Swimming pools are much more inviting when the water is warm.
A simple hula-hoop, suitably modified as a solar heater, will help keep an outdoor swimming pool heated all season. Long-lasting, durable and impervious to water and sun, the hula-hoop is the base for an inexpensive, easy do-it-yourself project that only takes a few minutes for each heater. It's simple enough for the kids to jump in and help. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Wrap the electrical tape abound the hula-hoop joint to ensure water cannot enter.
2. Spread the black plastic on the floor or table, and lay the hoop on it. Leave room on the plastic for as many other solar heaters as you can.
3. Cut the black plastic, following the edge of the hula-hoop.
4. Press down on the top edges of the hoop to ensure the plastic doesn't shift, and place the clamps equal distance around the hoop. You want the plastic and hoop to resemble a drum head with the plastic being tightly stretched across the hoop.
5. Glue the black plastic to the hoop with a drop every inch or so. Ensure the whole hoop is sealed around the edge. Take the clamps off when the glue sets.
6. Cut three or four widely spaced 1-inch slits in the top of the black plastic with a sharp knife.
7. Place the newly created solar heater in the pool, hoop-side down. Repeat the process until you have enough to cover just over half the pool.
Tags: black plastic, plastic hoop, solar heater