I have had several pool covers over the years, blue, blue and black, clear, clear with diamond shaped bubbles. Last year I purchase a "Gold Series" solar cover. It is blue on the top with a reflective good metallic layer that faces down. This cover is by far the best cover I have ever owned. It's high quality but more importantly I have 5-7 more degrees in water temperature then I have ever had. In July I had to take it off the water was so warm. Very pleased.
Check with your local swimming pool retail store. Most solar covers are made in standard sizes (rectangles) and are constructed like "bubble wrap" material used in packing boxes. You trim the material to fit your particular pool. It simply floats on the surface of the water. You can buy aluminum "rollers" on which to roll up your cover when you want to use the pool but you should buy a pure white plastic sheet to put over the rolled up cover to prevent excessive heat during the day from damaging the cover. Sunlight duirng the hotter summer months will cause a very high temperature buildup in the center of the rolled up cover and may even cause some of it to melt. If you leave solar covers on the pool for long periods of time, you will raise the temperatur of your pool water quickly and probably too high so be sure to take it off after two or three days so water can cool again.
The fact is none of them make a great deal of difference to the temperature of the water.
Obviously, each brand differs, but generally they work very well. Be prepared for a very hot pool!
It's not possible to add optimizer plus to a pool with the solar cover on. You will need to remove the solar cover from part or all of the pool in order to put optimizer or other pool treatment products into your swimming pool water.
Useless
Try a solar pool cover. Blue or black is best.
No
The side of the pool cover with bubbles is the lower side.
when you are in the pool
yes
They are the same thing basically. Pool Cover, Solar Cover, solar Blanket are all used interchangeably. It's basically some material, usually a plastic bubble mesh or vinyl covering that goes over the pool. The exception to this is Winter Cover which generally is heavier and designed to protect your pool during long winter months.
Bubbles down
It is depends on the type, brand and size. It cost about $219 for the 10m x 6m solar swimming pool blanket cover and $512 for the solar pool cover 500 micron series.
First, the small variation in thickness between makes and models of solar pool covers will not significantly change the amount of heat absorbed by the water. That being said, a thicker pool cover may be more tear or damage resistant than a thinner cover and thereby, last longer. But it may also be more expensive and heavier, especially when wet as you pull it out of the pool. Hope this helps ...
It keeps your pool warm. "This effective solar ball keeps your above ground or in ground pool warmer by spreading an invisible layer of non-toxic, biodegradable film. This invisible layer cuts down on one of the major pool cooling forces – evaporation. Up to 60% as effective as a traditional solar pool cover. Best of all Solar Ball works all the time and there is no cumbersome solar pool cover to haul around. Simply drop the Solar Ball in your pool’s skimmer and its special time released delivery system will keep your pool warm for 30 days. It is not affected by automatic pool covers." - http://www.pcpools.com/products/solarball.html?sku=NS794&id=117