Pool heaters

[Kikakini]

We live on the southern tip of the Big a Island of Hawaii. We get lots of sun but get some days with clouds and rain, as well as trade winds every afternoon. We just filled our pool but the water is biting cold. We are trying to determine how to best heat the pool a few degrees so it's more comfortable. Do the solar rings you toss on the top of the pool work at all? We've also been told to buy several black hoses and lay them out where the sun will him them and run the water through them. If that works how would you hook them up to the pump to do that? Or should we get the panels of water tubes that go on the roof? Or should we just get regular solar panels? We're just trying to determine the most cost effective way to heat the pool a few degrees. We'd like to avoid trying useless products.

 

[chem geek]

Sorry no one responded to this post before. The least expensive and most effective way to heat the pool is with a solar cover, the bubble-type covers being the most insulating and those that are clear (or mostly clear light blue) let the sun warm the water while keeping the heat in and preventing evaporation. Solar rings help some by reducing evaporation but are not as good as a bubble-type cover.

Solar panels will heat pool water and can be used in conjunction with a cover if the water needs to be kept a lot warmer than the environment, but it can take a lot of panels to heat the pool and yes, one uses the pump and circulation system to get water through the panels. One usually uses a valve triggered by a thermometer to switch on/off the panels unless you want to do that manually.

I suggest you start with a solar cover since for a few degrees (even 5-10ºF) it's the best way to go.