Floating Cover Types Compared: Balls, Membranes & Tiles

There is no single “best” floating cover — there are different tools for different jobs. Here is a neutral look at the three main families.

1. Hollow ball covers

Many hollow plastic balls poured onto the surface, self-arranging into a dense layer.

• Strengths: lowest-cost and easiest to deploy; no anchors, cables, or liner penetration; self-adjusts to level changes; balls push aside for equipment access and re-cover automatically; rain and snow pass through; works in any pond geometry.
• Coverage: ~91% (Armor Ball®).
• Wind: 35 MPH standard; 75 MPH with water-ballasted Armor Ball® AQUA.
• Best for: evaporation, UV/algae, odor, and insulation on sheltered-to-moderately-exposed sites.

2. Geomembrane (floating sheet) covers

A continuous, sealed sheet floated on the surface, usually engineered and anchored.

• Strengths: gas-tight containment — the right choice if you need to capture biogas or fully seal emissions.
• Trade-offs: engineered, fabricated, and anchored installation; needs slack and drainage management for level changes; the cover must be moved or opened for equipment access.
• Best for: applications requiring true containment or gas capture.

3. Hexagonal interlocking tile covers

Interlocking hexagonal tiles that form a near-continuous surface.

• Strengths: the highest coverage (up to ~99%) and the highest wind resistance (up to 130+ MPH); high insulation options (up to R-17+).
• Trade-offs: more engineered and higher cost than a ball cover.
• Best for: high-exposure or maximum-coverage sites. In AWTT’s range these are Hexprotect® AQUA / Rhombo Hexoshield® and Hexprotect® MAX R.

How to choose

If you need…	Consider
Lowest cost, fastest deploy, equipment access	Hollow ball cover (Armor Ball®)
Higher wind resistance in a ball cover	Armor Ball® AQUA (75 MPH)
Gas-tight containment / biogas capture	Geomembrane floating cover
Maximum coverage or extreme wind	Hexagonal tile cover (130+ MPH, up to ~99%)

AWTT manufactures across this whole range — 30 MPH to 130+ MPH and R-1 to R-17+ — so the recommendation can be matched to your site rather than to a single product.

Learn more: Compare hub · Ball cover vs. membrane · Ball cover vs. hexagonal tile