![]() ![]() I used it for 2 seasons and then researched a new one. It is a mix of plastic and aluminum and it was in rough shape as was the cover. The current is a Feherguard Blanket Handler that came with the pool when we bought our current house. My first one was a DIY made by the previous owner. I have had Solar Blanket reels on both pools. The size of the plastic allowed me get two covers out of it by cutting it in half, so hopefully I can get a couple of years from each. We strap it around the reel with 2 bungee cords. The white side is UV treated and keeps the cover cool. I bought a big roll (10' x 25') of black/white poly film plastic that is used for gardening. Also, many solar covers no longer come with protective plastic to shield them from the sun. What I like is that it is stored out of the way instead of laying on the pool deck. Two people doing the same thing OUT of the pool is so much easier. Putting it on can be done while you are still in the pool-you get the first 2-3 feet unrolled and floating on the water, then unroll the rest and let it rest on top of each accordion style, and then you can "swim" it across to the end. I can't for the life of me figure out why it does this but we must be "off" on how we attached it to the reel and it does not pull evenly all the way across. Rolling it up with one person works good, but I have to periodically tug the cover toward the edge to keep it from bunching up in the middle. Don't know the brand but it is aluminum, has a large hand wheel on one end and a pair of wheels on one end to move it easily. We are using a solar reel for the first time on a 12 mil cover, 18' x 36. It was always kinda cool to unreel the cover and watch it go on its own like magic. ![]() Putting the cover back on was always easy becuase i'd turn my pump all the way up and let the jets do all the work. Ive seen recommendations here to buy the thin/flimsy cover for ease of removal, but they dont heat/retain nealy as well. It may work forever on a smaller kidney or AGP, but notsomuch for my 20X40. I stuggled for 3 years and by year 5 threw the reel and cover out. ![]() Once that happened it was saggy and either a 2 person job to open, or a one large person job. It also came with dual heavy duty bushings on each crank. This could be due to my having a 16mil cover but i specifically bought a reel that was supposed to handle the extra weight. The 24 ft wide tube was reinforced but by the end of year 2 it sagged just like the cheap ones. I never used the caster wheels that came with it but they were quality also. I liked the design that the supports were basically upside down T's so it was less likely to tip over. I spent $500 on a heavy duty reel with a 5 inch aluminum tube. ![]()
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