8 Mil to 16 Mil. The thicker covers retain more heat but are usually a chore to roll away, while the lighter covers are easy to roll away but don’t retain as much heat. Like a traditional cover, they keep dirt out of the pool, thereby reducing the number of times you need to clean the pool.
Solar Ring Pool Covers: These are small spheres that are attached to each other with a magnet and placed on the surface of the pool. The idea behind these covers is to leave as little room as possible for the sun rays to hit the pool directly, thereby reducing algae buildup in the pool. The ring cover has a few advantages over the bubble cover. When a pet falls into the pool, the ring covers separate and don’t wrap up the pet like the bubble cover would do, and you can change sections of the ring cover each time without having to change the full cover. However, they neither retain heat nor reduce evaporation, and there is room for chemical dissipation when using the solar ring cover

There are also pool covers classified based on colors: blue and clear. It’s believed that blue covers retain heat more than the clear covers, but the clear covers heat the pool faster. There are also classifications based on shape: round, oval, rectangular, and kidney shapes.

It is advisable to run your pool pump while using the solar cover so that you will get a uniform rise in temperature in your pool. Also keep in mind that some solar covers are better for above-ground pools, and others for in-ground swimming pools.

Price

Considering the different types of pool covers discussed above, it’s certain that different factors affect the price of covers in the market. For instance, a pool cover with a higher thickness gauge should cost more than that with a lower gauge. People make the mistake of thinking that the more expensive a product is, the higher the quality, but that’s not always true; nonetheless, you would not expect a high-quality pool cover to cost less than a low-quality one.

A good solar pool cover costs between $71 and $369 and truthfully, they pay for themselves through the seasons when you compare the cost of the solar cover to the energy cost of heating your pool with a pump instead. Of course, we saw some cheap solar pool covers while researching this product, but we ignored them because most of the reviews showed that they live true to their names; cheap. So, rest assured, whatever solar pool cover you get from this review is of good quality.

Features

Size, shape, and design are among some of the factors that influence the pool cover you choose, but beyond these, there are other features that affect your choice and the price of your pool cover. For instance, you need to buy a pool cover that will fit into the shape or design of your pool without sinking into the pool, and you need to get a pool cover with enough thickness to keep your pool as warm as you need it. Here are some of the factors that affect the type of pool cover you decide to purchase:

Thickness
UV Resistance
Color
Degree of Rise in Temperature
Portability
Shape
Accessories
Size and Fitting
Material
Durability
Warranty

Let’s look at these factors one by one and see why they’re important to consider before choosing a solar pool cover.

Construction and Design

Most solar pool covers have thickness gauges ranging from 8 Mil to 16 Mil; there are even some that have a thickness gauge as low as 5 Mil. The thickness of your pool cover determines how well it will retain heat in the pool. The thicker covers tend to retain more heat and keep more water from evaporating from your pool; they also hold up better against debris and dirt falling into the pool, and cannot be blown away by the wind easily. However, they’re not strong enough to keep pets from falling in, and they’re usually bulkier to roll away. If you’re getting a thicker pool cover, it’s best to get a second person to help roll it away.

Research has shown that darker colors retain trapped heat in the pool better than clear colors, but heat the pool slower than the clear colors; this is simple physics. The blue color, for instance, already has a color which absorbs rays from the sun as it hits the cover. This means that the color absorbs a fraction of the sun rays. But for the clear ones, nothing absorbs the rays; the heat is transferred directly to the pool; and then, the reverse is the case when it has to do with heat retention. However, there are blue/clear solar covers that are hybrids of both colors. Depending on which is a priority for you (heat absorption or heat retention), you can choose the color that best suits you.

Solar pool covers come in different shapes: oval, rectangular, and round. When going for a pool cover, choose one that fits the shape of your pool. It’s usually hard to find a kidney-shaped pool cover, but you can buy a rectangular one and cut it into the shape of your kidney pool.

Check if your cover comes with accessories such as a reel and seam holder. Though pool covers with these accessories will naturally cost more, they’ll save you the stress of searching for them in the market again. And the reels that come with the covers have been made to suit them.

