Solar covers attach to the reel with a strap kit. Straps are held on the reel by either screws or velcro. The kit will come with plastic fittings that you punch through the cover to attach the straps allowing you to make a small cut in the cover to loop the strap through. Your local pool supply should have it. I also saw a kit on e-bay for $29.95. A cover reel work best on a rectangular shaped pool. But they will work on other shapes as well. If you have an odd shaped pool sometimes cutting one or more pieces of the cover works to help when rolling up the cover. Once you stretch the cover back out onto the pool just lay the oddball pieces back in place to cover the entire pool. .