Solar Power to the Rescue!
If you are trying to decide on which pool heater to purchase, you may want to opt for a solar powered heater. A solar pool heater system is the reliable, low maintenance heating option that reduces or eliminates heating costs and lengthens your swimming season. You will be happy when your pool is the warmest in the neighborhood and is being heated by an environmentally friendly source – the sun!
Modern solar pool heaters are simple and relatively inexpensive. Solar systems usually use simple, low cost, unglazed plastic collectors. The pool itself is the thermal storage for the system, and the pump you already use for filtering pool water will also circulate water through the solar collectors. All of this leads to inexpensive systems and often very little increase in operating costs.
One of the reasons that there is little increase in your pool’s operating costs is that the plumbing of the solar system is plumbed into the existing filter system. During the day while the filter is operating the water is sent through the collectors before returning to the pool. An automatic system adds a controller and sensors to operate a valve sending the water directly back to the pool or through the collectors to be heated.
In a more basic (and less expensive) system you, the homeowner, set the valve manually to run through the collectors while a timer turns the filter system on during the hours when the collectors will receive direct sunshine. There are a number of factors to consider when sizing the collector area and the first is the actual pool surface area. Start with a minimum solar panel area equal to half of the pools square footage. System design can be further affected by collector orientation, wind conditions, shading of the pool, local climate and length of swimming season desired.
So if you have the space and the sunlight to accommodate a solar heating system, consider this great alternative to gas and electric powered alternatives. Also be sure to use a digital pool thermometer to check the temperature of your swimming pool.
