Blue Wave 18 Feet Round Solar Blanket – 12 Mil Pool Cover with Thermal Bubbles to Retain Heat & Reduce Evaporation – Fade-Resistant Solar Cover for Above Ground Pools – Clear

This solar cover really works! It’s more like 19ft for and 18ft round pool which worked well for me for 2 reasons. 1 being as big as it is it went up the sides of my pool protecting it from flying debris as I was mowing my lawn and 2 it brought my pool temp up over night 6 degrees. My pool went from 81 degrees at the time I put it on at 5pm to 87 degrees by 9 am! Perfect swimming temp! The difficult part was getting it to separate to get it to roll out across the pool. It was easy to remove! Easy to use! This is my 1st season using it so I don’t know about the longevity of it but feel like if you take care of it it will last!

we used this 12 mill clear solar a full 4 seasons in Ohio. 4 months per year( and i think i forgot and left it out on the real most of the winter after one season. 4 years is amazing for a solar cover, so.... I'm buying another one from these guys. The biggest thing, I think that saves them, is covering them with a long narrow tarp when the cover is on the reel to protect it from the sun. Ours would've lasted longer if I did that all of the time. Thin Plastic white tarps are pretty cheap. Just a hassle to cover and uncover the reel every time.

So this is just a first impression review as many of the reviews seem older and vary vastly- will update once we've had it for a bit...My cover just arrived (only a few days late, of which I was kept well notified) and it was neatly wrapped in tarpish material and lighter than I expected. This is only my second solar cover and my first was an 8 mil. (blue) 12 footer from Intex, so wasn't sure what to expect. Got it out and it was definitely sturdier, thicker material than my previous one, so you are definitely getting a legit 12 mil. Though pretty light, it did take two to get it on as it was folded multiple times, fairly sticky to unfold and awkward laying it across our 18 ft (4 ft deep) round above ground steel frame Summer Waves pool. It seems well put together, though it's def different feeling than my previous one. The bubbles are larger, but less "airy," though not as easily popped (honestly - the other one has held up really well, but looks and feels like extra sturdy bubble wrap.) This is a meatier plastic by far. It completely covers the pool and then some, being probably about 8" to 1' extra in diameter, which is okay for now as it compensates for the deep folds (which will flatten out with time and warmth, I assume), but may potentially pose a problem after it smooths out...we will see on whether we need to cut it down. You want that good suction seal when you live somewhere that can get quite windy. Just know it will be bigger than you expect. And if you are someone who leaves your ladder in (we don't for safety), it will be in the way. Additionally, be mindful that this cover does NOT come with pre-cut "holes" for drainage that some covers (like my old one) already have, which isn't too much of an issue if you don't get summer rain where you live, but if you do, just be aware...I anticipate needing to acquire grommets to attach/punch through, as we get monsoons in in AZ late summer and I am not keen on just cutting holes in it, as I don't want to damage it structurally. Those drainage holes also make it easier to maneuver the cover and keep it from accumulating water on top in general, reducing sinking , etc., so this is a potential factor. Ironically, the "tenting" from the folds and extra size are compensating for this at the moment. We are building some "saddle" hooks from PVC pipe to hang on the side of the pool which will make the cover more maneuverable getting it both on and off more easily and cleanly for one person (though I anticipate this will only be doable from inside the pool. Anyway - I don't yet know anything about how well it works in terms of heating and longevity, but will update. We are in northern AZ at 7200 ft with summer highs only briefly hitting the 90s, but typically averaging in the 80s between June and September, (with significant col downs at night) so our swimming season is short and a warmer pool is essential! We are also surrounded by tall pine trees with only a few good hours of direct sunlight, so - while the FORM looks good so far - more to come on the FUNCTION! Maybe I'll try to add a pic actually ON a pool (missing from the Amazon offerings) later as well...

I bought this for a 16' x 48" round Intex ultra frame pool. The cover is great and works wonderfully at heating up the pool water. It is big enough to cover the top of the water with no extra over hang. There is a slight gap around the edges but only about an inch all the way around. Not a big deal at all. It has heated up my pool to feel like a warm bath more than a cold pool. I've found if I turn my pump off only the top 3-4 inches are real warm and the bottom of the pool is cold HOWEVER leaving the pump on circulates the water and the entire pool is kept warm! It only took 2 days to get really warm like this in 70℉ weather. I found myself warmer in the pool than out of it on a nice 70℉ breezy day lol. I also live in an area of NW Oregon that is very windy most of the time and I can say this cover hasn't blown off once. Not even close. It just stays floating on the top of the pool. The added bonus is it also helps keep bugs and debris out of the pool. I am fortunate to have been able to set up my pool where trees aren't around or close over it but there is a large field with LOTS of dandelions blowing their "wishes" all over the place when it's windy. This cover has helped tremendously in keeping them out of the water.I spent a lot of time looking into these types of pool covers and what color worked best and after a lot of reading I figured clear would be best for me. I can not comment on if it works better than black, grey or blue but my common sense says clear will magnify the heat/light in a similar way as glass would with the sun and thus create more heat and retain more heat. I also had the forethought to order this while getting the pool ready for set up so when it came I was in the process of filling the pool with water and was able to put it on when I was done. I ran the filter continuously for 48 hours then put it on a timed mode per manufacturer's recommendations and when the pump went to timed mode that's when I got only the top few inches to heat versus the whole pool being heated with the pump on continuously. Once I put the pump to run 24 hrs and left it I didn't have the cold bottom anymore so I recommend a pump on continuously for whole pool heat with this cover. I also would like to mention that I have 3 children, 9,6,3, who have each tries to pop the bubbles on this cover without success, and promptly given timeouts because of it lol. It is thick. This is NOT your standard bubble wrap. This stuff is thick and strong. Strong enough to withstand three naughty children trying their hardest to pop the bubbles without being able to strong.I've had this product for two months now on my saltwater pool and there is no sign of failure yet. My husband was skeptical and a bit irritated at first I bought it and thought I was wasting our money, but after experiencing the difference it makes he praises me on the purchase.I highly recommend getting this cover for your pool and can say you won't regret it with confidence. When the day comes I need to replace this cover, it is plastic after all and nothing lasts forever!, I will be buying it again and have already set this item to my wishlist so I can find it easily when that day comes. Yes, I am that happy with it. I know this has saved me a ton of money already versus buying an electric heater for my pool and the cost of electricity to run it as my husband wanted to do 😜. Buy this and be happy jumping into your warm pool and have fun

Works good

Our water was so cold last year all summer that I wanted to get a jump start for this year and hopefully be able to enjoy it. I bought this for our 18 round pool. It goes on well and keeps the tree debris from making a mess in the pool. However…after a few days we had green algae. Like overnfight. Idk if it was from using the solar cover or not but we had a mess to get it cleared up. It’s huge and a pain to deal with and take 2-3 people to put on and take off if you don’t have a roller for it. It’s been wadded up in a pile since the first part of June and it’s now mid-August. So think about spending that money before you buy it…I wasted $125. (And I’m not sure it even worked).