SolaHart conversion

[yann]

Hi all

ive got this old SolaHart solar water system which has been decommissioned by the previous owner, I guess when he converted to instant/continuous gas heating system.

I was wondering if it could be converted into a solar pool heating system?

see picture

Thanks
View attachment 69263

 

[CJadamec]

It's possible but that system isn't designed for solar pool heating. It's designed for low flow rates and high temps with a storage tank. On the other hand you don't have a very big pool and those are high quality panels. If you have no need for them as domestic hot water or heat then there is no reason not to plumb them up to the pool. Well unless they leak.

Call the company and talk to them about your situation. I bet they would be more than happy to give you advice on how to use those for heating the pool.

 

[yann]

Thanks Chuck

that sounds promising and exciting!
ill investigate plumbing and leaks over the weekend.

Looks like pipes are much smaller diameter than regular pool pipes so might need a different kind of pump, maybe a domestic booster pump to get the pool water up to the roof.

Thinking ahead, should I bypass the tank?

 

[CJadamec]

I wouldn't bypass the tank. The way that that product is designed the tank acts as a heat exchanger. I would connect that system up to the domestic hot water connections and use valves to control how much water you put thru the tank. It should be able to handle a normal house hold flow of 5gpm (20 Lpm) I wouldn't try to push more than 10 gpm (40 Lpm).

Don't spend a lot of money to make the system work. If its going to be more than a few hundred dollars your money would be better spent on panels made for pool heating.

 

[needsajet]

If I could plumb it up for a couple hundred dollars, I'd try it. You can pressure test it first with compressed air by rigging up a fitting with a tyre fill valve (snifter valve) and run it manually to keep the cost down.

Size matters for pool solar heating and they usually say anything under 50% of the size of the pool is getting too small. I've got 65% and would love to have more, but with the cover it's going OK. Some people have 100%. So anyway, don't spend too much other than for the fun of it. If it's copper pipe inside the panels it adds something you'll want to learn about, but should be OK with TFPC water.