Lol... agreed...if it works it works... some people just cannot see past the numbers... some of us build these for next to nothing...
DIY solar heater
- Thread starter Crispychewy
- Start date
Funny that the only people in this thread providing any kind of actual data are the Skeptics. The one member above who did measurements and calculations came up with roughly the same amount of BTUs per day as in my calculation.
Anybody else care to measure the inlet and Outlet temperatures of their DIY solar systems with flow rates included?
Anybody else care to measure the inlet and Outlet temperatures of their DIY solar systems with flow rates included?
People come onto TFP believing in all kinds of pseudo scientific mumbo jumbo about alternate sanitizers, miracle algae cures, cancer causing fc levels and the like and they get corrected and educated everytime. This is because TFP tries to operate based on scientific facts and evidence.
It's the same when a black hose DIYer comes on making ignorant and outlandish claims about their panels. It's physics and not chemistry but it gets corrected everytime. For the same reasons.
I, for one, am glad TFP doesn't promulgate ignorance and misinformation. I think most people are genuinely glad there are experts willing to help set them straight. That's what sets TFP apart from the other sites.
It's the same when a black hose DIYer comes on making ignorant and outlandish claims about their panels. It's physics and not chemistry but it gets corrected everytime. For the same reasons.
I, for one, am glad TFP doesn't promulgate ignorance and misinformation. I think most people are genuinely glad there are experts willing to help set them straight. That's what sets TFP apart from the other sites.
As an academic exercise, it was helpful looking at the overall gain of my pool each day from all heat input sources: direct sun on the pool, ambient air temp, solar heater gains, lost body heat from swimmers and probably even some minuscule amount of heat from the pump. Realizing the daily gains I see amount to well over 100,000 btu/day there is no way my solar collector puts out that. I'd need something 5 times the size to come close to a ten degree gain daily from a solar collector alone. Knowing the numbers let me see just HOW effective it is.
That's said, the roughly 20k BTU/day that I gain from the collector is something and does give my pool a slight boost. Yes, I lose anywhere from 2-6 degrees each night even with a cover. On cold nights (closer to 8-10 degree loss) I've taken to putting foam floor mats I happen to have on top of the cover to further aid in insulating the pool--it does help retain more heat than without.
The DIY solar rings from hula hoops and black plastic were another experiment. It's harder (near impossible) to accurately measure the effectiveness of these, but it was an exercise and something the kids enjoyed doing.
Like all things I feel it's important to observe the truth. Knowing what a solar collector can put out lets you make an informed decision on whether the exercise is worth your time and $ for the gains.
For my tiny pool a 20% increase in the heat my pool sees each day (avg) is worth it if the pool is swimmable more often, especially for a few dollars and hours invested. When we upgrade in a few years I will re-evaluate if I can build a collector effective enough for a larger water volume to justify the expense. Knowing me I probably will[emoji6]
Onward I go to my next futile activity in the pursuit of knowledge...[emoji4]
That's said, the roughly 20k BTU/day that I gain from the collector is something and does give my pool a slight boost. Yes, I lose anywhere from 2-6 degrees each night even with a cover. On cold nights (closer to 8-10 degree loss) I've taken to putting foam floor mats I happen to have on top of the cover to further aid in insulating the pool--it does help retain more heat than without.
The DIY solar rings from hula hoops and black plastic were another experiment. It's harder (near impossible) to accurately measure the effectiveness of these, but it was an exercise and something the kids enjoyed doing.
Like all things I feel it's important to observe the truth. Knowing what a solar collector can put out lets you make an informed decision on whether the exercise is worth your time and $ for the gains.
For my tiny pool a 20% increase in the heat my pool sees each day (avg) is worth it if the pool is swimmable more often, especially for a few dollars and hours invested. When we upgrade in a few years I will re-evaluate if I can build a collector effective enough for a larger water volume to justify the expense. Knowing me I probably will[emoji6]
Onward I go to my next futile activity in the pursuit of knowledge...[emoji4]