AquaQuik SolarPRO solar collectors

[ciberspyder]

I would like to extend my swimming season. I was using SunGrabber panels on a custom built rack, but it was ugly, the panels didn't lat flat etc etc, so I took them down. I can't put anything on my roof because I have a solar electric system, so I am looking for a cleaner solution that takes up less space and found these.

AquaQuick SolarPRO II http://tinyurl.com/4zj2qqt
(goes to Amazon)

The numbers I dug up on the interwebs state with 1 of these I can gain 5deg in 10 days (assuming 10hr@80deg). And the reviews I have seen indicate they work pretty well if you plumb them properly.

Does this sound plausable, and is it a decent increase? Anyone have any experiance or opinion on these types of solar collectors?

Thanks

 

[JasonLion]

Solar collectors are all fairly close to perfectly efficient. Heat gain goes by area. If the area is significantly smaller the heat gain will be significantly smaller.

Some panels look better than others or are easier to mount, but they all need to be the same size to work.

 

[Ms Flo]

Some panels look better than others or are easier to mount, but they all need to be the same size to work.

But these aren't panels. They are "domes". The small one has 20' of "heating coil" & the large one has 66'. The heating coil is ...well... coiled up inside a clear ball thing--the "dome".
We've been looking at them too. (FWIW, I have seen better prices than the Amazon link.) It looks like a very interesting alternative to panels, IF they work as advertised.
Are there any TFP people who have tried them?

 

[JasonLion]

The dome might increase the effective surface area by 10-15% if they are not properly aimed at the sun. They are way to small to be effective on anything but a kiddy pool. A typical solar panel is going to give you 40 sqft per panel, compared to 7.3 sqft for the Solar Pro II Pool Heater, and a typical pool would have two to ten panels that size, ie 11 to 55 times the heat collecting ability. The Solar Pro II Pool Heater really isn't going to do much of anything besides look strange.

 

[Ms Flo]

bummer...