Hi, we just had a 18' round Radiant pool installed, semi inground. We are in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and I don't expect a super long swimming season, only the summer months.
The pool is in full sun, all day. That's because it is at the end of our long yard, meaning that we'd have 110 feet to run for a gas line......We were given a quote of $5K just to run the gas line, so I think we've resigned ourselves to finding another solution.
We are not able to use a full solar blanket, due to children and pets, but have bought some 5' solar rings to cover a fair part of the pool's surface.
The pool reached 74 degrees (hmmm) today with a relatively sunny, 80 degree day. Seems that the water, like a lake, I guess, felt quite warm at the surface, rather cold where the gauge hangs out.
Solar panels on our roof seems like a dead end - the roof isn't easy to access and faces east on the part 'nearest' to the pool (a good 90 linear feet). Our shed's roof is way too small and probably won't stand up to the weight when filled with water. We do have a section of fence that faces south, only about 25 feet from the pool.
I'd love for the water temperature to be around 85. Heck, I'd take 80 right about now.
How do we choose between an electric heater, a heat pump vs solar system?
And, just so that I fully understand, any heating system requires the pump to be on, right? So we wouldn't be able to make use of lower electricity costs and run the pump at night only, if we want to warm up the pool? And, for solar, it sounds like the pump would need to run all day, in order to make the most of the solar panels?
Thanks!
The pool is in full sun, all day. That's because it is at the end of our long yard, meaning that we'd have 110 feet to run for a gas line......We were given a quote of $5K just to run the gas line, so I think we've resigned ourselves to finding another solution.
We are not able to use a full solar blanket, due to children and pets, but have bought some 5' solar rings to cover a fair part of the pool's surface.
The pool reached 74 degrees (hmmm) today with a relatively sunny, 80 degree day. Seems that the water, like a lake, I guess, felt quite warm at the surface, rather cold where the gauge hangs out.
Solar panels on our roof seems like a dead end - the roof isn't easy to access and faces east on the part 'nearest' to the pool (a good 90 linear feet). Our shed's roof is way too small and probably won't stand up to the weight when filled with water. We do have a section of fence that faces south, only about 25 feet from the pool.
I'd love for the water temperature to be around 85. Heck, I'd take 80 right about now.
How do we choose between an electric heater, a heat pump vs solar system?
And, just so that I fully understand, any heating system requires the pump to be on, right? So we wouldn't be able to make use of lower electricity costs and run the pump at night only, if we want to warm up the pool? And, for solar, it sounds like the pump would need to run all day, in order to make the most of the solar panels?
Thanks!