By Francis Lowe
The handling of a solar cover, both on and off the pool, is made hugely easier by the use of a swimming pool reel. An essential part of any swimming pool owners equipment is the use of a good quality solar cover. The main advantages of a solar cover, the increase in pool water temperature and the prevention of costly heat losses through evaporation, are far greater than the disadvantages, which are cost and the awkwardness of daily handling. To make the most of your pool and cover it is therefore important to make the cover handling as easy and efficient as possible.
Basicly there are two types of swimming pool reel systems, manual and electric powered. We will look at both in turn. Both types of reel comprise a set of telescopic tubes, which when assembled will open up to the required width. This distance is usually the width of the pool, plus an overlap of about one foot each side. Some manufacturers will supply a single piece tube rather than a telescopic, but whilst this will save 5 minutes of assembly work, the carriage cost is vastly more expensive. The two most important characteristics of the tube are the diameter and the thickness, or gauge, of the metal itself. It is best to have the largest diameter and gauge that you can afford. All tubes will bend to some degree, but the extent to which they bend will be determined by the diameter and gauge. If a tube has too much bend in it, it becomes difficult to turn, making covering and uncovering the pool very hard work.
The tube system is then connected to and supported by an end stand assembly. These end stands vary enormously from manufacturer to manufacturer, but are generally made of stainless steel.The exact design of these stands vary greatly from supplier to supplier, but are generally manufactured with a long life stainless steel. Whilst it is possible to buy reels with a plastic end stand, they do not tend to be very cost effective due to a short lifespan.
For manual handling, the basic reel is a post bolted to the ground, connected to the tube and with a hand wheel at each end to allow two people to operate it at the same time. Care needs to be taken when siting these reels as obviously they are then fixed in place, and could cause obstructions.
Most reel systems are designed to form a supporting stainless steel tripod. These tripods form a very effective solid base, whilst they are very long lasting due to the stainless steel. Some of these reel systems are capable of having castors fitted, which means that the reel can be wheeled away from the pool when required. Either with or without castors, there is a tendency for the reel to move or slip about when rolling the cover in or out. This can be overcome by the use of holding down bolts, which are supplied with most sytems. These bolts consist of a threaded bar, screwed through the stainless tube into a socket held in the ground. It is always best to use these as the reel then becomes fixed and secure. If you need to move the reel then simply unscrew the bolt from the socket.
Electric reels are usually either mains powered or increasingly, solar powered. The main disadvantage to the mains reel is that it requires installation by a qualified electrician, which can be costly. Also a cable needs to be fed from the transformer to the reel which is either unsightly or requires laying underground, again at some expense. It is for these reasons that solar powered reels are usually the easiest and cheapest installation solution. Their power comes from a small 12 volt battery that is re-charged from sunlight via a solar panel. In order to work effectively the solar panel needs to be placed somewhere where it will get full daylight.
Francis Lowe is a leading expert in swimming pool maintenance with a huge wealth of experience developed from 40 years in the industry.
To see a full range of pool equipment, including swimming pool reels and swimming pool rollers please see the website of specialist supplier poolwarehouseuk.com