FAQ'S

Some important information and tips that will help you
get the most out of your Daisy Solar Swimming Pool Cover—and help prolong its life


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
   1. What is the life expectancy of a Daisy Solar Pool Cover?
   2. What limits the life of a Daisy Solar Pool Cover?
   3. What can I do to prolong the life of my Daisy Solar Pool Cover?
   4. How hot will my pool get?
   5. How do I get the dirt off the cover?
   6. Is the cover easy to handle?
   7. Do I need a Roller System?
   8. How do I protect the cover when it is off the pool?
   9. Should I take the cover off if it gets too hot?
  10. Will the cover blow off?
  11. Do I have to cover all of the water?
  12. Why does my cover lift higher than the coping on one side while being short on the other side?

1. What is the life expectancy of a Daisy Solar Pool Cover?

Daisy's advanced UltraDomeTM bubble is the key to the outstanding efficiency and long life of our Solar Pool Cover.

Exclusive Daisy UltraDomeTM technology completely eliminates weak points in the bubble which can eventually wear and break down. Daisy’s advanced manufacturing techniques use supertoughened polyethylene containing the maximum antioxidants, tougheners and UV inhibitors to resist salt, sun and chemical.

Together, these factors mean a stronger cover that will last longer.

However, Daisy Pool Covers do have a finite lifespan—and will eventually require replacement.

Remember, your care of the cover will ultimately determine its life.

Typical life expectancies:
Swimming Pool Cover Series     Warranty—Life expectancy
Daisy Series 8—500 micron cover     8 years pro-rata warranty, 8–10 year life expectancy
Daisy Series 5—400 micron cover     5 years pro-rata warranty, 5–6 year life expectancy
Daisy Series 4—300 micron cover     4 years pro-rata warranty, 4–5 year life expectancy
Daisy Series 3—200 micron cover     3 years pro-rata warranty, 3–4 year life expectancy

Therefore, when you purchase a Daisy Pool Cover and Roller System, you should accept that, as the cover has a finite life expectancy, you are effectively committing to an ongoing replacement cost—on top of the initial cover and roller system purchase.

This cost will amount to between $80 and $120 per year depending how well you look after your pool cover.

It’s around $2.00 per week—which is a small price to pay for the many considerable benefits of owning a Daisy Solar Pool Cover.
A solar pool cover lives in a very harsh environment. However, you can take actions to prolong the life of your Daisy Solar Pool Blanket

2. What limits the life of a Daisy Solar Pool Cover?

A solar pool cover lives in a very harsh environment.

It is constantly attacked by the chlorine in your pool water and UV rays from the sun.

The effects of both are magnified by high Australian summer temperatures.

It is the combination of:

    * The concentration of sanitation chemicals—usually chlorine—in the pool water.
    * The intensity of UV rays.
    * The heat of the pool water.

That limits the life of any pool product, even a Daisy UltraDome™ Solar Pool Cover.

3. What can I do to prolong the life of my Daisy Solar Pool Cover?

   1. Ensure the chlorine level never exceeds 3ppm (3 parts chlorine to 1 million parts water). This level is shown as normal or ideal on your test kit.

      It is probably best to maintain your chlorine level at 2 to 2.5ppm.

      This level provides the health department recommended level of sanitation and guarantee your family’s safety.

      Higher chlorine levels increase the corrosive effects on the cover, and do not increase health standards. In fact, too much chlorine can be potentially damaging to your health.
   2. Run your filter during the hottest part of the day—10am to 4pm.

      Normally, when your filter is installed and set up, it is assumed you don’t have a solar pool cover, and the filter is set up accordingly by the service person.

      You’ll be told that if you run your filter during the hottest part of the day your chlorine use will go up.

      Chlorine in its natural state is a gas. However you add it to the pool water (liquid, solid or gas), it reverts to its natural state—a gas, which rises through the water and into the atmosphere.

      When you put a solar pool cover on, much of this evaporation does not occur. Instead, the chlorine continues to circulate through your pool water via your pump and filtration system and continues to sanitise the water.

      This means the volume of chlorine in the pool will increase and your water will test higher.

      With a Daisy Solar Pool Cover, you need to avoid this higher concentration by reducing the input of chlorine into the pool by about 50%.

      Either put less in (if you physically add chlorine), or turn down the amp-meter if you have a salt water chlorinator.

      A further reason to run your filter during the hot part of the day is that when the sun heats the water it only penetrates the thermal layer—about 200–250mm or 8–10 inches.

