Custom made Pool Cover Reel

I wasn't happy with the price and quality of the pool cover reels available around here so I had Al Young, metal work artist extraordinaire, make me a reel from scratch. He used his laser cutter and metal lathes to craft this unit out of steel and aluminum. He even installed automotive bearings. The unit is fully grease able and will last a lifetime. I am thoroughly impressed!!!!! Al also made the custom bumpers for my Vocho. This guy is a genius. His brother Ron is an excellent auto mechanic with a fully equipped shop.

Al & Ron Young 765-6387

Ends look very well made. How did the price compare to store bought?

It was significantly cheaper however it would always depend on what style you want, etc., etc.

The quality is light years away from the cheaply made crap they will sell at the pool stores around here. This thing will probably be around long after me.........jaja.

What was the price?

Very impressive to be sure!

Wow!! That's a great looking pool cover you have there Bob!!

We need one also and it looks great. If you want to PM me the price or post it here, that would be nice … from another Canuck.
What width is it?

The price will range on the style, width etc. This one was about $400 USD. It is 8 feet in width. We used PVC water pipe for the tube. I painted the parts myself prior to final assembly. The local pool supply companies wanted $6000+ pesos for a cover reel and not nearly as heavy duty as this.

i saw this thing and others like it and had al and ron manufacture and design other types of things for me as well. we are lucky to have them here. USE THEM OR LOSE THEM!

We have the Rocky Roller lineup, high quality, 10 year warranty, with caster rollers, here's a link for reference to the residential model:

http://www.rockysrollers.com/3.html

$475 US incl IVA and delivery to your home (or peso equivalent, of course)

The tube is optional; you can "do your own" like CB did or we can supply it as an aluminum tube of 6 meters; you can cut it to length.   It is $150 US incl IVA and delivery.

A friend of mine brought me a Rocky Roller setup from the U.S. for a 14 foot wide, 32 foot long pool for less than $300 plus another hundred for the cover.  It has a two section aluminum tube setup for the cover reel--very strong. They drove down in a Ford Expedition and had no trouble carrying the thing at all.

In the fall, I'll bring a replacement cover for about $125.  I've found the expensive bubble covers don't last any longer than the cheap ones, about two seasons.  And mine is off the pool and covered for about 6 months of the year.

I am wondering why the covers don't last down here? Is it the sun or do people add too much chlorine and not enough calcium and alkaline. I found NOB that improper chemical balance would kill a cover quickly. If the pool water lacks calcium it will leach it out of the cover.

It's primarily the sun, CB. The water lakeside has high calcium / hardness in most locations.

So why would these solar cover companies offer 7 year warranties on their covers in the southern states like Arizona & Florida? I would imagine the sun there is similar to here. No?

I do notice that most of these cover warranties have an exclusion that talks about improper chemical balance, high chlorine levels and not having your cover on after adding chlorine or shocking the pool.

CB:

I believe your answer lies in the effects of the altitude and the increased UV intensity? Florida and Arizona (except for a very few areas) have nothing to compare with being at an elevation of 5000'!

Our cover guy recommended removing the cover during the rainy season and keeping it out of the sun. Doing so has given us an extra 12 to 18 months per cover.

Yes, all the cover manufacturers state to "cover the cover" when it is on the reel. The last cover I bought NOB even came with a cover to put over it when it was off the pool.

During the rainy season debris tends to blow into/on top of the cover, depending on landscape, removing debris from pool cover is a PITA.

CheenaGringo wrote:CB:

I believe your answer lies in the effects of the altitude and the increased UV intensity?  Florida and Arizona (except for a very few areas) have nothing to compare with being at an elevation of 5000'!

The altitude from sea level here, is nothing, in comparison to the curvature of the earth at this latitude in bringing us miles closer to the sun, than say AZ or FL.
Altitude may cool temperatures but the shape of the earth is what increases the intensity of the sun (UV).

While you are correct about proximity to the equator, from the following chart altitude does play a role in UV intensity:
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Our home sits at over 6000' here in New Mexico and the sun does tremendous damage to most any surface over time.

You are right Neil, altitude also plays a part due to atmosphere.  I was just pointing out what brought us nearer the sun...sea level altitude or earth curvature.... to Bob's question.

Chapalaweather.net used to have a UV index before changing to the solar radiation (solar power) index.

While 8 is very high NOB, lakeside often registered at 10 to 11....hence the ladies with the umbrellas.....

http://chapalaweather.net/

The Home Solution pool supply place in west Ajijic (beside where the Junky Monkey was) sells Canadian made ones that look very substantial. They use an aluminum tube.

But if they are made in Canada, they are probably designed for a max of 30 days of sun per year?

At the risk of this going both off-topic, and to the Octagon.....

it is a lot more livable up in the Great White North than central NM:    ;-)