A solar cover, also referred to as a solar blanket, is a plastic cover placed on top of a

swimming pool for heating purposes. A solar cover can be used on any pool, whether it is
in the ground or above ground. Using a solar swimming pool cover can be a great way to
save money on heating bills and to extend the usable days in your pool.

Solar covers are used to heat swimming pools. When the cover is placed on top of the
pool during the day, the heat from the sun is absorbed into the solar cover and transferred
into the water, causing the temperature to rise. Putting the solar pool cover back on at
night, then, prevents heat from escaping, keeping the pool at a warmer, more constant
temperature.

Using a solar cover to heat the pool means that you don't need to spend money and
energy heating the water. It is also a very environmentally friendly method because the
only energy used is solar energy. Solar covers also allow you to use your pool earlier in
the spring and later into the fall, because the water is naturally heated. In addition, solar
covers can keep the pool cleaner, by preventing dirt and debris from getting into the pool.

The sun gives off an abundant amount of free heat every day. A solar cover, also referred
to as a solar blanket, is one of the most cost effective ways to take advantage of the suns
free heat. Typically there is a 15-degree temperature rise in your pool water when
using a solar cover. A solar cover is a great way to capture that heat and take full
advantage of this natural resource to heat your swimming pool. You can heat your
swimming pool with absolutely no energy costs. A solar cover is a great way to heat your
pool early in the season, capture and hold the heat during hot summer days, as well as
extend your swimming season into the cooler days of autumn. You can open your pool
earlier in the spring and close it later in the fall because your solar blanket will keep the
water nice and warm

A solar cover has a variety of purposes all of which will help you save time and money.
Solar covers work by using the sun’s free energy to heat your pool during the day, and
will help to keep your pool water warmer at night or on cloudy days by trapping the heat
in. The more heat you trap with your solar cover, the less money you will need to spend
to heat your pool. Your solar cover will keep your swimming pool cleaner by blocking
out dirt and debris from entering the water. You will be able to save time and energy, as
you will not have to clean you pool as often. When your solar cover is in place while
your pool is not being used you reduce the amount of water that is evaporated from your
pool by trapping it inside. By using a solar cover and reducing the amount of water that is
evaporated from your pool, solar cover owners also show a reduction in the amount of
water and chemicals they need to add to their pools

Solar covers are made from durable polymer or resin and have thousands of tiny air
bubbles designed to capture and transmit solar heat into your pool. The covers float
bubble side down on your pool surface when it is not in use. Solar covers typically are
manufactured using a process of extrusion. Extrusion means that the cover is made from
one piece of material and is shaped by forcing it through a mold to create the top and
bottom in one piece. Depending on the size of your solar cover several pieces may be
sewn or sealed together to create the size and shape needed for your pool. close

Some solar covers come on a large roll with a reel that sits on the side of the pool. This
makes it easier to simply crank the solar cover out onto the pool, and roll it back up when
you are ready to swim. Especially if you have a large pool, you will want to invest in one
of these rollers, so you do not have to wrestle with an unwieldy and potentially dangerous
pool cover near the water. Another option is to affix the solar cover to the outside of the
pool with large J-hooks.

Another option offered, if you do not want one large solar cover, is a set of smaller solar
covers. These are easier to lift in and out of the pool, and usually come in ring shapes or
in fun shapes such as fish. Smaller solar covers like these can sometimes save money. A
large solar cover can cost as little as $50 US Dollars (USD) to nearly $500 USD,
depending of course on the size of your pool, any accessories and if the cover comes with
a warranty. Remember to always watch children carefully when they are around pools,
especially if there is a cover on the pool that could potentially trap children underneath.

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Liquid pool covers are a generally a mixture of Isopropyl alcohol and a proprietary
ingredient. The liquid is added to a pool in very small amounts (Generally around 4
ounces per 1500 square feet of pool surface per day). The liquid spreads out and creates a
thin invisible barrier covering the pool only a few molecules thick. This barrier acts like a
traditional solar blanket to trap in heat and prevent evaporation of your chemicals, but
since it's liquid it remains working even while swimmers are present.

Liquid blankets are ideal in commercial applications where there are swimmers present
much of the time or whenever a traditional blanket would be impracticle.