The thicker your cover, the more warranty cover it will have. Some have a shorter full warranty and a longer limited warranty. This means that if your pool cover starts breaking within the full warranty period, you may get a replacement. Always check what your warranty covers.

Performance and Ease of Use

Solar pool covers are built to work under the sun, so it’s in your best interest to get those that are UV-resistant; this treatment affects the durability of your pool cover. Ideally, pool covers are expected to last for two seasons on average, but if your cover is UV-resistant, it can outlast the seasons.

The major function of the solar pool cover is to raise the temperature of the pool, so it should be the first thing to consider. To what degree will your pool cover raise the temperature of your pool? There are covers that raise the temperature up to 20 degrees Fahrenheit but, on average, they raise it up to 10 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s up to you to know what degree you can accommodate or want to achieve, and go for the cover with that feature.

It’s better to buy a bigger pool cover and cut it to fit than to buy a smaller one. The latter will make you lose the sole purpose you bought the cover for. There will be evaporation and chemical dissipation from the sides of the pool that are exposed. Needless to say, this will make heat retention a harder job for your pool cover to do.

What is the Best Solar Pool Cover?

Having gone through our guide on how to choose the best solar pool cover for you, we believe that we’ve solved a good percentage of the challenge you had earlier. The best cover is that which best serves the purpose you need it to. Now join us as we look at our top five products!

Our Top Choice

The Harris Rectangle Solar Cover has a Geobubble technology that helps retain the heat from the sun, and it maintains its flexibility over time. Are you looking for a cover for your round pool with a thickness of about 12 Mil? The Harris 24 ft Round Solar Cover in blue may be what you need.

Harris Clear Rectangle Solar Pool Cover – Available in 10 Sizes

Harris Solar Pool Cover H1632RTCC16 - 16 ft x 32 ft

Features

With over 30 years’ experience of installing and supplying swimming pools and swimming pool accessories, Harris Pools has worked on hundreds of projects ranging from outdoor hot-tubs to world standard award-winning indoor pools. It’s a member of SPATA (Swimming Pool and Allied Trades Association), a body responsible for ensuring that all members attain the highest standards of swimming pool construction, and helps with arbitration services when there’s a dispute. It’s committed to excellence in service and customer support, which has resulted in numerous referrals from its clients.

The Harris Rectangle Solar Cover is an original all-blue solar pool cover with excellent heat retention. This cover allows sun rays to pass through it to raise the pool water temperature by 15 degrees F. You can fit it to the size of your pool by cutting off the extra areas that aren’t needed. The size we’ve chosen to review is 16 by 32 feet and is 45 pounds, though there are 9 other size options available.

During summer, this pool cover helps to reduce water evaporation up to 90%. It also prevents dissipation of chemicals and heat, and is quite affordable. This pool cover is a resin material that’s non-reflective, so it doesn’t divert sun rays from the pool. This Harris pool cover comes with a 7-year warranty.

Harris Pools has other solar pool covers that may be of interest to you:

Harris 18 ft x 36 ft Rectangle Solar Cover - Clear - 16 Mil – It’s 18 feet wide and 36 feet long
Harris 15 ft x 30 ft Oval Solar Cover - Blue - 12 Mil – It’s 15 feet wide and 30 feet long; oval shaped
Harris 12 ft Round Solar Cover - Blue - 5 Mil – It’s 12 feet in diameter; round shaped

You can check out other solar pool covers from Harris pool for more options if you don’t like this one.

Best Value

The Doheny’s Oval Solar Pool Cover can raise the temperature of your pool to maximum atmospheric temperature and warms up the pool faster. Looking for a more beautiful blue-colored solar cover that’s also lightweight? Check out the 21 ft Round Solar Cover- Blue Blue 5ML.

