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Posted by on June 4, 2007, 12:33 pm
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> > The wind is howling outside like a winter storm, but some day it's
> > going to warm up and I'll want to open my in-groundswimmingpool. In
> > order to extend the season (I live in Maryland), I'm thinking about
> > either a solar blanket or a "pill". The former appear to be made out
> > of the same bubble wrap you see in packing, and require a reel to take
> > them off thepool. The latter is apparently a substance that slows
> > down evaporation, which presumably is the main form of head loss.
>
> > The pills are not supposed to be as efficient as the blankets (perhaps
> > the blankets have a slight insulating value, and at a guess they're
> > better at retarding evaporation); the ad claims 60% of a blanket's
> > efficiency. On the other hand, a blanket plus reel for my sizepool
> > (22x44) costs a minimum of $700 and are warranted for 6-8 years, while
> > the "pills" cost maybe $30 for a four-pack and last "up to" 30 days
> > (I'd need two at a time for my sizepool). So figure four to six per
> > season (a month or so at beginning and end of season). And the
> > blanket looks like a lot of hassle to put on and take off, and to
> > store when it gets hot out, and in the winter.
>
> > Presumably the chemical from pill doesn't feel oily when you're
> >swimming.
>
> > Thoughts? Given the difference, I'm leaning towards the pill, but I'm
> > skeptical about how well they work. And it's hard for me to do a
> > scientific comparison, since I only have onepool:-).
>
> > Mike Maxwell
>
> i don't know about the pills... but i have a blanket and it's worth every
> penny
> to me.. the reduced evaporation and increase in temps make it worth the
> hassle..
> i have a solar heating array as well and the combination extends myswimming
> season by at least 3 months
I have a 27,000 gallon pool and I am using solar pills in addition to
heating with 24x12 feet of solar panels (about 40% of the area of the
pool surface, less than the 50% or more recommended) and without the I
feel that the solar panels heat about 8-10 degrees more than pools
around here without a heater, and with the pill it's another 3-5
degrees according to my very unscientific tests. I hope to do some
real accurate tests, as each day is a little different and I could
have been using the pill on a hotter day. Hmmmm, time for two buckets
of water, one with a cc of drops from the pill and one without. But I
can say that the pill is inexpensive ($10 or so retail at beginning of
season) and very convenient, no blank to mess with. I would strongly
recommend the solar heaters though. Check out my web site that I'm
creating (http://www.mypoolkit.com) for pictures of the solar panels,
they are well worth the money at about $1000 invested. If I have the
heat going to my spill-over spa only, it heats up to 105 degrees in no
time!
Kent
http://mypoolkit.com
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