Life of solar cover

13 years ago

After it became apparent that the typical blue bubble solar cover from your Friendly Local Bill's Pool and Spa survives two seasons at very best I acquired through mail order a cover of somewhat greater thickness for about twice the price but a 12-year warranty. Yet it lasted only one season

It shredded principally at the shallow end. Upon complaint I was asked to submit a sample whereupon I was advised my warranty was negated because of excessive chlorine, even though I rarely had gotten an FC reading higher than about 1 ppm

Out of fairness to the firm which I shall therefore not name, there was a crystalline deposit atop the principal area of damage. It also appeared at the shallow end where of course the skimmer is situated suggesting a problem related to local surface flow

Thus I'm curious whether another participant might have experienced a similar problem. For instance, at the time I had placed my chlor tabs in the skimmer basket so am wondering whether that practice might have somehow contributed to the apparent excess chlorination

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Comments (6)

azbabs
13 years ago
I bought a cheap thin blue bubble cover from my local store and it lasted 3 1/2 years. I have a salt system chlorinator. So,it could be the concentration of chlorine from the tabs in the skimmer causing your errosion. I get a white crusty deposit on the cover if left on for a while, but it washes right off.
golfgeek
13 years ago
Using tablets in the skimmer can cause problems.
Surrounding water will have a higher Chlorine reading and since the tabs have a low ph(2.9) they also lower the ph of the surrounding water. This occurs when the pump is off.
I could understand some damage to a cover as a result.
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dalehileman
Original Author
13 years ago
"I bought a cheap thin blue bubble cover from my local store and it lasted 3 1/2 years."

That's amazing as even when I was placing my tabs at the bottom of the deep end my cheap blue bubble lasted only two seasons, with some shredding at that. What is your secret

"Using tablets in the skimmer can cause problems.
Surrounding water will have a higher Chlorine reading"

Indeed Geek that's what I had feared. However since a bubble cover lasts only a couple of seasons anyway I've chosen to revert to the skimmer for tabs in order to achieve a higher FC
lbridges
13 years ago
Quote: "...I've chosen to revert to the skimmer for tabs in order to achieve a higher FC"

I'm curious why this would produce a higher FC level, and wonder if the high concentration in the skimmer might not accelerate failures in other parts (pump seals?).
dalehileman
Original Author
13 years ago
"I'm curious why this would produce a higher FC level,"

Because the flow rate in the skimmer is so much higher than with a typical 'floater' dispenser

"..and wonder if the high concentration in the skimmer might not accelerate failures in other parts (pump seals?)."

I have wondered about that too. However the distance between skimmer port and pump is about 20 ft so it's hard to imagine with pump off the FC zone of high concentration could migrate that far within a single day. Of course when the pump comes on it would quickly be draw in but would be present within the pump only for a second or two at most before dilution
poolguynj
13 years ago
Dale,

Floaters are made for above ground pools. The Pentair Rainbow series of erosion feeders are a far better solution than tabs in the skimmer. The Hayward's are crap, IMHO.

Tabs in the skimmer, when the pump is off, continue to dissolve, raising the chlorine level and lowering the pH, neither of which you want as they will cause skimmer, skimmer basket, and plumbing problems. If you have a heater, the higher concentration of chlorine doesn't help the heat exchanger either.

Scott