Liquid covers have been in use for years, and maintain a proven track record in
commercial use especially. Most liquid covers are filter friendly, do not affect the
chemical balance [PH, chlorine, alkalinity, etc.] of the water and will not damage vinyl
liners or any other pool surfaces, it is also harmless to the skin and eyes, even in infants.

Many liquid cover systems also come with an automatic injector which will continually
add the proper amount of liquid cover to your pool as needed.

Heatsavr™ is an effective liquid pool cover that greatly reduces heat loss and evaporation
from your exposed pool surface. Heatsavr™ is made of simple biodegradable ingredients
that form the best barrier currently available to slow the heat and water loss that causes
high heating bills and cold pool water. Heatsavr™ slows evaporation substantially.

Evaporation is one of the main forms of heat loss from swimming pools and spas.
Slowing it can yield large cost savings. Heatsavr™ will lower humidity as well as
evaporation. It takes money to buy heat, and heat to evaporate water, so slowing
evaporation will lower humidity, as well as heating costs.
 Heatsavr™ will save energy in EVERY heated pool, but
energy savings vary according to the hours of swimmer use
per day, ventilation efficiency, air temperature, wind
exposure, pool design, equipment and especially the type and
cost of fuel used. The cost of energy also varies from region
to region. Tests have proven that heat bill savings range from
a low of 15.5% at a high use 50 meter municipal pool, to a high of 40% at a low use
condominium or hotel pool. Savings and benefits can be achieved in all indoor or outdoor
pools, regardless of the shape or size.

Heatsavr™ is designed for commercial and residential pool applications and Ecosavr is
designed for residential applications, the difference being in the delivery system.
Heatsavr™ can be applied manually or by the Automatic Metering System (AMS).
Ecosavr™ is a small disposable plastic fish containing the Heatsavr™ liquid. The liquid
solar pool cover is dispense through a patented valve in the fin and forms a transparent,
mono-molecular layer on your pool.

Ecosavr™ is convenient and easy to use: just snip the fin, squeeze out any air and toss it
into your pool. With no cover to roll up or store, your pool is ready to use whenever you
want!

Heatsavr™ is added directly to the pool water at a rate of 1oz per 400 sq. ft. of surface
area. Either apply manually on a daily basis, or use our Automatic Metering System to
administer the product for you.

Heatsavr™, Liquid Solar Pool Cover - How it works

An Explanation for Non-Chemists

Heatsavr™ works by slowing evaporation from the surface of

a swimming pool; either indoor or outdoor.

When your pool is warmer than the air around it, or when the
air has lower than 100% humidity, your pool 'sweats'. Invisible
steam escapes into the air and blows away from outdoor pools, or is exhausted by the air
handling system of an indoor pool. It takes fuel energy to heat the pool water, and fuel
costs money. The escaping steam of a pool is 70% of the cost of keeping your pool water
warm for pool users. Heatsavr™ is an effective method in reducing the steam loss per
hour and therefore the dollar cost of keeping your pool warm. It does this by forming a
safe invisible layer one to two molecules thick on the surface of the pool.

Heatsavr™ is a mixture of carefully chosen ingredients which are lighter than water so
that they automatically float to the surface. They are attracted to each other so that they
 try always to form a perfect very thin layer over the whole pool
surface. They are individually so small that they are 500 times
smaller than the spaces in a super high quality filter. After a
swimmer stops disturbing the water they rush to reform a
complete layer because they are molecularly organized and
happiest that way. And most importantly - when they are in
position they REDUCE THE SWEATING SPEED OF THE
POOL BY UP TO ONE HALF.

Heatsavr™ theoretically could save half your heat bill if no one ever swam in the pool
and if the circulation pump were turned off. This is not likely but Heatsavr™ does
achieve savings as high as 40%. Most pools will find energy bill reductions between 17%
and 30%. For every dollar spent on Heatsavr™, you should expect a minimum of three
dollars off your heat bill.

Pool managers buy Heatsavr™ for a variety of reasons. Saving money on their energy
bills is the biggest one. Others are already using a pool blanket and find that while there
are energy savings, there are also inconveniences and that staff are not motivated to use
the blankets correctly and consistently. Heatsavr's™ ease of use without loss of energy
savings is attractive to these operators. Some indoor pool operators are primarily
interested in reducing the humidity levels in their pool rooms. They don't mind receiving
the energy savings as a bonus.

