HEATING SWIMMING POOL WATER BY SOLAR COVER

Preventing water evaporation is not only cost effective in terms of the water costs, but a lot more in terms of heating energy which is lost when the water evaporates and which has to be compensated in the swimming pool.

One question can arise, how much water can be lost because of the evaporation?

It depends of the aria climate where the swimming pool is installed, but it can be significant amount.

MAIN FACTORS WHICH AFFECT LEVEL OF THE WATER EVAPORATION:

Size of the swimming pool surface
As the size of the swimming pool surface is bigger, the level of the evaporation is higher.

Water and air temperature
Higher evaporation happens when the difference between water and air temperature is bigger. This doesn’t need to be the case in the middle of the day because water and air temperatures are really close to each other. Later, during the night swimming pool water can stay warm, but the air temperature drops. That means bigger temperature difference between water and air, therefore the water evaporation will be higher.

Air humidity
If the air is drier, then evaporation will be higher. In the conditions of heightened air humidity the water evaporation is lower.

Wind
Wind also represent important factor that have impact on the water evaporation. Breeze with a speed of 11 km/h can remove insulation layer of the humid air which is present directly above the water surface and that way it can increase evaporation two times.

ADVICES FOR THE LOWER WATER EVAPORATION

Start filtration during the warmest part of the day. This will help to reduce lost of the heat due to evaporation.

To additionaly prevent evaporation which is generated by the wind, it can be done by setting up wind protection close to the swimming pool. This protection can be decorative plants, outdoor furniture, various covers or mobile telescopic swimming pool cover.

Turn on swimming pool devices, as waterfalls, turbo jet, Jacuzzi, only when you will use them, because those devices can increase water evaporation due to constant water movement.

If during the day you are going in and out of the swimming pool many times, wait until you finish with usage of the swimming pool, then make sure to put the solar cover on.

DOUBLE FUNCTION OF THE SOLAR COVER

Solar covers prevent lost of the water and the heat in two ways.

Since its obvious how much energy and water are lost by evaporation, it’s simple to understand that greatest factor for the keeping warmth of the water is not type of the heater that is used or how high temperature is set on the thermostat, but the basic thing is to keep water in the swimming pool.

Everytime when there is a lost of the water – either because of the water spatter which occurs while swimming or due to evaporation – water must be compensated. Then, this new amout of the water must be heated. One of the best characteristic of the solar swimming pool cover is their double function.

First, they help maintaining water temperature, by elimination of the water evaporation. That is because the solar cover, in fact, represents physical barrier on the water surface, and prevents evaporation.

Second, solar cover is acting as a magnifying glass, which amplifies effect of the Sun’s heating. Anyone who hold magnifying glass between Sun and paper, know what effect can be made.

As it was already told, it’s ideally to put solar cover on the swimming pool everytime when is not in use.

Day is the best time for putting on the solar cover for the purpose of heating water by using sunlight, and during the night solar cover prevents evaporation and by doing that it prevents water and heat lost.

For the best effect, solar cover shoud be placed over the whole pool surface every time when swimming pool is not in use.

Cover doesn’t need to be attached to sides of the swimming pool, instead cover freely float on the water surface and it’s extremely easy for putting onto the swimming pool and for removing from the swimming pool.

By regular use during couple of days in a row, solar cover allows water to collect additional amount of heat, which makes water warmer.

Reduction of water and chemical consumption, makes the solar cover a good ecological solution.

Modern and sophisticated, solar covers can excellently fit with the swimming pool surrounding, and in the same time they are really affordable.

PLACING OF THE SOLAR COVER

Most of the solar covers are tailor made to fit the size and the shape of the swimming pool.

To determine the size of the cover, it’s needed to measure biggest width and length of the swimming pool. And when the solar cover is placed on the swimming pool, it’s easy to adjust shape and dimensions to fit completely to the swimming pool, by using regular scissors.

Installation of the solar cover is simple, and it need to cover completely the whole surface of the water, that way it will prevent heat lost and it will reduce heating and cleaning costs.

Solar cover should be placed with bubbles facing water and flat side facing Sun

Note: Using pump in the same time when the solar cover is placed on the swimming pool is completely safe.


SAFETY

SOLAR COVER ISN’T DESINGED AS SAFETY COVER AND IT’S NOT INTENDED TO HOLD A WEIGHT OF THE ONE PERSON!

