INTEX 28013E Solar Pool Cover: for 15ft Round Easy Set and Metal Frame Pools – Insulates Pool Water – Reduces Water Evaporation – Keeps Debris Out – Reduces Chemical Consumption

I waited THREE YEARS to write this review. I live in Dallas, TX. I use the Intex solar blankets starting in late March and again in the fall when temps start dropping. They raise the temp by at least 6 to 10 degrees, depending on the temperature. We can start swimming comfortably a LOT sooner due to these blankets and keep swimming way into late October, even November. For example, this year, I put them on the 3rd week in March. Our pool was 69 degrees. In one week, it was 73 degrees, and my grandson went swimming! They really do lengthen the swimming times here. For my pool, I purchased two 15-foot rounds and one 10-foot round. If you live where it's windy, consider using some type of poles laid on them to keep them in place. (I use our skimmer and brush with a brick on the base.) Overall, I give them five stars because they increased swim time in our pool by a couple of months during spring and fall, and they lasted three years! :)

I’ve only used it for a few weeks so I can’t speak to durability but honestly I’m not expecting this to last for years and years like other reviewers seem to expect. But boy does this thing WORK. I left it on all day during a 101 degree day and at 9pm the top layer of the water was 101 degrees as well! It seriously felt like a jacuzzi getting in. After swimming in it and mixing the water up the final temperature at 9:30pm was 86 degrees which was so comfortable and incredible considering the sun had set and I could still enjoy my pool.As soon as this starts to show signs of deterioration I’ll will take it off and buy a new one instead of leaving it to clog my pool filter with little blue bubbles. If it lasts the whole summer I will be satisfied with it. If it starts breaking down before the season is over then yes I will dock stars but otherwise I know the quality of this won’t last forever and if it stays at 49$ then I’m okay with buying a new one each year. If it goes back to its regular price of 99$ then I won’t be happy with buying one each year.As far as taking it on and off, I bought the 15ft one and decided to use a cheap tension rod (like for closets) and place it on top on the cover while it’s in the pool and use the rod to help roll up the cover instead of fighting to fold it. Then when I want to put it back on I just do the opposite and start unrolling it over the water. This makes it easy to get it off and on completely by myself within a couple minutes. I’ve seen some cool homemade contraptions with PVC pipes, ropes, and a hand crank that sit permanently at the edge of the pool where you can roll up this cover even more easily and I may consider making one myself.I will update this review at the end of summer stating how long this cover lasted or if it is still in good shape.

I've had a couple of these. They do help with raising the water temps giving you a earlier and later pool season. Expect to replace the cover every year and at a push year and half. It's going to break down.. this is a given. It's not a expensive cover.. look at it as a single season use item that extends your fun for a few extra weeks. Is it worth that to you... if you get 120 days of pool fun.. then that works out to be roughly .03 to .04 cents a day (or less) depending upon pool size. It helps cut down on debris.. so less time fishing out leafs, bugs and the grass your neighbor or kid blew in there with the lawnmower. Yes you can get more costly covers.. which may last two seasons.. but when you sit down and do the math over the period of time these add up to be about the same. Less Cost = Shorter life span. Higher cost = slightly longer life span.. the two average out to be the same when you start doing the math for long term benefits vs. cost.However, be warned. Just as others have pointed out it will fall apart after one to one and half seasons. The plastic is thin.. but the main factors is the plastic breaks down under the heat, chlorine and UV light (sun exposure). While the plastic is thin, the three factors play a major role in it failing. The plastic isn't a UV stable plastic (most likely given the cost) and chlorine within itself will break down things quicker as well.. throw in the heat as well and you get a even quicker break down and lots of blue bubble pieces in your pool.One way to avoid the cover from breaking down quickly is if you can spray it off if you can in between uses on the pool.. the months that you don't need to use it all if you are using it solely as heat and not debris catcher. Defiantly don't just let it dry out and store it over the winter months.. spray it down.. get the most pool chemicals you can off of it. Store it in a cool place if you can.. not in the top rafters in a garage where it can still get very warm in early and late parts of spring /fall. Most people have seen where they go to get something that has been a hot attic or rafters of a garage and the plastic is dry as a dead leaf and falls apart.. this can do the same.When you drag it off the pool for swimming, see if you can put it in a shaded area. It folded up on itself and being wet.. it gets hot.. real hot. Not good for plastic (add pool chemicals to make a nice hot steam within its self), especially when you take a scorching hot cover and throw it back over pool water.. think of how heated glass/metal and cold water react.. rapid cooling causes stress cracks, not so much in the plastic, but over and over it will have an effect. Also.. don't just drag this off and leave it laying over the grass.. within a hour or two (or less) it will have scorched the grass. Nothing like a lovely round scorched/semi-dead patch of grass in your yard.

My 8 year old can jump in before the sun rises... I need a little help lol.. this thing works great... lay it on, and the sun heats it, plus the bubbles on it project light rays like a magnifying glass...