Solar Fish??

[rmeden]

Due to the size and shape of my pool, a bubble cover would be a pain and I know once folks start swimming it wouldn't go back on!

If the fish help a little over the next 30-60 days, that's a plus for me. I have some floor returns so I can keep the water pretty still. (as long as the wind isn't blowing)

I'll post how it goes!

Robert

[waterbear]

I am iterested in hearing your results. I have an odd shaped pool and the solar cover is a pain to put on and take off. I really only use it from about Dec. thru Feb. because my heater doesn't have to work as hard then!

[luvapool]

Doesn't the film or whatever it is muck up filters?

[waterbear]

according to the manufactures info it is harmless to filters and people and compatible with all forms of sanitizers (CL, BR, Bac), ionizers, etc. It HAS been in use for quite a while now and if there were negative effects I'm sure we would have heard about them. The main thing about it is the question of whether it is a cost effective and just darn plain effective solution to heat loss and evaporation.

[CarlD]

according to the manufactures info it is harmless to filters and people and compatible with all forms of sanitizers (CL, BR, Bac), ionizers, etc. It HAS been in use for quite a while now and if there were negative effects I'm sure we would have heard about them. The main thing about it is the question of whether it is a cost effective and just darn plain effective solution to heat loss and evaporation.

Um, I don't mean to be snotty here, but manufacturers of pool chemicals try EVERYTHING to convince people the methods advocated on this forum are crazy.

HTH, one of the biggest chem companies, recently reformulated their Tri-Chor tabs to include copper, which generally VERY bad for pools with the advert "Now double-acting!"

[waterbear]

CarlD,
I mean that if there are any negative effect I am sure that someone in this forum would have pointed them out to us!

[sb2323]

This is the second season we've used the solar fish. In my experience, in Central Texas, it warms the water 6-8 degrees in a matter of several sunny days. Before we got the fish, our pool would lose heat at night, and every morning was like starting over at square one temperature wise. The fish kept the temperature from dropping back down and allowed it to keep climbing even higher the next day. I have young children who have a higher tolerance for cool water than I do :-). There is no way I wanted to mess with a cover when the kids would get in and out of the pool several times a day for 20 minutes or so. It extended our swim time both in the Spring and in the Fall. I noticed absolutely no oily residue or coloring/clouding of the water. I do not think it is as finicky about water motion as some other posts mentioned. We used the filter as usual and as stated before were in and out of the pool often. I w ould suggest you try it for $10 and see if it works for you too!

[Brock]

Yup, I would agree if you don't want to do the cover it is better then nothing. We still use it if we have lots of people over and know the pool will be left uncovered so people can go in and out as they please, every little bit helps.

[mas985]

The primary chemical in heatsavr (Solar Fish) is isopropyl alcohol which changes the evaporation properties of water. Because a pool loses most of the heat through evaporation, this can help reduce heat loss as well. They claim as much as 40%. It is not as effective as a cover but a whole lot easier to use. I plan on trying it out this season to see how well it works.

Here is a web site that has the technical information:

http://www.flexiblesolutions.com/pro...ety_data.shtml

[rmeden]

Well, I've had two nights with the fish!

It'd say it works as advertised. Temperature barely dropped overnight, even with a 10 degree air/water difference.

Unfortunately, it was in the upper 60's low 70's all day today so the pool didn't heat up either... but still holding at 71 degrees. What do other folks in Dallas have?

Not a scientific test, but I'm pretty sure I had temp drop overnight before the fist.

I estimate 800 sqft of surface area. I was only able to buy the "turbo" fish ($20@Leslie's). They have two modes, 400 sqft and "other". I dropped in two fish.. one in the "other" mode, the other 400sqft. I wanted to make sure I had enough in the water to get a result

I'm running the pump during the day 6 hours or so. Sucking from skimmers and returning through floor jets. Water is pretty smooth.. barely a ripple in the wind.

I'll report results from time to time. I used the spa tonight, so tomorrow's measurements will be meaningless (I dumped heated spa water into the pool when I was done)

Robert