Is a solar pool heater worth it without a solar cover?

[Poolnewb105]

I live in New York and my setup is currently configured so that when I hit a button the pool pump ramps up and the pool heater kicks on. It usually takes 1-1.5 hrs to get the pool temperature up to 88 where we like it. It's in full sun and usually starts the day off at 78-80.

I've been considering getting a solar pool heater so we can use the pool without any planning.

However, would this even be possible without a pool cover because I would imagine it would take several hours to recover from overnight heat losses?

Furthermore, if we wanted to keep our pool temp around 88, wouldn't we find ourselves adding water more frequently and having more issues with algae (or adding more chlorine regularly to combat it)?

We have small children and are just too paranoid about having a cover on the pool. There is also no wind break so the solar pool covers don't work well.

I just wanted to get your guys' take if it's worth it or not to invest in the solar pool heater without a cover. Am I asking too much or a solar pool heater to keep it at 88 degrees most of the day? The surface area of the pool is 500sqft and I'd have 288sqft of solar panels.

Il be keeping the gas heater either way for early and late in the season but if I'll be needing the gas heater during the summer months to swim around say 11am, it's definitely not worth it for me.

Thanks for the input.

 

[ajw22]

No, without a pool cover you will lose too much heat that your solar heat cannot recover before the afternoon. Your solar heat is not likely to be most effective until around noon.

 

[Poolnewb105]

No, without a pool cover you will lose too much heat that your solar heat cannot recover before the afternoon. Your solar heat is not likely to be most effective until around noon.

Thanks for the input. Furthermore, I run my pump at 1800 rpm for most of the day. To accommodate a ground mounted solar system with 7 12x4 panels about 20ft from the pool would I have to run the pump at like 2400rpms?

 

[ajw22]

Yes, the solar system will require more flow although the additional electrical cost should not be huge.

 

[1poolman1]

While there has been much conversation about them, give a liquid solar cover a try. They do work.

 

[Poolnewb105]

I tried but it doesn't seem to work well with where I live (large open area with no windbreak).