12 Pack - Solar Sun Rings Palm Tree Pattern Solar Pool Heating Cover SSR-SB-02

Ok so not yet summer here yet, late spring, temps are in the 70's and these rings keep the pool around 4 degrees warmer than normal. You just have to make sure you follow the instructions like everyone else says on here! Inflate them correctly and make sure you maintain the correct inflation! These rings are awesome and so good to get more of a swim out of our pool earlier in the day. The big difference is that most days our pool starts off between 70 and 74 degrees, so normally by around 1 or 2pm it is naturally around 78 - 82, well now of course with the rings the pool retains heat at night so the temp starts off in the morning at 74-78, so by around 11am it is already 80 plus, and by around 1 or 2pm it is 84 to 86. Will save big $ with these over the summer and extend our swim time for sure both in more hours in the day and extend our swim season no doubt. We bought ten pack and our pool is 30 feet long, covers probably only 60% of our pool, so we will get another 3 - 5 rings rings and that should cover more of the pool and we should expect even better results. Haven't found the wind to be an issue, they all stay put, none flip over and they magnets all bring them together naturally. Taking them out each time for a swim and putting them back is a bit of a pain but worth it, you have to be careful with them, we pile them up beside pool all one on top of each other, overall great purchase!

I have had great success with solar rings. I was skeptical based on reviews but my pool guy recommended them because I didn't want to have to deal with a huge pool cover. So far they are warming our pool and it's only late May and our pool is warmer than it was at the end of the summer last year. Yes, you do need to read instructions because they can't be over or under filled. They need to be filled just enough to float and you do need to cover as much of your pool as you can. I'm pleased with my purchase but I will say, that because they are just expensive pool toys I am worried they won't last more than one season like my pool toys. However since I haven't had to turn on my heater yet, I'm hoping they are still worth it. We'll see if they last the test of time.

1/2 of these were defective out of the box. 1 of 2 of the chambers didn't hold air and leaked at the seams on first use on 5 of the rings. One of the 5 didn't hold air in both chambers. The rings in testing did retain more heat in the pool in 2 successive overnight tests. On average the pool retained 4 degrees more heat with approximately 50% coverage. I didn't notice any appreciable increase in temperature during the day due to the rings bit it may be due to such a high defect rate. Getting just the right amount of air in the rings is also tricky. They need to be basically underinflated in order to lay flat and too much air in either the ring or middle sections result in a waffled ring that won't lie flat. This reduces effectiveness and also allows for even a mild breeze to flip the rings in half or on top of other rings. I was very hopeful these would work and had planned on getting another 10 but based on their EXTREMELY poor quality control and finicky inflation requirements I've filed for a return on these.

Update: After having them on the pool for a year, I took them off. It’s dusty in Arizona, so they collected dust and became unsightly. I don’t think that is the fault of the rings, just the combination of a dusty environment, infrequent rain, and I found that I don’t need the solar covers. We generally swim in the summer when the pool is a good temperature without the rings. In the cooler months, we’ll heat it for specific events (family in town) but that’s it. So any solar cover wasn’t providing much value and we love the look of the pool without anything on it. I deducted a stars for two reasons, the first is they are really expensive. Second is they can be a bit much to handle. They can be a bit unwieldy when taking them out of the pool, draining the water, and then you have to make sure they're in the shade or covered to prevent them from cooking themselves in a stack. As others have indicated, proper inflation of the outer ring is important for them to connect properly (and not blow away). The inner inflation is important so the material sits on the water and doesn't get submerged. When the sun is out, it does appear to impact the temps a degree or two. I'm in the Phoenix area and the pool is in the low 60's without heating (air temp goes from low 40's at night to 60/70's in the day). Truthfully, I'm not thrilled with the visual graphic and is probably a reason for deducting a star too. On the plus side, I believe they're less of a safety hazard than a contiguous cover. If someone fell in, they'd likely be able to surface and get out of the pool without trouble.

Well, 9 out of 10 rings worked. One of the rings had a leak in the seam, so it was a non-player right out of the box. We had previously used a whole pool solar cover. That worked really well, but what a hassle! Pulling the thing off, putting the thing back on...PLEASE! Oh, almost forgot about keeping the thing clean. Forget about it. Got turned onto the solar rings by a friend that bought them (for a lot more money), from a local pool supply store. She loved the rings, and her pool was always the correct temperature. We researched and found the same rings on Amazon, so we decided to pull the trigger on the purchase. Product arrived on time, and well packaged (like almost all Amazon orders do.) We've used the rings for the entire season, and have been exceptionally happy with their performance. Easy to pull off and put on the pool. Also, easy to clean (lots of dust were we live.) The price is still rather amazing for a little blow-up piece of vinyl, but what can you say. At least they were cheaper than the ones you'll find in the stores.