Doheny’s 12 x 24 Feet CLEAR-TEK Oval Solar Pool Cover – Available in 4 Thickness Sizes & 3 Colors

Doheny’s Solar Pool 1224OVALCOVER – 12ML – Clear/Clear

Features

Doheny’s is a family-owned pool installation and accessories business of over 40 years. With its fully-stocked nine warehouses across the globe, it’s served thousands of customers that keep returning or referring it to others. It created the Clear-Tek technology, which is an upgrade on the reflective aluminized solar blankets. With this technology, it creates solar pool covers that are non-reflective, but absorb the heat from sun rays and transfer it to the pool, thereby raising the pool temperature by 15 degrees F. It boasts of providing quality pool installation and accessories at an unmatched budget-friendly price.

One of such Clear-Tek solar pool covers is the Doheny’s Oval Solar Pool Cover which allows more sun through it and warms up the pool faster. It keeps dirt and falling leave out of the pool while retaining heat in the pool at night. For 3 days of constant sunshine, you can raise the temperature of the pool to the maximum atmospheric temperature with this fantastic pool cover. The temperature increase is done by the air pockets on the cover which traps heat from sunlight and further transfers it to the body of water below it. It helps avoid chemical dissipation from your pool and helps you extend your swimming season. It also maintains its flexibility over time without becoming brittle. To top it off, it’s covered by a 6-year warranty. Please note that the cover we chose to review has dimensions of 24 by 12 feet, but this brand has other pool covers of different sizes.

Other valuable solar covers from Doheny’s are:

20 ft x 40 ft Rectangular Solar Cover-Clear Clear 16ML– It’s 20 feet wide and 40 feet long; rectangular-shaped; 16 Mil thick
18 ft Round Solar Cover-Clear Clear 16ML – Has 18-foot diameter; round-shaped; 16 Mil thick
12 ft x 24 ft Oval Solar-Cover Clear Clear 16ML – It’s 12 feet wide and 24 feet long; oval-shaped; 16 Mil thick

If this pool cover isn’t what you had in mind, it’s okay to check out other pool covers from Doheny’s.

The Sun2Solar Supreme Rectangle Solar Pool Cover raises pool temperature by 17 degrees F and reduces evaporation by 95%. Its lens-shaped air bubbles magnify the heat from the sun. If your swimming pool is larger and round, you may want to check out the 33' Round 16 Mil Ultimate Blue Swimming Pool Solar Cover.

Sun2Solar Supreme Rectangle Solar Pool Cover – Available in 27 Sizes & 3 Colors

Sun2Solar Solar Pool Cover 45910 – 25-feet x 45-feet - Blue

Features

Sun2Solar’s major focus is on creating products that take away dependence on traditional fuels and focus on generating renewable energy from the sun. It also offers advice and solutions on energy saving and other government plans that are solar-based. Some of its products include solar PV systems, battery storage, and little magic box that continually supplies hot water. It’s endorsed and assessed by energy quality control bodies such as MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme), NICEIC (National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting) and RECC (Renewable Energy Consumer Code). These endorsements make it a trusted brand for the manufacture of quality solar products.

With this knowledge, you would not expect less quality from the Sun2Solar Supreme Rectangle Solar Pool Cover. With it, you can raise the temperature of your pool by 17 degrees F; that’s a wide margin compared to other pool covers around. It also reduces evaporation of water by a whopping 95%, thereby reducing heat loss at night and on cloudy days especially when there’s high wind. Due to its size (25 by 45 feet), it’s ideal for bigger outdoor pools.

It features thousands of air pockets or bubbles that capture heat and transmit it from the sun to your swimming pool. The air pockets have a lens shape which makes their operation different from other air bubble covers. The lens-shaped bubbles magnify the heat from the sun and maintain a steady rise in temperature for a 48-hour period.

The resin material also ensures minimal chemical dissipation from the pool. The cover helps keep debris and dirt out of your pool, which has an 8-year limited warranty with a 2-year full warranty. You can also get this pool cover in 27 other sizes.

If this solar pool cover doesn’t match your solar pool cover specs, then check out other solar covers from Sun2Solar.

The In The Swim Premium Solar Pool Cover resists UV rays and prevents decay from the sun. It also eliminates algae build-up in your pool. For a round pool cover with similar features, check out the 12 Mil Swimming Pool Solar Blanket Cover that covers 24 feet.

