Liquid solar covers

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suziequsie2945

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May 31, 2013
176
New Jersey
I have searched some older posts on this topic. I was wondering what your opinion is on the liquid solar covers as to whether they are worth it or not, and whether they are safe to use when small children use the pool (worried about them drinking the water, etc). My husband just picked some up at the pool store and I am hesitant to use it. There are no ingredients on it or anything (Therma Swim) and I am wondering if it will screw up my pool chemistry as well.
 
We don't recommend liquid solar cover products. Some of them don't work at all, and others work only a tiny bit. A plastic bubble cover is far more effective than even the best of the liquid "covers".
 
Everyone has their own opinions on chemical exposure but something really turns me off about swimming in water that has a layer of some unknown chemical that will be deposited on my and my children's skin every time we break the water's surface. Even if it worked fabulously I'd steer away from it and look for a non chemical alternative.
 
Just to give a differing opinion, while I don't disagree that a cover is most effective, I don't want to use up my small, irregular deck footprint with one. I've been using CoverFree for two full seasons now, and can tell visually that it at least helps hold in the heat. Eg. Break the surface tension on an Oct. a.m. and you will suddenly see fog produced.

However, this phenom is also the downside of CoverFree...wind, circulation if vigorous, and the robot all reduce its efficacy. I do keep my pool at 87 now at all times and while my gas bill is not insubstantial, it is lower than the periods that I'd not use CoverFree.

One other downside of using such a product is the increase of surface tension...maple keys, pollen and catkins, plus bugs stay aflat longer :)

Re health ...personally, I am not concerned about four ounces added to 23,000 gallons of water...but perhaps I'm being cavalier. It forms a one micron layer.
 
Since swimming is generally a water surface activity and I'm guessing most people spend 90% of their time with some portion of their body at the surface, the fact that a pool is 23,000 gallons has little to do with reducing your exposure to the unknown chemical(s) that make up that stuff.

Edit: I think the concept is really kinda a neat idea. I'd just like it if the company that sells it were more open about what it was so a more informed decision can be made about using it.
 
The component info is available on the Msds -just not the proprietary blend.

For example, in the case of cover free, a small percentage (5-7%) is this:

Stearyl alcohol (also known as octadecyl alcohol or 1-octadecanol) is an organic compound with the formula CH3(CH2)16CH2OH. It is classified as a fatty alcohol. It takes the form of white granules or flakes, which are insoluble in water. It has a wide range of uses as an ingredient in lubricants, resins, perfumes and cosmetics. It is used as an emollient, emulsifier, and thickener in ointments of various sorts, and is widely used as a hair coating in shampoos and hair conditioners. It has also found application as an evaporation suppressing monolayer when applied to the surface of water.[2]

Stearyl alcohol is prepared from stearic acid or some fats by the process of catalytic hydrogenation. It has low toxicity.[3]
Click to expand...

And 1-3% of this:

The acute oral toxicity of propylene glycol is very low, and large quantities are required to cause perceptible health damage in humans; propylene glycol is metabolized in the human body into pyruvic acid (a normal part of the glucose-metabolism process, readily converted to energy), acetic acid (handled by ethanol-metabolism), lactic acid (a normal acid generally abundant during digestion),[16] and propionaldehyde (a potentially hazardous substance).[17][18][19]

Serious toxicity generally occurs only at plasma concentrations over 1 g/L, which requires extremely high intake over a relatively short period of time.[20] It would be nearly impossible to reach toxic levels by consuming foods or supplements, which contain at most 1 g/kg of PG. Cases of propylene glycol poisoning are usually related to either inappropriate intravenous administration or accidental ingestion of large quantities by children.[21] The potential for long-term oral toxicity is also low. In one study, in 1972, 12 rats were provided with feed containing as much as 5% PG over a period of 104 weeks and they showed no apparent ill effects; no data on offspring was offered.[22] Because of its low chronic oral toxicity, propylene glycol was classified by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration as "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) for use as a direct food additive, including frozen foods such as ice cream and frozen desserts.[23]
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Hope that offers some insight. Neither property is classified as a hazardous chemical and are available in fod grade forms.

I doubt a micron layer would net any contraindications if it did pass the skin, but would of course be highly interested in any science anyone might have on that.

@chemgeek. ... Any info on that?
 
Swampwoman said:
The component info is available on the Msds -just not the proprietary blend.

For example, in the case of cover free, a small percentage (5-7%) is this:



And 1-3% of this:



Hope that offers some insight. Neither property is classified as a hazardous chemical and are available in fod grade forms.

I doubt a micron layer would net any contraindications if it did pass the skin, but would of course be highly interested in any science anyone might have on that.

@chemgeek. ... Any info on that?
Click to expand...

Good info. Thanks!
 

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They sometimes have some calcium hydroxide as a dispersant but most of it is usually isopropyl alcohol as a carrier which evaporates. The main ingredient that forms a one molecule layer on the water is usually either stearyl alcohol or cetyl alcohol.
 
Since this is and old thread, is there any updates to the technology? I have a large community SPA that we have used the bubble covers on, but they make such a mess, especially with these tiny mesquite tree leaves. With a floating cover, you are having to clean the mess in the water and on the cover itself, double mess. The cover when the SPA is in use takes up such a large footprint on the deck as well. Due to a water feature on one end of the SPA, a cover that covers a portion of the deck so the SPA actually stays clean is not viable.

The security patrol locks the enclosure at night and puts the cover back on (if off or messed up), so I figured it would be easier on them to add the liquid cover if it's worth it. We do get some pretty good winds up there though and not sure if any solution would hold up to the water agitation overnight. We could set the SPA filtration to turn off just before the time they lock up though.
 
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