Top 2 Solar Pool Rings | Guide to Buy the Best Solar Pool Rings

Heating your pool is perhaps one of the biggest expenses that come with owning a pool, as it can increase your electricity bills significantly. However, you can easily reduce your heating cost with the best solar pool rings.

Solar pool rings, as the name suggests, will use solar energy to heat your pool water. Therefore, when using one, you will not need to connect it to a power outlet. The use of solar energy also makes the solar pool rings better for the environment.

In this article, we look at a few top-rated solar pool rings that will work for any pool and explain what to consider when buying one.

What are Solar Pool Rings? Do Solar Pool Rings Really Work?

Solar pool rings are a passive technology, meaning there is nothing electrical about them. They do not include any moving parts or a mechanism for generating heat. Instead, they work by helping transfer the heat from the trapped air to the water and providing insulation to prevent heat loss.

A typical solar pool ring will include two layers of UV-resistant materials held in place by a ring that runs around the diameter. The outer layer is often a transparent vinyl material, and its primary role is to make the sun’s rays more intense to heat the air trapped between it and the bottom layer.

Around 50% of the sun rays hitting the rings will heat the air between the two layers as the blue bottom vinyl layer converts them to heat. The other 50% heats the pool directly. When the sun sets, the heated air in the middle will slowly release the heat to the pool to keep the water warm.

Besides heating your pool, you can also use these rings as pool cover to minimize pool chemicals and water evaporation. Most models have magnets that allow you to join them to create a custom pool cover that can cover up to 80% of the pool.

2 Best Solar Pool Cover Rings – Review

1. Sun Ring Water Anchor Plain Circular Solar Cover 

Sun Ring Water Anchor Plain Circular Solar Cover is more effective at keeping your pool water warm by absorbing heat and preventing it from escaping. It uses high-quality vinyl material to absorb maximum sunlight for heating the water throughout the day.

With the superior thermal blanket effect, the pool cover is highly effective at preventing heat from escaping once the sun goes down. Therefore, with enough of these solar pool rings in your pool, you can be sure the water will remain warm throughout the night.

Besides heat retention, these rings are also effective at minimizing water and pool chemical evaporation. Also, you can quickly join several of them to make a custom cover that will provide even better protection for your pool, as each ring includes magnets.

The solar pool rings have a redesigned interior grid that incorporates drainage grommets. With the inclusion of drainage holes, water seeps into the pool to minimize the likelihood of the ring sinking.

Removing these solar pool rings from your pool when you want to swim is not easy, and this is more so if you have several of them. However, you should be able to figure it out as you do it more and more.

Pros

• Superior thermal blanket effect
• Excellent sunlight absorption
• Easy to use design
• More practical with drainage grommet

Cons

• A little hectic to remove

2. Solar Sun Rings Palm Tree Pattern 3 Pack SSR-SB-02 

The heavy-duty vinyl sheets are what make the Solar Sun Rings fantastic. Besides making the pool rings more durable, the high-quality material makes them more efficient at heating the pool and greatly minimizes heat loss.

Each ring will include 6 magnets that will make it easy to attach to others to create a good pool cover that can cover up to 80% of your pool. Also, the magnets will not pose any significant risk as they are easy to separate to prevent drowning.

The solar pool rings will also include some extra anchors to provide better support and keep them more stable in the water.

You can use these solar pool rings on both chlorine and saltwater pools, and they will also work for either above or inground pools. What’s more, each includes a decorative palm tree that will add some aesthetic appeal to the pool.

These solar pool rings are easy to overinflate, which can prevent them from lying flat. But, if you follow the instruction and only add a few breaths, this should be an easy problem to avoid.

Pros

• Heavy-duty vinyl sheets
• Includes magnets for easy attachment
• Decorative palm tree
• Extra anchor provides more support and stability

Cons

• Easy to over inflate

How to Buy the Best Solar Pool Rings?

1. Solar Ring Quality

The first factor to consider is the quality of the rings, as it determines their effectiveness at heating your water and their durability.

A typical solar pool ring will feature two layers of vinyl as the primary material. However, the quality of the vinyl differs a lot, so you need to make sure what you choose uses something heavy gauge and with enough protection from UV rays.

Also, make sure you do not forget to look at the other ring components, such as the rim material and the seams. Even if the vinyl is top quality, these other components or sections can be the weak spots.

2. Pool Size

Your pool size is a crucial consideration when shopping for a solar pool ring. What makes it essential is that it determines the number of pool rings you will need to ensure adequate coverage for your swimming pool.

Many manufacturers provide a pool size guide to help you determine the number of solar pool rings you need.

Besides the pool size, the shape also determines the number of rings you need. For example, if you have a 12ft x 24ft rectangular pool, you need around 8 rings, while 4 should be enough for a 12ft diameter round pool, and 6 are ideal for a 12ft x 24ft oval pool.

3. Heating Efficiency

An efficient solar pool ring will be more effective at heating your pool. Something efficient like the Sun Ring Water Anchor Plain Circular Solar Cover will absorb more sunlight within a short time and help raise your pool’s temperature fast.

A model that can absorb up to 50% of the sun’s energy is always more efficient. Such rings can add up to 21,000 BTUs of heat, which should be adequate to keep your pool warm enough throughout the day.

Looking at the product specification and reading customer reviews should give you a clear idea of a solar ring’s heating power before buying.

4. Drainage Holes

Sometimes, a lot of water can accumulate over the solar pool rings, affecting its heating efficiency or even making it sink to the bottom of the pool. This problem often arises after a heavy rainstorm.

A solar pool ring that comes with drainage holes will allow water to seep through and into the pool, which ensures it remains effective throughout. However, make sure these drainage grommets are not too large, as this can also make the solar pool ring less efficient.

Bottom Line

When you do not want to spend a small fortune on pool heating expenses, you need to invest in the best solar pool rings.

That said, you should not have any difficulties finding the perfect ones with our guide above to help you. That said, the two models on our list above: Sun Ring Water Anchor Plain Circular Solar Cover and Solar Sun Rings Palm Tree Pattern SSR-SB-02, will work for any pool out there.