In The Swim Premium Blue/Black 12 Mil 18 x 36 Feet Rectangle Solar Swimming Pool Cover

In The Swim Solar Pool Cover S3240

Features

For a company that started with a husband and wife distributing chlorine from the back of their garage while taking the orders from the front porch, In The Swim has grown into a highly reputable pool industry brand. It has been supplying pool chemicals, equipment, and accessories, and also installing swimming pools in its 35 plus years of operation. It’s secured important customer loyalty due to the high level of customer satisfaction it maintains. It’s dedicated to delivering quality products at affordable prices while staying committed to excellent customer service.

The In The Swim Premium Solar Pool Cover is an economical and environmentally-friendly way of raising your pool’s temperature while saving on energy costs. The air pockets trap the heat from sunlight and retain it long after the sun is gone. Its vinyl resin material resists UV rays, thereby preventing decay from the sun. Most customers noticed that for as long as they used this cover, there was no algae buildup in their pools.

Using this solar pool cover raises your pool temperature by 15 degrees F. The seams are reinforced to provide extra protection against wear and tear; most customers stated that it survived one season intact. It’s a durable pool cover yet lightweight enough to cut into any shape and size for your pool. This cover is 18 by 36 feet, though this brand also offers other-sized covers.

It reduces pool chemical loss and also reduces evaporation. The black underside is heat absorbent and acts as an insulator that retains the trapped heat to keep your pool warmer than clear solar covers would do. It also keeps bugs, leaves, and other debris out of the pool. It makes for a great aesthetic solar cover; the sight of it over your pool is always appealing. A 7-year limited warranty covers it.

If this solar pool cover isn’t to your liking, you can check out other options from In The Swim.

The Blue Wave Round Above-Ground Pool Cover is thick enough to trap heat inside your pool yet incredibly lightweight. Do you want a Blue Wave solar pool cover for your rectangular 12-foot pool? Then check out the Blue Wave 12 x 24 Feet Rectangular Solar Blanket.

Blue Wave 15 Feet Round 8 Mil. Above Ground Pool Blue Solar Pool Cover - Available in 10 Sizes

Blue Wave Solar Pool Cover NS105 – 15-Feet

Features

Blue Wave got into the swimming pool business with the sole aim of supplying quality swimming pool accessories and chemicals. But as it began to grow in the market, it realized that it could provide much more than just accessories, so it began manufacturing and distributing saunas and above-ground pools. It also supplies different kinds of outdoor and indoor games and accessories.

In about ten years of its existence, Blue Wave has developed 12 product lines that are bestsellers in their categories; talk about massive growth! Blue Wave understands that quality products without good customer service won’t make much impact, so it has built a customer support unit made up of knowledgeable products specialists who are always ready to answer questions and proffer solutions when needed.

The Blue Wave Round Above-Ground Pool Cover is 8 Mil thick; this makes it thick enough to trap heat inside your pool but light enough to fold away without much trouble. It’s loaded with thermal bubbles that can heat up your pool by 15 degrees F while impeding evaporation of the water from the pool. It’s also affordable; one of the lowest prices you will get for a quality pool cover.

The blue transparent color absorbs rays from the sun and keeps it trapped. It’s easy for one person to roll over the pool and it holds up well against strong wind. This cover is UV protected, so it’s made to last in the sun, and it’s good for a beautiful view. It also helps to prevent pool chemical breakdown.

It measures 4.5 by 0.6 by 0.6 feet and weighs 5 pounds, and has a 3-year warranty. Please note that if you use this solar cover with your filter running, you’ll get a uniform temperature rise in the pool.

If this isn’t exactly what you were looking for, Blue Wave has other pool covers for your perusal.

Get the Best Solar Pool Cover of 2018!

Now that we’ve given you ample information on choosing the best solar pool cover, the only thing remaining is for you to make your pick and purchase your ideal solar pool cover!

Our Top Choice

Harris Rectangle Solar Cover

Best Value

Doheny’s Oval Solar Pool Cover

Sun2Solar Supreme Rectangle Solar Pool Cover

In The Swim Premium Solar Pool Cover

Blue Wave Round Above-Ground Pool Cover