Best combination of heating my pool up (dead horse question, sorry)

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Aleforge

Aleforge

0
May 31, 2014
296
Wentzville, MO
So I did a search and came across some answers but they were more or less in relation to "do solar covers work" and the like. I have this really frustrating situation and my mind is a bit boggled. So I figure I would ask how you guys would handle gaining as much heat as possible (outside of a heater).

OK, last week we had temps hitting 95-99 degrees and the heat indexes were 105. This lasted over the course of 4 days. My pool started out at 75'F due to a few days prior being 80-85 (and I had rain). I ended up putting a solar cover on at night and took it off during the day. I expected some heat rise due to the very high temps. I had a probe in it and watched it intently. Over those days the temp ONLY went from 75 to 80. This week the outside temps were back in the 80s again (obviously the season is coming to an end). And due to more rain I dropped back down to around 77. The next 4-5 days it's supposed to be in the 90s. I am a bit annoyed by this as I was hoping to get a few more days of swimming in.

Again I know this question gets beaten like a dead horse, but I figured you guys might not care.

If you were me how would you handle this for maximum heat gain? Solar on at night and off during the day? Pump running full time or completely off? Possibly only on 1/2 the time. Does anything matter (lol)? It will be sunny and the pool gets full sun until around 4pm, light winds. But the pool is white and an in-ground. Well mostly I still have a bit dug out around it, I built a bridge (don't ask).

Lastly, being that it was in the mid to upper 90s for several days should I have gotten more of a temp increase than 5 degrees?
 
ajw22 said:
Older discussion on the topic Solar Covers...Do they really work?
Click to expand...

I read that one, I know they do work for most people. I just re-read it but didn't see the best combination on heat gain. Such as pump being on 24/7 or off only at night. I also am not sure if my cover would benefit more being off during the day even though my pool has a white shell. Low to mid 90s for the next 5 days and it looks like lower wind speeds.
 
Solar covers work by preventing evaporation. They don't cause heat gain, they only prevent heat loss. The heat gain is cause by temp and sunlight. The heat loss that they prevent is cause by evaporation, which has much to do with wind speed and direction, combined with temperature and temperature changes.

So to answer your question about what the best combination for HEAT GAIN, that would be combining heat loss prevention (solar) with a heat source (heater). That heater could be solar (either just the sun, or a solar heater), gas, heat pump, geothermal, etc.
 
Assuming you do not have a heater. The covers will help retain heat overnight (That simple). Although, the water under the cover will (maybe a few inches) will become really hot, probably 10* than the remainder of the pool. I would set the pump to turn on about 30 minutes after the cover is removed, this way the heat retained in the pool is picked up by the skimmers and returned back to the pool.

My cover works best if removed at around 11 a.m. and the pump turns on at 11:30 a.m. Placed on at night around 8 p.m. - 9 p.m., but no later. You will retain the approximately 65%-70% of the overnight temperature loss without a cover, and then probably gain the 2*-4* difference from warmer air temperature during the day. This has been my experience.

I only use the cover in the first month and last month of the year. July and August you really do not need a cover unless a cold spell comes in. If you have no heater, you will be using more frequently.
 
Catanzaro said:
Assuming you do not have a heater. The covers will help retain heat overnight (That simple). Although, the water under the cover will (maybe a few inches) will become really hot, probably 10* than the remainder of the pool. I would set the pump to turn on about 30 minutes after the cover is removed, this way the heat retained in the pool is picked up by the skimmers and returned back to the pool.

My cover works best if removed at around 11 a.m. and the pump turns on at 11:30 a.m. Placed on at night around 8 p.m. - 9 p.m., but no later. You will retain the approximately 65%-70% of the overnight temperature loss without a cover, and then probably gain the 2*-4* difference from warmer air temperature during the day. This has been my experience.

I only use the cover in the first month and last month of the year. July and August you really do not need a cover unless a cold spell comes in. If you have no heater, you will be using more frequently.
Click to expand...

This is what I was looking for! Thank you!
 
Solar covers reduce heat loss due to evaporation both day and night.

Solar covers also reduce the suns radiant energy by a small amount assuming it is light blue or clear bubble cover.

So the best net heat gain over a daily cycle is when you:

1) put cover on when the sun isn't shining on the pool

2) leave cover on if the radiant energy loss is smaller than the evaporative loss, take it off if the reverse.

So the only decision is #2. Around here evaporation loss exceeds radiant energy loss so keeping the cover on is significantly better. Since you have a temperature probe it is easy to test. If the results are inconclusive then it doesn't matter.
 
I found leaving cover on full time was beat and easiest. During day pool gets sun at 9 and full sun til 5. Pump is on for hour off for hour all day from those times. I get heat gain thru cover as said for a few inches deep. I circulate that and do it again. All day long. And keep most of it at night. I've got 93 this week on we'd afternoon no heater pool covered 24/7 With little use by wife and kids during week
 
If you have a main drain and a VSP, just leaving the pump on 24/7 at a super low speed sucking from the floor and returning to the top with the cover on will work aces.

I discovered this by accident when I went on vacation and came back 10 days later to a pool that was at 100 degrees all the way down to the bottom in my 8' deep end.
 

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What I've noticed in my pool: my pool temp is more affected by nighttime temps than daytime. If it stays warm at night, those 90-100° days can get the pool up to 95° or better. But if it's cool at night, even hot days can't make up for the overnight loss. Wind is a big factor, too. I don't use a cover. But I do have a solar heater. A suppose covering my pool at night would enhance the heater, but I'm too lazy...
 
I leave the pool covered with the solar blanket unless we are swimming or if I am shocking the pool. I turn off the heat pump and the pool pump at night. Even if the pool has a blanket on, if you circulate the water on a cold night you will speed up heat loss. Any exposed uninsulated piping will give up heat and pick up cold at night so I leave the pump off. In the morning once the sun is up I turn on the circulation and the heat pump.

Quijib0,
I agree. Even without a VSP I get more even temperatures with the main drain pulling. It just mixes it all up better.
 
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