Thermal Qualities:

The most common feedback from Polystyrene Shell pool owners are comments describing how the water is always so wonderfully warm.

Polystyrene Shell pool shells are thermally efficient due to the insulating properties of the unique material over which the structural reinforcing mesh and concrete are placed. The most noticeable effect of this thermal insulation is that the pool water remains considerably warmer for longer periods of time, than the water in pools constructed using other methods.

Water temperatures that closely follow daily air temperatures are not unknown in well positioned, unheated Polystyrene Shell pools. The reason for this variance in water temperatures in Australia is that Australian summer soil temperatures half a meter below the ground are usually around 18" C, which is considerably colder than the water in your pool. A Polystyrene pool shell resists the loss of heat from the water to the soil more efficiently than uninsulated types of pools. The result is that heat gained by the water from the sunlight is retained longer, which means that at dawn on each new day, the water in a Polystyrene Shell pool is already several degrees warmer than water in pools built using uninsulated shells.

In the northern area of Australia where long hot summer periods are experienced, high air and soil temperatures limit the loss of heat from all pools, and this can sometimes result in undesirably high water temperatures.

In these extreme conditions, water temperatures in Polystyrene Shell pools can be controlled by operating solar heating panels at night to dissipate accumulated heat into the cool night air. The insulated Polystyrene shell resists the tendency for the cooled water to absorb heat from the warm surrounding soil, and so help to keep the water cool. In these conditions, appropriate shading can help control pool temperatures while also promoting sensible skin care.