I plan to add solar collectors on the roof to heat my pool. The solar pipes go underground from the equipment pad to the exterior wall of the house and then go up to the roof to the collectors. So the underground pipes basically form a U shape with two upward openings at the equipment pad and the exterior of the house. My question is how to get the trapped water out of the underground pipes for pool closing. If I leave the water inside the pipe, is it going to develop mold or algae over closing months? I live in San Francisco bay area. Although it does not snow, there are certain months that the temperature is too cold for me to use the pool.
Winterizing underground solar pipes
- Thread starter tejobrut
- Start date
- May 3, 2007
- 16,886
- Pool Size
- 20000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Welcome to the forum!
By closing, I hope you don't mean you close the entire pool for winter. That would be a disaster and the pool would turn into a swamp. But I wouldn't worry about the stagnant water in the solar. I don't do anything special for my system and I have never had an issue.
By closing, I hope you don't mean you close the entire pool for winter. That would be a disaster and the pool would turn into a swamp. But I wouldn't worry about the stagnant water in the solar. I don't do anything special for my system and I have never had an issue.
What i meant by closing is not to circulate water up to solar collectors during winter months.
I had an idea yesterday evening.
1. Add an isolation valves to the solar collectors at the house wall.
2. Add a bypass valve before the isolation valves.
During winter months, I close the isolation valves and open the bypass valve. Water will be circulated from pool to underground pipes and back to pool.
The water in the underground pipe is always live not trapped.
I had an idea yesterday evening.
1. Add an isolation valves to the solar collectors at the house wall.
2. Add a bypass valve before the isolation valves.
During winter months, I close the isolation valves and open the bypass valve. Water will be circulated from pool to underground pipes and back to pool.
The water in the underground pipe is always live not trapped.
As long as there isn't any standing water during freezing temperatures you should be fine in your area. You still have to drain the solar collector. If the underground pipes are large enough you could just put a "y" or "T" connection on, push a smaller hose inside the extra opening far enough to reach any standing water, then hook up the smaller hose to a Shop-Vac to suck out all the water.
- May 3, 2007
- 16,886
- Pool Size
- 20000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
It takes quite a long time for pipes to freeze so having below freezing temps is not sufficient. I never drain my pad equipment and I never use freeze protection but we get below freezing for up to 8 hours per night during a few weeks a year and the pipes still do not freeze. There is a lot of latent heat in water so it takes a long time for it to freeze. Plus it will never freeze underground here so that is not even an issue.