Solar Heater Recommendations

[kenmar]

Hi All,

After having a very heated (no pun intended) discussion with my 12 yro daughter regarding the temperature of our pool, I am leaning towards installing some sort of solar heating system to supplement our gas system.
Our current pool temp without the heater on and without a solar blanket is 68deg.
To heat from 68 to 80 using only gas would be ridiculously expensive.
I am hoping to get a 5-8 degree bump by using solar panels.

I don't want to say "money is no object", but I don't want to buy junk.
Since it can be very windy where we live, I will probably want a permanent installation on our roof.

I am looking for any recommendations for brand names, models, and sizing, etc.

Regarding installation, should I contact a plumber or a pool installer?

Thanks,

-Ken-

 

[Bama Rambler]

Two things; a plumber is probably not going to know about solar heating and probably not going to want to install on a roof. So your best bet is a pool builder or pool store.

Take a look at Brentr's build thread. That's one good looking installation.

 

[kenmar]

Thanks Bama Rambler,


I just checked out his thread.
His build is very similiar to what I had in mind.
I M'd him for some more info.

 

[dykes26]

Hey Ken-

Best investment we have made by far!!!! Our pool is currently 83 degrees. The outside temp is 72 but there are no clouds in the sky-it has to be sunny (not warm but warm is better) to work. We have 400 square feet of the Helicol (sp) brand solar about 80% coverage of our pool. They have an amazing warranty and our install was awesome. We have been around 80 degrees for the past month and our pool is filled with family everyday.

You can save a bunch with a DIY job, but I do not have the guts myself.

We have a flat roof so we needed a top of the line system with spaces between each water tube so that our roof doesn't rot. If you have a pitched roof that is south facing you can use almost any brand.

Again- Its a no brainer to me.

 

[mkenyon2]

Don't mean to pirate the thread, but on the same note... I have a 15'x30' AGP. The pump and only return is on the south west corner of the pool near the back of our property. The pool gets very good sun coverage all day. Our skimmer is on the North east side of the pool, so the run is about 30' + 15' so about 45'. Of course the pump to filter to return is all in the same location.

I was thinking about a 4'x20' solar heater unit along the east side of the pool, but wouldn't that put more strain on the pump? Would it be too much for a 1HP AG pump?

 

[AV8TOR]

So this is what we did this year and I am happy with it. We bought 2 each 2' x 20' Sun Grabber panels here and simply installed them by laying them on the patio close to the pool. It gets sun from 10AM to 6PM. I will only leave them there till we stay warm at night. In 5 days we have raised our pool temperature by 11º. It still is dropping down in the mid 60's at night . The water coming out is at 4 gallon/min and the output water temperature in late afternoon/full sun is 12º-14º above incoming water. I will roll it up and store it during the season but will also bring it out at the end of the season.

We have a complicated roof line with no 20' fat sections and to be honest I would rather not look at it all year. For $225 I am very happy and am sure this will supplement your gas heater just right. For my pool size I should have gone 4 panels but just did not have that much room.