Hexprotect® AQUA is AWTT's pre-ballasted 220 mm workhorse — 25+ year life, 130+ MPH wind; Hexofloat® is EuroCover's 190 mm AWTT-design-approved alternative — ~30% lighter, 75 MPH wind, 15-year life, 3–6 week EU lead.
At a glance
| Metric | Hexagonal floating cover | Hexofloat® |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | AWTT (USA) — original patent holder (granted 2010); AQUA in commercial service since 2009 | EuroCover Water Systems (EU) — in-house; AWTT design-approved |
| Manufacturing | AWTT — US manufacture, EU-stocked | European Union — EuroCover-owned tooling |
| Patent status | AWTT-patented | Patented (EuroCover-owned); AWTT design-approved |
| Tile diameter | 220 mm (8.7 in) | 190 mm (7.5 in) |
| Surface coverage | 99% effective | 99% effective |
| Wind resistance | 130+ MPH (209+ km/h), certified — hurricane-rated specifiable | 75 MPH (121 km/h) |
| Shell construction | One-piece moulded HDPE; pre-ballasted with potable water | Self-contained chamber; ~30% lighter, ~30% thinner wall |
| Buoyancy | 39 kg/m² (8 lb/ft²) | Less buoyant than Hexprotect® AQUA |
| EU lead time (typical) | 2–8 weeks (EU stock or US manufacture) | 3–6 weeks (EU manufacturing) |
| Shipping footprint | Standard | More compact than Hexprotect® AQUA |
| Anchorless install | Yes | Yes — identical procedure |
| Manufacturer warranty | 10 years (AWTT) | 10 years (EuroCover) |
| Life expectancy | 25+ years | 15 years |
| Certifications | NSF/ANSI food-grade by default; FDA-compliant formulations available | NSF/ANSI food-grade formulations available (not certified by default); FDA-compliant |
| Maintenance | None required | None required |
EuroCover offers two hexagonal floating covers. This page is the honest side-by-side: pick the one that fits the project’s binding constraint.
One-sentence answer
Hexprotect® AQUA is AWTT’s pre-ballasted, one-piece moulded 220 mm workhorse — 25+ year life, 130+ MPH wind certification, NSF/ANSI food-grade by default. Hexofloat® is EuroCover’s patented 190 mm alternative, AWTT design-approved and EuroCover-tooled, with ~30% lighter shell, 99% surface coverage, 75 MPH wind resistance, 15-year life, and 3–6 week EU lead times.
When Hexprotect® AQUA is the right pick
- The site is hurricane-exposed or sees sustained extreme wind (Hexprotect® AQUA is certified to 130+ MPH; AWTT publishes a 260%+ self-loading factor under wind).
- The project’s lifetime-cost case favours the longest validated life (AWTT publishes 25+ years).
- NSF/ANSI food-grade certification is required by default for a potable application (Hexofloat® can be made in food-grade material but is not NSF-certified by default).
- The project’s chemical or temperature envelope is at the edge of what HDPE can handle.
When Hexofloat® is the right pick
- Lead time is binding (EU drought windows, fast-track plant builds) — 3–6 weeks EU manufacture beats overseas options.
- EU-only supply is a procurement requirement (REACH-bound projects, certain public tenders).
- Transport efficiency matters on a large order (more compact to ship than Hexprotect® AQUA).
- Site wind exposure stays comfortably below 75 MPH and a 15-year service life meets the project’s amortisation window.
How they’re the same
Both are anchorless hexagonal HDPE elements with self-contained chambers that tessellate at 99% effective surface coverage (AWTT-published for Hexprotect® AQUA; matched on Hexofloat® by design). Both install identically — launched from the shoreline, self-distributing via natural water motion, no draining required. Both carry the same 10-year manufacturer warranty (AWTT for AQUA; EuroCover for Hexofloat®). Both target the same applications: evaporation control, algae suppression, odor capture, heat retention. Neither requires maintenance.
How they differ
The differences are envelope and supply, not principle. AWTT-published values for Hexprotect® AQUA vs EuroCover-published values for Hexofloat®:
- Tile — AWTT: 220 mm (AQUA) vs 190 mm (Hexofloat®)
- Shell weight — Hexofloat® is ~30% lighter
- Shell thickness — Hexofloat® wall is ~30% thinner
- Wind — AWTT: 130+ MPH (AQUA, hurricane-rated specifiable) vs 75 MPH (Hexofloat®)
- Life — 25+ years (AQUA, AWTT-published) vs 15 years (Hexofloat®)
- NSF — Food-grade by default (AQUA) vs available on request (Hexofloat®)
- Lead time — 2–8 weeks (AQUA, depends on origin) vs 3–6 weeks (Hexofloat®, EU)
- Origin — AWTT US-manufactured / EU-stocked vs EuroCover EU-manufactured
Hexprotect® AQUA brings AWTT’s pre-ballasted engineering, validated 25+ year lifecycle, and the longest field history. Hexofloat® brings EuroCover-tooled EU manufacturing, lighter material economics, and the AWTT design-approval that ensures it sits inside the same engineering lineage.
Sources
- Hexprotect® AQUA product page
- Hexofloat® product page
- Patent and heritage
- pond-cover.com — AWTT engineering reference
When Hexofloat® makes sense
Hexofloat® wins when lead time is the binding constraint (3–6 weeks, EU-manufactured), when EU-only sourcing is a procurement requirement, when transport efficiency matters (more compact to ship), or when site wind exposure stays below 75 MPH and a 15-year service life is acceptable. Hexprotect® AQUA stays the right pick for hurricane-exposed sites, the most demanding chemical / temperature envelopes, longest validated life, and projects that need NSF/ANSI food-grade by default.