EARLY 1970s
A LUXURY WE CAN NO LONGER AFFORD
Forty years ago, in the midst of an oil crisis, a small group of entrepreneurs had a thought; heating a pool with fossil-fuels had become a luxury this planet could no longer afford.
As any pool owner will tell you, an unheated pool is an unused pool. But, heating such a large volume of water to a comfortable swimming temperature takes a tremendous amount of energy – energy that comes from the refining and burning of fossil-fuels like oil and coal.
This energy comes at a great cost, to both our wallets and our environment.
The group of entrepreneurs, and the nation, looked to solar for a solution.
1976
A "NEW CONCEPT" IN SOLAR
Using solar energy to heat water was far from a new concept, but the technology of the time used expensive materials like copper. Additionally, these systems required costly heat exchangers due to pool chemicals.
So, the group formed Solar Industries, Inc., and set to work developing a new type of solar thermal collector – one made entirely out of polymer.
With its unique design, Solar Industries received the first patent ever awarded for a “sun-tracking tube-and-web polypropylene solar collector.”
Modern Plastics Magazine heralded the design and manufacturing process as a “new concept in the use of polymer for such an application.”
1989
AQUATHERM INDUSTRIES, INC.
In the 1980s, government subsidies combined with strong market demand resulted in a period of unprecedented growth for the US solar industry.
Unfortunately, when those subsidies were allowed to expire overnight, many in the industry were forced to close their doors.
Solar Industries, Inc., having extended its product offerings into copper collectors for domestic water heating, was among the casualties.
Luckily, a small group of employees saw the market potential of the original polymer product line. Backed by a private investor with a passion for environmental protection, the group acquired Solar Industries’ production equipment and formed Aquatherm Industries, Inc.
The Solar Industries name continues to live on as one of Aquatherm’s flagship brands.
today
LARGEST IN U.S. SOLAR THERMAL
Today, Aquatherm is the largest U.S. manufacturer of low- and intermediate-temperature polymer solar thermal heating systems, and supplier of other cost-effective water heating technologies that minimize environmental impact.
Our core competency is the marketing, sales, and service of these systems for use on residential and commercial swimming pools around the world.
In addition to manufacturing many of the most popular brands of solar pool heaters, Aquatherm supplies the industry with a number of privately labeled products.
Thanks to our global network of dealers and distributors, we can proudly say “the sun is always shining on an Aquatherm solar heater.”
