Best method for warming pool water with solar cover

[elc]

Hey all,

I have an Intex 12' x 24' AGP here in the Bay area, California. Temperatures are now tickling the 80's, and I've been itching to get into it, but with a ~70-72deg water temperature, not sure if that's tolerable enough to wade/swim in. I do have a blue-bubble solar cover on it 24x7. I was wondering if there is any sense to my logic:

So I wait until the sun is beating down on the cover and I turn on the filter pump (this usually falls on the warmest 7-8 hours of the day coincidentally). Trees do provide some shade in the early evening when I turn the pump off. I have a roving vacuum hooked up to the return. I figure that my aftermarket Hayward skimmer pulls water in from the surface, which is the warmest layer, and the water gets redistributed to the bottom via the roving vacuum.

Not sure if this is the best method as my degree in thermodynamics is non-existent. Would it be better to not run the pump during the day so much with the solar cover on for maximum solar heating? Does the solar cover work best when the water is not in motion?

Any advice appreciated. Thanks.

-elc

 

[mknauss]

The solar cover works great to retain heat. It does not do much to increase the temperature of the pool water. So the pool water will start to more approximate the upper range of the daily temperature. So if your high temperature is 80 F and your low is 60F, you should get water temperature of between 70 and 75F. You need a heater (solar, gas, electric) to warm the water more.

 

[barejewels]

Hey all,

I have an Intex 12' x 24' AGP here in the Bay area, California. Temperatures are now tickling the 80's, and I've been itching to get into it, but with a ~70-72deg water temperature, not sure if that's tolerable enough to wade/swim in. I do have a blue-bubble solar cover on it 24x7. I was wondering if there is any sense to my logic:

So I wait until the sun is beating down on the cover and I turn on the filter pump (this usually falls on the warmest 7-8 hours of the day coincidentally). Trees do provide some shade in the early evening when I turn the pump off. I have a roving vacuum hooked up to the return. I figure that my aftermarket Hayward skimmer pulls water in from the surface, which is the warmest layer, and the water gets redistributed to the bottom via the roving vacuum.

Not sure if this is the best method as my degree in thermodynamics is non-existent. Would it be better to not run the pump during the day so much with the solar cover on for maximum solar heating? Does the solar cover work best when the water is not in motion?

Any advice appreciated. Thanks.

-elc

I personally feel my solar cover helps heat my water here in Indiana. My pool is in full sun and in late Spring/early summer, I see my water temperature increase by a minimum of 2 degrees within 24 hours after I put my solar cover on my pool for the first time each season and around 5 degree increase by day 3. I run my pool pump during the day whether my solar cover is on or off. I always make sure my solar cover is back on my pool each evening, this helps retain the heat gained as well as retain water from evaporation. In my opinion, Circulating the warmer top layer of water down towards the bottom of the pool, which helps move the colder water around/up towards the top helps "even out" the water temperature some, so my solar cover stays on my pool on the days it is not in use too. I think maybe in the hotter climates, solar covers may not heat the water so much in comparison to the blistering hot sun, I'm not sure, I just have read a lot in these forums and there seems to be a lot of difference in opinions regarding solar covers and their ability to heat up the water or not. I haven't even thought about opening up my pool yet, lol! Good luck!

 

[elc]

Well, I can say from my experience that when I have the cover on in the sun, the upper 12" of water under the solar cover can be as much as 5-8 degrees warmer than the bottom, which prompted me to try and start circulating the water to the bottom. Not really sure if it's having a real effect or, as you say, I'm just mixing the water. I figure that the surface area of that solar cover is greater than anything I can reasonably accomplish with a solar heating solution in my limited back yard area. If I had more control over the flow of water, and could source it from several place at the surface and distribute it more evenly across the bottom, it would have a greater net effect.

 

[barejewels]

Well, I can say from my experience that when I have the cover on in the sun, the upper 12" of water under the solar cover can be as much as 5-8 degrees warmer than the bottom, which prompted me to try and start circulating the water to the bottom. Not really sure if it's having a real effect or, as you say, I'm just mixing the water. I figure that the surface area of that solar cover is greater than anything I can reasonably accomplish with a solar heating solution in my limited back yard area. If I had more control over the flow of water, and could source it from several place at the surface and distribute it more evenly across the bottom, it would have a greater net effect.

Sometimes I take my broom under my solar cover in random places (I fold it back some in those random places) and give my broom a good push then pull a few times at/towards the bottom of my pool to push my bottom water upwards. This seems to really help, I think.

 

[KarenNJ]

I get my water temps up more with the sun than I do with the blue solar cover. I usually pull it off during the day if the pool is in full sun and the air temps are warm then put it back on in the evening to retain what heat I got. I have heard people say the clear covers are better for warming than the colored ones. No idea if it is true but I plan to get a clear one this year to try it out.