Friends,
I purchased this house in November 2019 with inground salt water pool. Pool is heated by 6 4x12 FAFCO panels and I'd estimate pool to be between 18-22k gallons. Pool is oblong shape, have no idea the surface area. One of the FAFCO panels has sprung a leak where the risers meet the header on approx 4-8 of the tubes due to a vent chimney that separates the tubes on this particular part of the roof. Everything I have searched for says it is not possible to repair this type of leak with plugs, either the header must be sealed somehow (#10 SS screw???) or the entire panel replaced. Sierra Pacific quoted me $1100 to replace the panel. "Replacement" panels online appear to run $300. I have no idea the age of the panels but the pool pump equipment all have dates of 2010. Panels not covered under warranty due to no owner transfer. I have 2 small kids so the idea of hanging off of a 30ft ladder to replace a solar panel on 2nd story roof does not seem in my best interests.
We are in the process of bidding out solar PV, which require the complete removal of solar thermal. The current company says they will remove the existing solar thermal as part of the bid (no charge). Last year other companies quoted me $3-$5k for panel removal. Solar Thermal currently takes up entirety of south facing roof.
So the dilemma is wife says pool must be heated. We are in central valley of northern california, pool heat is normally not needed from June-Sept but our pool is shaded by tall redwoods. I'd say 50% shade or more. If I go PV, I need to put in either a heat pump or gas heater. Is this something people do, replace solar thermal with heat pump when switching to solar PV?
We have a pentair easytouch with power subpanel capable of 150A connected to main breaker with 50A fuse at the main breaker. Cord connecting subpanel to main appears to be 6AWG which means it is not big enough to handle current load (pool pump with 20A fuse and cleaner blower with 20A fuse) with additional heat pump load (50A by itself for 140k BTU?). There is no gas hookup at pool equipment so estimate 40ft gas run from meter to pump and meter is directly under main breaker. Same length for electrical cable replacement/dedicated run for heat pump, 40 ft.
I'm just trying to figure out what to do with all of these variables and need guidance from anyone who has done something like this. 40ft run of electrical cable vs 40ft of gas costs. Heat pump running costs vs gas. I assume both the electrical cable and gas will have to be buried, which means digging up the concrete? Like, these problems seem to fit inside so many different domains, how do you find someone with knowledge on how to do all of these things the right way? Any advice or guidance will be helpful!!!
I purchased this house in November 2019 with inground salt water pool. Pool is heated by 6 4x12 FAFCO panels and I'd estimate pool to be between 18-22k gallons. Pool is oblong shape, have no idea the surface area. One of the FAFCO panels has sprung a leak where the risers meet the header on approx 4-8 of the tubes due to a vent chimney that separates the tubes on this particular part of the roof. Everything I have searched for says it is not possible to repair this type of leak with plugs, either the header must be sealed somehow (#10 SS screw???) or the entire panel replaced. Sierra Pacific quoted me $1100 to replace the panel. "Replacement" panels online appear to run $300. I have no idea the age of the panels but the pool pump equipment all have dates of 2010. Panels not covered under warranty due to no owner transfer. I have 2 small kids so the idea of hanging off of a 30ft ladder to replace a solar panel on 2nd story roof does not seem in my best interests.
We are in the process of bidding out solar PV, which require the complete removal of solar thermal. The current company says they will remove the existing solar thermal as part of the bid (no charge). Last year other companies quoted me $3-$5k for panel removal. Solar Thermal currently takes up entirety of south facing roof.
So the dilemma is wife says pool must be heated. We are in central valley of northern california, pool heat is normally not needed from June-Sept but our pool is shaded by tall redwoods. I'd say 50% shade or more. If I go PV, I need to put in either a heat pump or gas heater. Is this something people do, replace solar thermal with heat pump when switching to solar PV?
We have a pentair easytouch with power subpanel capable of 150A connected to main breaker with 50A fuse at the main breaker. Cord connecting subpanel to main appears to be 6AWG which means it is not big enough to handle current load (pool pump with 20A fuse and cleaner blower with 20A fuse) with additional heat pump load (50A by itself for 140k BTU?). There is no gas hookup at pool equipment so estimate 40ft gas run from meter to pump and meter is directly under main breaker. Same length for electrical cable replacement/dedicated run for heat pump, 40 ft.
I'm just trying to figure out what to do with all of these variables and need guidance from anyone who has done something like this. 40ft run of electrical cable vs 40ft of gas costs. Heat pump running costs vs gas. I assume both the electrical cable and gas will have to be buried, which means digging up the concrete? Like, these problems seem to fit inside so many different domains, how do you find someone with knowledge on how to do all of these things the right way? Any advice or guidance will be helpful!!!
