Sun2Solar Blue 4 ft x 8 ft Rectangle Solar Cover | 1200 Series | Heat Retaining Blanket for Rectangular Inground & Above Ground Swimming Pools | Use Sun to Heat Pool | Bubble Heating Blankets

Picked up the 1200 series in March of 2023. It's been on the pool summer 2023 - summer 2025. It does exactly what it's supposed to - maintains and keeps heat in the colder evenings, prevents evaporation in the warm ones. In Northeast Ohio - so this is a short-use season (May through Sept); Just started to notice the blue bubble failure and had my first edge tear during closing. 3 summers is what I anticipated to get out of this. It is not a permanent solution - you will need to buy another. We picked up a cover for it, and I think that made a difference. the prior homeowner left his in the sun and complained they only lasted one season. Note - The 1200 is heavy for a 20x40 pool - buy an appropriate reel. the 1600 is likely overwhelming. I will buy another in the winter of 2026 - this is a no-brainer for us.

We keep coming back to this same solar cover every time we need a new one. It lasts about 3 seasons before starting to break down and become brittle, and we use it for one more season past that. It seems such a waste to keep throwing away this much plastic, but it makes such a difference. Not so much in warming up the water, but it really helps to prevent heat loss overnight and also saves water by preventing evaporation. It is easy to cut to fit our free form 18x36 pool and works well with a solar reel. We have tried other solar blankets that claim to last longer, but they aren't worth the extra money. Additionally, the extra weight of thicker mil plastic makes the blanket heavy to roll up and makes the reel bend down. This one seems to be the happy medium of longevity and ease of use.

When the cover arrived (January 2024) it looked OK. Perhaps a little thin, but I knowingly bought a 12-mil thickness (I'd had 12-mil before, and they lasted 3+ years). First year, all OK. It was only on the pool for 6 months (FL winter months), then stored indoors. The next year, it was still OK when I installed it in November 2024. By April 2025, there was some deterioration, but still usable. I kept the cover on the pool in April 2025 (for the summer, and did not remove it ever) to prevent evaporation loss. But by late June, it was in tatters. About half of the bubbles had separated, leaving thousands of 1/2" blue discs in the water. The seams were separated, much of the blue color had bleached out, and the surface tore like toilet paper when I tried to move it. A pool solar cover should last more than 1.5 years (1 year of actual on-the-pool use). It's apparent that the material was low quality, and was not sun tolerant -- a real shortcoming in SOLAR pool cover. The manufacturer should have indicated that the expected life was only 1 year. Don't buy this cover due to its short life. And I'd be leery of anything from this brand.

Update: So this lasted 2 1/2 season. It was fine up to 2 summer...about 1/2 way on the third summer, bubbles started to disintegrate and finally the cover ripped. I did keep the cover on during the day time on 3rd summer which caused algae bloom. Learned that the hard way and should uncover it in the morning from now on. 2nd cover so far and these cover don't seems to make it over 3 years. I use a pool reel and do put them away after swim season. I had 14 mil for my cover before and used it for 3 years before I decided it needed to be replaced. I accidentally purchased a wrong size (bit smaller) that the 14 min left a bit of gap toward edge of the pool, but it was able to get the temperature above 90 if I kept the cover on for a week during summer. I decided to give 12 mil a try since it was bit cheaper, and to test out the insulation. I did get correct size and trimmed away to make it fit my pool. I put it on the reel right away to make it easier to cover and uncover. Per a recommendation, I attached retractable dog leash on one side for covering of the pool for end of the night when it retracts to covers the pool (sort of). The cover extends the swim season by warming up the pool before summer starts and keeping it warm toward the end of the season. I did notice some difference between 12 mil and 14 mil cover. Mainly weight and temperature. 14 mil is definitely heavier. But it puts more weight on the reel and heavier when pulling it to cover the pool. 14 mil keeps the temperature warmer. In So Cal, when 14 mil covers the pool for a few days it'll raiser the temperature quickly. Keep it on for a week, it'll raise the temperature of the water to 90 degrees and possibly warmer if I kept it on longer. There were nights when I left the cover off since the water was too warm and needed to be cooled off. I left the cover on during and after a rain. With warmth and not mixing with chlorinated water, I had an algae bloom that started on the cover and spread. Lesson learned, take cover off after a rain. 12 mil I've kept the cover on for a week and it hasn't quite reached 90 degrees. But I am able to keep the cover on for days when I'm not using the pool and not having to worry about getting too warm to swim. So for me I do like 12 mil better since I do not have to keep covering and uncovering on days I don't swim, but 14mil may be useful for people in bit cooler climate. 14 or 12 mil, I would highly recommend getting a solar blanket. Even in Southern California summer, water is still pretty cold (some where in 70's) but the blanket will make it much more enjoyable for everyone. I'll be more diligent in putting away the pool cover after summer to see if that will stretch the life of the cover and write a follow up

Cannot recommend due to very poor quality of material . The seams are already coming apart on day two of use. It is over priced bubble wrap.