Is the Sun2Solar Solar Pool Cover Worth It?
Worth it, but only if you'll roll it on and off
Why the pool stays cold overnight
You walk out to the pool on the first hot morning of the season, sun already leaning on your shoulders, and dip a hand in expecting bathwater. What you get is last night's leftover chill, because the water that soaked up sun all afternoon gave most of it back to the night air before you ever got in. That gap between what the sky promised and what the water delivers is exactly what a sun2solar pool cover is built to close, and it's worth understanding what it actually does before you buy one for the season.
How a sun2solar solar pool cover actually holds heat
Here's the trick, and it isn't really about warming water with sunlight the way you'd think. A pool loses most of its heat to evaporation, not to the night air directly, water flashing off the surface and taking heat with it as it goes. Lay a cover of tightly packed bubbles across that surface and you stop the water from evaporating in the first place, which does more for the temperature than any amount of extra sunlight could. The blue tint and the bubble cells do a second job on top of that: they let light through to warm the water during the day while trapping a layer of still air that slows heat loss once the sun's gone. That's the whole mechanism, one lid doing two jobs. Thickness is where the shed test comes in. The 1200 series, at 12 mil, is built heavier than Sun2Solar's 800 series, which means it holds up longer against sun and pool chemicals before the bubbles start going flat and useless. Thinner covers save you a few dollars up front and lose the argument by the second summer. The catch that no cover, thick or thin, gets around: it only works while it's actually on the water. Roll it up and leave it on the deck during the day and you're just storing a heavy blue tarp in the sun, doing nothing for the pool.
So you're not buying a heater, you're buying a lid, one that keeps the heat you already paid the sun for from leaving overnight. The sunlight was always free. What you're really spending on is the discipline of putting the lid on and taking it off, day after day, all season.
Who the Sun2Solar pool cover is for, and who should skip it
Worth it if
- you're willing to roll the cover on most evenings and off most mornings
- you want warmer water without running a pool heater
- your pool season runs cool at the edges, spring and fall
- you'd rather buy once with a thicker 12 mil cover than replace a thin one every season
Skip it if
- you know the cover will end up folded in the shed most of the season
- your pool already runs warm enough without help
- you want a cover mainly for keeping debris out, not heat in
Not for anyone who won't actually roll the cover on and off most days, or who wants a cover mainly to keep leaves out rather than heat in.
The Sun2Solar pool cover verdict
If you're the kind of pool owner who'll actually roll this on in the evening and off in the morning, it earns its keep in warmer water and fewer degrees lost overnight. If you know yourself well enough to admit the cover will end up folded in the shed by midsummer, save the effort and let the pool run cooler on its own.
What this actually removes is that first-dip letdown, jumping in expecting warm and getting lukewarm instead. Get the routine down and by midseason you're pulling the cover back on a morning that's already a few degrees warmer than the deck thermometer says it should be, which is the whole point. It won't turn a pool into a hot tub, and it isn't supposed to. Treat it as a small daily chore that pays you back every evening you remember to do it, and it settles into the season without you thinking much about it at all.
Amazon shoppers rate it 4 out of 5 across 4,529 ratings. That is their number, not ours.
Before you go
What is the best brand of solar pool cover?
There's no single crowned winner, but Sun2Solar is one of the more established names in solar pool covers, and its 1200 series is built thicker than most entry-level covers, which matters more for longevity than any brand name does.
Do solar covers for pools really work?
Yes, mainly by cutting evaporation, which is the biggest source of heat loss in an outdoor pool, not by manufacturing warmth out of nowhere, so expect a genuine few degrees over a season if you use it consistently.
What is the difference between sun2solar pool cover 800 series and 1200 series?
The number refers to material thickness in mil, with the 1200 series at 12 mil built heavier and more durable than the thinner 800 series, at a bit more weight and cost.
What's the best thickness for a solar pool cover?
Thicker generally means longer life and slightly better heat retention, so a 12 mil cover like the 1200 series is a reasonable middle ground between a flimsy budget cover and an overbuilt one.
By the numbers
earn an unconditional yes at full priceOut of 58 lawn & garden products we have reviewed. This one is a yes with a condition attached.
other reviews field the same questionDo solar covers for pools really work?
comes up across our lawn & garden coverage, not just here — one of the things worth settling before you choose.
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Full spec sheet
| Size | 24' (Round) |
|---|---|
| Color | Blue |
| Material | Resin |
| Brand | Sun2Solar |
| Style | 1200 Series |
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