[sammyg2]

One thing that eventually came as a surprise, the $90 solar blanket I bought at lowe's does more to keep the water warm than the solar heating system.
it's blue and kinda looks like heavy duty bubble-wrap.

It might not heat the water as much as a solar heating system but it keeps it from losing temperature at night so the net affect is better overall.
it also reduces evaporation so lower water bills and will reduce chlorine burn off. It keeps the pool cleaner too.
It's kind of a pain to put on and take off every time but it's worth it.