Ecosavr™ - How it works

Evaporation accounts for up to 70 to 80% of heat loss from a swimming pool. A single
Ecosavr™ contains the liquid solar pool cover which automatically floats to the surface
of the pool and acts as an evaporation inhibitor, much as a conventional solar blanket
performs, except a lot easier to use.

Our key ingredient is a non-toxic chemical called Heatsavr™, it's been in use since 1991
and has a proven track record commercially. We packaged it to facilitate its application
for the residential pool owner. Heatsavr™ is filter friendly, does not affect the chemical
balance (PH, chlorine, alkalinity) of the water, will not damage vinyl liners or any other
pool surfaces, and is absolutely harmless to skin contact.

Simply snip the fin where indicated and toss "Eco" in your pool. Ecosavr™submerges to
the bottom of the pool and as the pressure increases, the liquid escapes, rises, and forms
an invisible layer on the surface of the water. It is 60% as effective as a conventional
solar cover but 100% less trouble. It works 24 hours a day, even while people are
swimming. Ecosavr™ will last for approximately 1 month. Then all you have to do is
retrieve "Eco" and toss a new one in.
In 1997, Dan O'Brien, President of Flexible Solutions invented a flexible bag dispensing
system that made it possible to deploy a liquid pool blanket for a whole month by simply
cutting off a portion and placing the flexible container in the pool.

Mr. O'Brien filed a patent application in the U.S. for his unique system in 1998 and it
was issued in 2000. It is assigned to Flexible Solutions. From 1998 until February 2004,
Flexible Solutions manufactured their invention for Sunsolar Energy Technologies,
which was sold under Sunsolar's trade-mark Tropical Fish®*.

On February 29th 2004, Flexible Solutions discontinued manufacture of Tropical Fish®

(*) for Sunsolar Energy Technologies, and started making and selling a new and
improved version of the invention, under Flexible Solutions' own brand, EcosavrT. The
name EcosavrT was chosen as being appropriate for the product's purpose - Eco for
Ecologically friendly and savr for the water, energy and time it saves for the pool owner.

The liquid solar cover contained in EcosavrT is HeatsavrT, Flexible Solutions'

commercial liquid pool cover. Heatsavr has been on the market for 16 years and led
directly to the invention of Ecosavr in 1998. The two products have 24 years of combined
market experience. Flexible Solutions is the only liquid blanket manufacturer with any
published safety and efficacy data. Flexible Solutions, Heatsavr and Ecosavr are the
World Leaders for liquid blankets on indoor pools and liquid solar covers for outdoor
pools.
Solar Collectors: Different Types and Fields of Application

Solar collectors transform solar radiation into heat and transfer that heat to a medium
(water, solar fluid, or air). Then solar heat can be used for heating water, to back up
heating systems or for heating swimming pools.

The use of solar heat

The heart of a solar collector is the absorber, which is usually composed of several
narrow metal strips. The carrier fluid for heat transfer flows through a heat-carrying pipe,
which is connected to the absorber strip. In plate-type absorbers, two sheets are
sandwiched together allowing the medium to flow between the two sheets. Absorbers are
typically made of copper or aluminum.

Swimming pool absorbers, on the other hand, are usually made of plastic (mostly EPDM,
but also of polypropylene and polyethylene), as the lower temperatures involved do not
require greater heat capacity.

Heating and storage are united in a reservoir collector. Arrays of reservoir collectors do
not need circulating pumps or regulating mechanisms, as the drinking water is warmed
and stored right in the collector.

Highly efficient absorber surfaces

Absorbers are usually black, as dark surfaces demonstrate a particularly high degree of
light absorption. The level of absorption indicates the amount of short-wave solar
radiation being absorbed that means not being reflected. As the absorber warms up to a
temperature higher than the ambient temperature, it gives off a great part of the
accumulated solar energy in form of long-wave heat rays. The ratio of absorbed energy to
emitted heat is indicated by the degree of emission.

