Solar Fish - Do they work? Any drawbacks?

[phalcon51]

Just wondering if the Solar Fish actually helps retain a significant amount of heat in the pool water and, if so, are there any drawbacks to using them, i.e. film buildup on tile or skin, effects on filter, etc.

Thanks

 

[Samantha_in_AL]

I have purchased several different brands over the years and found that they are a complete waste of money.

 

[mart242]

The only draw back is the waste of money.. Based on what I've read they don't do anything! Use a solar cover instead, along with a good roller to make your life easier (the rocky roller is great).

 

[JasonLion]

They do in fact do something just so little that it is kind of pointless. They release a chemical which forms a layer on top of the water designed to prevent evaporation. If the air is completely calm they kind of work, but even the slightest breeze will disrupt the layer and allow evaporation.

 

[phalcon51]

Thanks, I'll keep my money in my wallet.

Gary

 

[Guest]

Okay, hold on a second. I have used them in the past with good success. I still think they have value, and am planning on hooking the product up to an inline unit to feed in place of the fish. This is a product that is Health department approved (not easy to get) and does retain heat.

I think they run about $10.00 and last a month or so. I'd spend the ten bucks and see if they work before I make a decision. They look a million times better than any cover I've ever seen!

 

[JoshU]

I too have seen liquid blankets work. I've also seen various degrees of quality of liquid blankets. I would say they are about 30-40% of what a true blanket is, which most of the manufacturers would probably concur with.

 

[mart242]

I think they run about $10.00 and last a month or so. I'd spend the ten bucks and see if they work before I make a decision. They look a million times better than any cover I've ever seen!

How do you know if it works though? If it's a bit less windy for a month you may be under the impression that it works..

 

[XsAllOverIt]

If they are $10, buy it and try it.

 

[bk406]

They do in fact do something just so little that it is kind of pointless. They release a chemical which forms a layer on top of the water designed to prevent evaporation. If the air is completely calm they kind of work, but even the slightest breeze will disrupt the layer and allow evaporation.

Jason's right, they are pretty pointless. Any wind at all and they do not work. In fact, even if its's calm, they dont work. If you want to hold in heat, get a solor blanket.

 

[Guest]

I think they run about $10.00 and last a month or so. I'd spend the ten bucks and see if they work before I make a decision. They look a million times better than any cover I've ever seen!

How do you know if it works though? If it's a bit less windy for a month you may be under the impression that it works..

I know because I wasn't losing heat over night. Typically I was losing about 6 degrees over night, which I obviously had to make up the next day. With the fish I was retaining that heat, and I could see it on my temp reading in the morning.

Extremely windy conditions do disrupt the "cover". Daytime pool usage and operation will minimize its efficiency. However, for keeping temps in over night, they work (from my experience) well.

I sure didn't build my pool to look at a cover I'm sticking with the fish

 

[learthur]

I tried several brands of fish. No noticable difference. So I bought the"bubble wrap" solar cover. Big improvement. No comparison. And yes the fish look better than the cover, but the cash in my wallet saved from using the solar cover looks even better to me