WHEN THE SWIMMING POOL IS IN USE, SOLAR COVER SHOULD BE REMOVED! DON’T ENTER INTO THE SWIMMING POOL WHILE COVER IS PLACED!

ROLLER FOR THE SOLAR COVER

By using roller for the solar cover floating foil, life of the cover can be doubled, because pinching and damaging by often folding can be prevented, and also the solar cover will be protected from the UV rays.

Removing of the solar cover by using a roller is simple.

Roller is designed to be compact, mobile and simple to use, so that only one person is enough to place and remove cover, without any effort.

Roller has a tough aluminum construction. It’s simple to use and it can help keeping swimming pool clean and warm without much effort.

ROLLER CHARACTERISTICS

adjustable aluminum construction

adjustable lenght

tough aluminum telescopic tube

wheel with a hand with a low level of friction

easy for using and maintenance

comes with strong safety straps and buckles

MAINTENANCE AND KEEPING OF SOLAR COVERS

Solar covers are durable, but it’s good to know that by the time they can be damaged by the unbalanced water, so cover shouldn’t be placed on the water immediately after chlorine is poured into water. Before placing the cover it should be allowed water to circulate for a couple of hours after pouring chlorine in the water. That way damaging of the cover can be prevented.

KEEPING OF SOLAR COVER

At the end of the swimming season solar cover should be removed and kept until the next season. Before packing, solar cover has to be clean and completely dry, to prevent creation of the mold.

To clean the cover, first cover has to be removed from the swimming pool and expanded on a soft surface, like grass. Concrete can damage bubbles on the cover, which can make cover to float worse then it should.

When the cover is completely expanded, then soft brush and clean water should be used to clean dirt and algaes, and then cover should be flushed. After that, cover should be dried completely – manualy, with the leaf blower or it can be simply hanged up to dry.

Advice: Never leave solar cover to dry on the lawn, because it can burn the grass!

After the cover is washed and dried, it should be inrolled. If you have protective wrapper with weather and UV protection for the solar cover, even if you don’t have a place to put cover inside of some object, you can leave it outside when is wrapped in this protective wrapper.

During winter, the solar cover should be kept away from the weather, and if it’s possible it would be the best to be kept inside of some object. If there’s no any indoor space for keeping the solar cover because of the size of cover, then it would be best for the solar cover to be inrolled on the roller, and then to be protected with the protective wrapper.

Packed or inrolled solar cover should be protected from high temperatures and direct sunlight. All materials have shorter life when exposed to sunlight, but with the help of the UV stabilizers life span of those materials can be extended.

From that reason, to extend life span of the cover, it is recommended, that everytime when cover is not in use and when is inrolled on the roller, it should be removed from the surface which is directly exposed to the Sun.

Same characteristics of the sunlight that solar cover use for heating of the water, can damage cover if it is not kept on the recommended way. Actually, cover should be kept on the temperature which is below the recommended. If the cover isn’t kept on the temperature below 45 degrees Celsius, irreversible damage may occur. Very high temperatures can cause that layers of the packed cover stick one for the other.

CHLORINE IMPACT

Swimming pool chemicals are, even they are necessary for the disinfection, very corrosive.

Even if the swimming pool is with the salt water or not, every swimming pool has to be treated with the chlorine for disinfection. Molecular chlorine Cl2 is very corrosive greenish-yellow gas with irritating smell and it doesn’t matter if the chlorine is added in some form into water or is produced by the salt water chlorinator.

From the same reason, whenever the cover is in use chlorine can’t simply go to atmosphere. He stays trapped below the cover. This part, just below the cover, is the most exposed to the sunlight, so high temperature can spur chlorine transfer from the water.

All this factors, combined, create extreme conditions which can shorten life span of the cover.

Everything that is necessary for the solar cover cleaning is soft brush and clean water. Everytime before the solar cover is packed and stored, it’s really important that chlorine be removed by the pure cold water, which would prevent chlorine to shorten the life span of the cover.

Collected algae can be simply removed with the soft brush.

If you are planning to store solar cover for the longer period of time, e.g. during winter, it is needed that the cover has to be completely dried to prevent mold development.

ADVICES FOR THE MAXIMUM BENEFITS AND LONG LIFE SPAN OF THE SOLAR COVER

Remove solar cover when you are pouring chlorine into the swimming pool.

Never leave solar cover to be exposed directly to the sunlight, if it’s not placed on the swimming pool.

Remove the cover and the roller in a shade when they are not in use.