In order to reduce energy loss through heat emission, the most efficient absorbers have a
selective surface coating. This coating enables the conversion of a high proportion of the
solar radiation into heat, simultaneously reducing the emission of heat.

The usual coatings provide a degree of absorption of over 90%. Solar paints which can be
mechanically applied to the absorbers (with either brushes or sprays), are less or not at all
selective, as they have a high level of emission. Galvanically applied selective coatings
include black chrome, black nickel, and aluminum oxide with nickel. Relatively new is a
titanium-nitride-oxide layer, which is applied via steam in a vacuum process. This type of
coating stands out not only because of its quite low emission rates, but also because its
production is emission-free and energy-efficient.

Flat-plate Collectors
 Sketch of a flat-plate collector

A flat-plate collector consists of an absorber, a transparent cover, a frame, and insulation.

Usually an iron-poor solar safety glass is used as a transparent cover, as it transmits a
great amount of the short-wave light spectrum.

Simultaneously, only very little of the heat emitted by the absorber escapes the cover
(greenhouse effect).

In addition, the transparent cover prevents wind and breezes from carrying the collected
heat away (convection). Together with the frame, the cover protects the absorber from
adverse weather conditions. Typical frame materials include aluminum and galvanized
steel; sometimes fiberglass-reinforced plastic is used.

The insulation on the back of the absorber and on the side walls lessens the heat loss
through conduction. Insulation is usually of polyurethane foam or mineral wool, though
sometimes mineral fiber insulating materials like glass wool, rock wool, glass fiber or
fiberglass are used.

Flat collectors demonstrate a good price-performance ratio, as well as a broad range of

mounting possibilities (on the roof, in the roof itself, or unattached).

In order to reduce heat loss within the frame by convection, the air can be pumped out of
the collector tubes. Such collectors then can be called evacuated-tube collectors. They
must be re-evacuated once every one to three years.

Evacuated-tube collectors
 Sketch of a heat pipe collector

In this type of vacuum collector, the absorber strip is located in an evacuated and pressure
proof glass tube. The heat transfer fluid flows through the absorber directly in a U-tube or
in countercurrent in a tube-in-tube system. Several single tubes, serially interconnected,
or tubes connected to each other via manifold, make up the solar collector. A heat pipe
collector incorporates a special fluid which begins to vaporize even at low temperatures.
The steam rises in the individual heat pipes and warms up the carrier fluid in the main
pipe by means of a heat exchanger. The condensed liquid then flows back into the base of
the heat pipe.

The pipes must be angled at a specific degree above horizontal so that the process of
vaporizing and condensing functions. There are two types of collector connection to the
solar circulation system. Either the heat exchanger extends directly into the manifold
("wet connection") or it is connected to the manifold by a heat-conducting material ("dry
connection"). A "dry connection" allows to exchange individual tubes without emptying
the entire system of its fluid. Evacuted tubes offer the advantage that they work
efficiently with high absorber temperatures and with low radiation. Higher temperatures
also may be obtained for applications such as hot water heating, steam production, and air
conditioning.

How much energy does a solar collector provide?

 Graph of efficiency and temperature ranges of various types of collectors
(radiation: 1000 W/m²)

The efficiency of a solar collector is defined as the quotient of usable thermal energy
versus received solar energy. Besides thermal loss there alwas is optical loss as well. The
conversion factor or optical efficiency h0 indicates the percentage of the solar rays
penetrating the transparent cover of the collector (transmission) and the percentage being
absorbed. Basically, it is the product of the rate of transmission of the cover and the
absorption rate of the absorber.

The specific costs of collectors are also important. Evacuated-tube collectors are
substantially more expensive (at 511,29 - 1278,23 Euro /m² collector surface) than flat-
plate collectors (153,34 to 613,55 Euro /m²) or even plastic absorbers (25,60 to 102,26
Euro /m²). However, a good collector does not guarantee a good solar system. Rather, all
components should be of high quality and similar capacity and strength.

Text and graphics by permission of the:

Deutschen Gesellschaft für Sonnenenergie e.V -- German Society for Solar Energy.

Concise and comprehensible explanations of the basic concepts in solar heating and
photovoltaics can be found in our Solar-Lexicon.

Reports on technology, business and politics, as well as presentations on innovative

systems and products can be found in the Solar Magazine