wrote:
I'm thinking of buying a solar pool cover for our swimming pool. I
understand that these work by cutting the evaporation (there's some
useful info at
http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/...mytopic=13140).
But our pool is kidney-shaped, and it's not clear to me whether it
would be better to

(1) cut the cover to the shape of the pool, or

(2) keep the cover rectangular, but don't cover all the water.

I had a Kidney shaped pool for twenty years and used a solar blanket
most every day.
By all means cut it. It's pretty easy and will loo better. Also it will
cover the surface better.

Are there durability issues if I do (1)? From what I've read, it
should buy a reel to make it easier to put on and take off. I'm
concerned that using the cover every day during the cooler season would
mean that the wider parts of the cover would rub on the narrower parts
of the pool as I reel it back and forth, and wear it out (more!)
quickly.

I'd buy a reaal, but don't worry about it wearing out from rubbing.
Mine
rubbed everytime I realed it in. They always wore out due to UV light
and chlorine
eventually destroying the plastic. I found that a 5 year blanket lasted
5 years.
I'd buy the thickest they make. I always mail ordered mine. A lot
cheaper than the local pool place.


It's also unclear to me how well I can fit it when I do the cutting,
and whether a little excess cover or a little open water is better (or
maybe this doesn't make much difference).


I've cut it too short more than once. Unless its really bad, i really
doubt you'd see any difference. When I cut mine it cut it too big then
when back later and trimmed it up.

I found the greatest benefit of these things is preventing heat loss at
night. It helps
durring the day too, but I found that it kept in more heat during the
night than it generated during the day, but that was in Oregon were the
nights get cool even if it gets in the 80's during the day.

Tom