Blue Wave 16-ft x 32-ft Rectangular Pool Solar Blanket - 12-mil Solar Pool Cover with Thermal Bubbles to Retain Heat and Reduce Evaporation – Fade Resistant Pool Solar Cover for Inground Pool - Blue

Finally a duck deterrent that works! I live by a lake...a lake filled with wild ducks. Ducks like to swim in my pool.Cute right? NOT! The filthy little creatures like to crap everywhere and anywhere they are LIKE IN MY POOL! Grrrrr. I tried motion sensor sprinklers, audio pest load speakers, fake alligators, shiny globes, laser lights....even fire crackers! I even bribed the winged nastys with bowls of whole kernel corn down by the lake to keep them down there but the little creeps just kept coming back and using my pool for a toilet in the middle of the night while I was sleeping. After having to drain, pressure wash, paint and refill my pool for the third time I finally decided to try this, because it would also act as a solar blanket heating source. OMG IT WORKED! The ducks won't come near it and my pool shot up 15 degrees in a couple of days (granted I live in Florida but this was before the summer heat set in). I have since purchased a swimming pool cover reel that I use to roll this up every morning (takes 2 minutes) and unroll it at night (takes 2 minutes). I haven't had a single problem with the ducks since, (or the frogs/bugs/BIG turtles) the pool stays cleaner, chemicals last longer and it really really really heats up the pool if you leave it on during the day. Covering at night keeps the pools heat trapped in (along with the chemicals that would otherwise be evaporating faster) as well. I used to have solar heating panels on my roof for heating the pool and those actually never got the pool above 84. This thing took it to 94 in a few days! I actually only use it at night now (or if the wind picks up and starts blowing crap in my pool during the day) to keep the ducks out and the pool clean. This is hands down the best product I have ever seen for heating the pool and keeping the critters out (also had a frog and HUGE very big turtle problem too - oh the joy of living on a lake with an in-ground pool and no screen room). I highly recommend this if you have a pool pest problem, want to bump your heat up in the cooler months or just want to cut down on chemical evaporation. IT WORKS! Also, I'd recommend eventually getting a cover reel because it's so much nicer to roll it up and unroll it rather than just dragging it up on to the deck but that does work. I did that to begin with. :-)BTW, I still feed (bribe) the ducks so my wife (disabled) can watch them and they might walk up the hill to check things out, but they won't come near the pool now even when the cover is rolled up on the reel (sits at the shallow end of the pool unless we're in it - then I roll it out of the way - it has wheels).

I live in Hawaii where it is sunny most days. I found I had to add quite a bit of water to my pool due to evaporation at least once a week, sometimes more in the summer. Since installation of the solar blanket, I haven’t had to add water to the pool yet (it’s been over a month) and had to lower the pool level when we had several days of heavy rain. It was super easy to install and easy to cut to shape (mine is a kidney shaped pool). If you have a rectangular shape pool, it’ll be even easier! The blanket also stopped the dead leaves and debris from my trees from going into the pool.It does warm up the water (my pool is not heated), which is a bonus for me. So if you like your water cool, you will need to remove the cover a couple of days before using to cool it down. Overall, this product works great for reducing the amount of evaporation from the pool and helping to keep the pool cleaner. I highly recommend it.Addendum: Now that I’ve had this cover for a year, I’m disappointed to report that the durability is not great and it has shown signs of disintegration — the bubbles are often found floating in the pool. I did see a video showing the exact problem I’m experiencing. I wished I had seen this before purchasing. Although it states there is a five year warranty, when that customer attempted to talk to the company, he was met with resistance stating the information had to still be in the cover itself. Also there is a prorated amount you still have to pay and also the cost of shipping for them to send a replacement. Something to consider before purchasing this product.

The cover is a lot thinner than the one we had previously. Also, the one we had before was one large piece and this one is several strips of material with seams to hold them together. The material does not feel much thicker than regular bubble wrap.It was easy to cut but it seems there are always some air bubbles trapped under it which is not good because that is where the material gets really hot in the sun (since it is not being cooled by the water).The cover makes the pool warm up faster. We did not get the cover for this purpose and I am not too happy about it because I am under the impression that algae grow faster now that we have this cover.We generally have a cover to reduce evaporation, now more important than ever due to the severe drought conditions in California. I am happy we got the cover and I found a relatively good price on amazon compared to local stores. I highly recommend getting a cover to anyone with a pool in California.However, as other reviewers pointed out, the warranty is not really a warranty. From a good manufacturer I would expect to send me a replacement item if the product wears down too quickly or has any defects. This company would not exactly do that. They start with the MSRP (list price) and then make you pay a percentage of the list price for each year you were able to use the product until it failed. That is in addition to the shipping and handling fee that you would also have to pay. If the product fails during the first year you only pay shipping and handling, during the second year you also pay 35% of the list price and during the third year 50%, the fourth year 70% and the fifth year 90%. In other words, after the first year the cost and hassle to get a replacement would be so high no one would use the warranty.Now I understand that warranties are often abused and the company is trying to protect themselves from that. However, this warranty is seriously so consumer-unfriendly that they should not advertise with the warranty. Because at first sight I though this must be a pretty good product if they offer a five year warranty, many pool covers don't last that long. But it's really not a warranty worth mentioning and it is not an indicator of high quality. I would actually consider the warranty as false advertising - I mean a 5year warranty where in the 5th year the customer has to pay 90% of the list price plus shipping and handling to actually use the warranty ?In other words, don't be fooled by the warranty.Update: The pool cover didn't even last a year. It was totally destroyed about 7 months after we started using it. All of the little bubbles had basically popped and released small blue plastic circles into the pool which clogged up our filters etc. So if you combine the poor quality with poor customer service you get an absolutely unacceptable product. I would not recommend it at all.