In short, the balls needed to be used for about three years before they could 'break even' in terms of water used versus water saved. In drought-marred Los Angeles in August 2015, as the mayor yelled balls away, national media reported on the blanketing of the city’s reservoir with the last of 96 million black shade balls to reduce evaporation and prevent algae growth. Compared to netting, Armor Balls covers are not sensitive to ice or snow damage and do not require any kind of support. A recent study has shown that while the LA shade balls prevented the evaporation of 1.7 million cubic metres of water over a 20-month period, they required 2.9 million cubic metres of water to make. When entirely covered, the body of water becomes unattractive to waterfowl and other wildlife such as deer. In fact, the balls will keep up with liquid level, rising, lowering and restacking themselves as needed.Īrmor Balls® AQUA ball cover is also an effective wildlife deterrent. The balls can be easily pushed aside and the cover reforms itself as the basin and obstacles change configuration, as in a clarifier.

The Armor Balls® AQUA ball cover barrier, contrary to standard covers, does not represent an obstacle to static, moving or dipping equipment. The shade balls are made of a kind of plastic that requires oil, natural gas and electricity to produce, all of which require large quantities of water. Special HDPE formulation and ultraviolet stabilizers protect from the degrading effect of sunlight. Its sturdy construction ensure it is very durable, totally maintenance free, with airtight seals to contain the ballasting material (proprietary manufacturing techniques are used). Both these characteristics are vital in explaining why the balls are a dull light-absorbing black instead of a. The sturdy construction combined with the ballasting element inside the ball allow each element to float with about 30% to 50% of the ball submerge, making the cover wind resistant and preventing the balls from being blown out of the pond. The balls are coated in carbon black, a food-safe pigment with an albedo near zero. They are about 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter, and are partially filled with water to avoid being blown by wind. The Armor Ball® AQUA ball cover is constructed of polyethylene and is 100mm (4 inches) in diameter, with a weight ranging from 120g to 275g (depending on the application). Shade balls are small plastic spheres made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) with carbon black additive floated on top of a reservoir for environmental reasons.