      The sun is only heating the top layer of the pool, which gets hotter and hotter, while the water beneath remains cool.

      Add high chlorine concentration to this heat, and the effect of UV rays, and it’s the worst possible environment for your swimming pool cover.

      By setting up your pump to run during this hot part of the day, you can relieve this heat and get the chlorine evenly distributed through the water again.

      The pump mixes up the warmer and cooler water to spread the heat and mixes the chlorine throughout the pool and stops it building up under the blanket.

      This allows you to gain the most of the benefits of a Daisy Solar Pool Cover—and prolong its life.

4. How hot will my pool get?

The water temperature will rise by 6–8ºC above the average ambient temperature measured over about a week.

Most people find they double their swimming season with a Daisy Solar Pool Cover. It is quite normal in mid-summer for the pool to reach 30ºC or more—at which point it will probably too hot, and you will leave the cover off for a period to allow it to cool down.

5. How do I get the dirt off the cover?

There will not be as much dirt on the cover as there would have been in the pool without it. Dirt will land on the cover and then blow off with the next puff of wind. Without a cover the dirt gets wet and sinks into the pool.

Dirt will also tend to end up in one spot, depending on the prevailing wind.

You can scoop it off with your hands, or use a broom and dustpan to remove it. You can also turn on your pump, and hose the dirt towards your skimmer box.

6. Is the cover easy to handle?

A Daisy Pool Cover without a roller is quite a large piece of material, and in practical terms is much easier for two people to handle.

You should have one person on either side and concertina the cover on the ground, then fold the sides to the middle and pick it up ad store in the shade—not under shadecloth.

If only one person is available, they should kneel at the end of the pool, lean out as far as possible, pick up the centre of the cover and draw it towards themselves forming the concertina beneath their knees.

7. Do I need a Roller System?

If you can afford the cost, a Daisy Roller System makes using you pool cover a great deal more convenient. It will allow—and encourage you to use the cover properly, easily and conveniently—and gain the most from the benefits available.

A Roller System also provides easy storage, and there’s no need to move the cover into the shade as every Roller System includes a protective overcover at no additional cost. This protects your cover while it’s on the roller.

8. How do I protect the cover when it is off the pool?

If you have a Roller System, use the white overcover supplied everytime you recover the cover.

If you don’t have a Roller System, the cover must be removed and placed completely in the shade. It must never—not even for a few minutes—be left in the sun when folded. This is because the heat generating effect of the cover is magnified immensely when folded, and it will very quickly self-destruct. The results may not be immediately visible, but they can be very serious.

There can be so much heat created that the air expansion creates sufficient pressure to force the lamination of the two sheets apart, causing the bubbles to join and form lines of larger bubbles. This is not life-threatening to the cover unless repeated consistently, however, the cover can get so hot that it becomes molten and welds itself together—completely ruining it.

9. Should I take the cover off if it gets too hot?

Yes. If the air temperature exceeds 35ºC, it is better to remove the cover and place it in a protected, cooler spot. If you have it on a roller with the overcover on and the temperature reaches this level, it is better to move the cover and roller into the shade.

10. Will the cover blow off?

Provided it is properly fitted, it will not. The effect of the bubbles going down in the water creates more surface area in contact with the water than the flat pool area—therefore, the surface tension is quite high. Further, provided the edges of the cover do not rise above the coping, the effect of any wind is to create a downward pressure which pushes the cover onto the water.

HOWEVER

If the cover edge rises above the coping—because it has been cut too large, or winter rain has raised the pool water level and hence the cover—then the wind can get under the cover and send it flying into your favourite rose bush (or whatever).

11. Do I have to cover all of the water?

From the point of view of heating efficiency, no. It will heat effectively even if the pool is not totally covered, however, it will allow dirt and debris into the pool. An edge along a step or an uncovered area will provide a point at which the wind can start to worry the cover and may eventually lift it off the pool.

12. Why does my cover lift higher than the coping on one side while being short on the other side?

This phenomenon is caused by what we call an inside curve.
Adding dressmaking tucks to the curve on some pools, such as kidney shaped ones, will help stop the blanket lifting unevenly, which can be caused by an inside curve.

For instance, you may have a kidney-shaped pool, as this diagram shows.

You will find that the material will tend to push from point A towards point B. This is caused by the 75mm upturn of the overcut material trying to straighten itself out. It is curved and too large so it creates a force downward. This force is transferred downwards from point A towards point B. If you put some dressmaking tucks into the curve around the A section then this force is contained and the cover will remain stationary.