Above: This scene, recorded in Finland by Pekka Parviainen using a wide-angle lens, is similar to the one author Trudy E. Bell saw in Ohio last month. A football-shaped circumscribed halo surrounds the Sun. A fainter parhelic circle rings the horizon. I had never seen anything so huge and so perfectly circular, says Bell.
»» Description: The Solar Sun Ring is a passive solar swimming pool heating device made from two sheets of heavyweight U.V. resistant vinyl. The upper clear layer of the Solar Sun Ring holds insulating air and focuses sunlight on the blue colored lower layer. The blue layer absorbs about 50% of the sunlight and converts it to heat. The balance of the sunlight is allowed to pass through for deep water heating. Each ring generates 21,000 BTUs per day and has been designed to be compatible with automatic pool cleaners. Neither water nor pool chemicals can evaporate through the sun ring's two layers of heavyweight vinyl. You will save water and chemicals about equal to the percentage of the surface covered. These rings may be used on all chlorine or salt water system pools, whether in ground or above ground.
How Do Solar Sun Rings Work? At night the contained air acts as an insulating blanket to retain heat gained during daylight. These rings are equipped with six magnets to improve clarity and decrease hardness of the water in your pool. The magnets are positioned to facilitate rafting. The strength of the magnets will permit single position removal but will easily separate to prevent entrapment in accidental falls.
Solar Sun Rings were designed to be compatible with automatic pool cleaners. In the event the suction hose catches on a ring, the ring will separate from the raft to allow the pool cleaner to continue. Neither water nor pool chemicals can evaporate through the Solar Sun Rings two layers of heavyweight vinyl. You will save water and chemicals about equal to the percentage of the surface covered. Once the water in your pool has reached adequate temperature, the sun rings may be turned over to conserve water by limiting evaporation without significantly heating the water.
