Don’t look now, but pool water cooling-off season is just around the corner. It’s sneaky.…
Conserving Heat and Water in Pools
Conservation, whether it be energy, water and, of course, money has never been more important. Fortunately, when it comes to operating a swimming pool, there’s a category of products that deliver all three for both residential and commercial.
One way to avoid the loss of pool water through evaporation and slow down the tendency of the water to get chilly in cool months is to cover the pool with a solid material. This works well for heat and water retention but it makes the pool inaccessible and ruins the view. Part of the pleasure of owning a pool or being at poolside is the beautiful view; solid pool covers, even if they haven’t yet started to age and wear out, aren’t pretty.
For years, a class of liquid products has been available that somewhat reduce the rate of water evaporation. These products are based on volatile alcohols and require frequent or constant dosing. But they are not very effective since the active ingredients themselves evaporate from the pool water right along with your pool water.
A new class of liquid products has more recently emerged that do a much better job than the older liquids, which were based on volatile alcohols. The newer active ingredients remain in the pool and are primarily lost through bather “drag-out” (i.e. as a result of water exiting the pool with a bather) or other physical means. Only weekly dosing is typically required.
Among the best of these is Aqua Blanket™ from Lo-Chlor®. It’s non-volatile and long-lasting, making it very cost effective. It’s also non-toxic and can be used with any type of pool sanitization system or pool surface material. A recent study of the performance of the product was done by professional engineers in St. Petersburg, Florida using two, side-by-side virtually identical pools. During the time of the study the annualized evaporation rate at that location was shown to be 18,533 gallons for that pool design and size. Using Aqua Blanket™ at its recommended dosage (4 oz. per week for a pool containing 20,000 gallons of water) the evaporation rate was reduced by 70%, an enormous improvement in water retention. Since most of the heat lost from pool water during cool months is due to evaporation, Aqua Blanket also provides for a much longer, comfortable swimming season. And for heated pools the cost savings on the energy required to keep the pool comfortable are also impressive.
So if you’d like to keep your pool accessible and comfortable while conserving water, energy, and your money, you can try a quart of Aqua Blanket™, the liquid pool cover. It couldn’t be easier!
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Do you just pour the chemical (Aqua Blanket) in and then go ahead and swim in it? Have there been tests and studies done to see if it is safe for children and sensitive skin? How does it compare with a solar blanket for heat and evaporation loss? You stated that it is lost through bather “drag out.” How do you get it off your skin once you “drag it out?” If there are swimmers every day, does it need to be replaced every day?
Thank you for your interest in Aqua Blanket. Here are the answers to your questions.
Q: Do you just pour the chemical (Aqua Blanket) in and then go ahead and swim in it?
A: Yes, it distributes itself throughout the entire surface layer of water in seconds.
Q: Have there been tests and studies done to see if it is safe for children and sensitive skin?
A: It is a plant-derived product and has been used many thousands of times in all types of pools with no adverse reactions. It is, indeed safe for children and non-toxic.
Q: How does it compare with a solar blanket for heat and evaporation loss?
A: A solid physical barrier that fits well over the entire body of water can almost completely eliminate evaporation. However, these items can be burdensome to repeatedly put on and off the pool so that the pool can be used, they are far more expensive than a liquid blanket and they often wear out in two years or so, depending on quality. They also block the view of the pool. In addition, pets and children have drowned as a result of stepping onto a solid blanket covering a pool and being submerged and unable to stand or climb off of the sinking cover. Many liquid blanket products are made from isopropyl alcohol which is only modestly effective at suppressing evaporation. Aqua Blanket uses a much more expensive and functional natural derivative and has been shown to reduce up to 65% of evaporation under ideal conditions. However, wind, water temperature and air temperature all play a role and most pools using Aqua Blanket experience a dramatic reduction in evaporation though less than the 65% figure.
Q: You stated that it is lost through bather “drag out.” How do you get it off your skin once you “drag it out?”
A: You will not notice that the ingredients are on your skin after bathing in an Aqua Blanket pool but the material will transfer to the towel along with the water when you towel off, or it will simply rinse off if you shower.
Q: If there are swimmers every day, does it need to be replaced every day?
A: No, Aqua Blanket is designed to be used once per week. However, if the pool is heavily used it may become beneficial to cut the dosage in half and use it twice per week.
Is there any way you would tell me what the primary ingredient is derived from? It sounds like such a great product but swimming in it without the info seems creepy. Is it an oil?
Hello,
Thanks for your inquiry. Our formula is proprietary, however, Aqua Blanket is made from a plant-derived material and is non-toxic and non-hazardous to swimmers. You cannot see it, feel it, taste it or smell it. In addition, the extremely diluted pool water concentration of Aqua Blanket when used as directed, makes it very safe to humans.
We can say with confidence that we have no evidence or complaints of any adverse human health effects resulting from use per our product label instructions of our Aqua Blanket liquid pool cover.
We wish you many enjoyable days of swimming with comfortable pool water temperatures.