Aquatherm Industries, Inc.  announced it has received the industry’s highest performance rating for vented solar pool panels with its flagship product, ECOSUN™. The announcement comes after competitive product Heliocol, received updated performance test results from the Solar Ratings & Certification Commission (SRCC), an independent third party performance certification agency for solar collectors.


Introduced in 1990, the ECOSUNâ„¢ Solar Pool Heater offered an innovative approach to solving the issue of wind-relief and moisture ventilation on rooftop installations. At the time, conventional wisdom for venting unglazed solar pool collectors was to separate each tube. While this design eliminated wind-load or moisture concerns, it dramatically reduced surface area and, subsequently, performance.

The inherent flaw in this “loose-tube” design,  is its inability to protect pool water moving through the collectors from exposure to the elements, specifically a prevailing cooler ambient (outside) air temperature. As discovered through SRCC thermal performance testing, when the difference between ambient air and desired pool temperature exceeds 9 degrees F (e.g., ambient air temperature = 76 degrees F; pool temperature = 85 degrees F), performance of a loose-tube design suffers greatly due to the effects of wind and reradiation to the atmosphere.

Conversely, by directly incorporating vents into its signature sun-tracking “tube-and-web design,” Aquatherm’s ECOSUN™ offers a unique improvement over loose-tube solar collector designs. First, the ECOSUN™ collector utilizes a patented venting method, by which no material is removed from the product. When adverse weather conditions present high-wind scenarios, it is this proprietary venting system that activates, relieving any potential concerns. Second, fluted tubing gives ECOSUN™ a 10% increase in surface area, affording the collector maximum surface exposure to the sun’s solar thermal energy.

According to SRCC certification, on that same 76 degree F clear day ECOSUN™ collectors are 86% more efficient at heating a pool to 85 degrees F. In addition, SRCC testing found Heliocol’s loose-tube design was entirely unable to perform in cooler weather, whereas Aquatherm’s ECOSUN™ collector still performs at roughly 30% efficiency – providing heat even in unseasonably cool temperatures.