Retaining Heat vs. Generating Heat

[Zwrickers]

Hi,

I have a 27 ft. AGP that gets full on sun for 80% of the day with fairly windy conditions. I want to prolong the season well into September without freezing cold water. I know we can use solar bubble covers to retain heat overnight, and heaters (solar, gas, or otherwise) to generate heat.

I was thinking of trying a DIY solar heater with black hoses, etc. But then I read on the forum what sounded like "just because you CAN, doesn't mean you SHOULD." I would rather have the entirety of the 16,000 gallons warmed a few degrees than a tiny trickle of really hot water.

What is the most effective way to retain/heat my pool, then? Would the ratio be like 90% heat retained by the cover, and 10% or less generated by a DIY solar hose setup? At this point I'm thinking solar cover only, at night and during the day if needed....because the effort needed for that other 10% or whatever would not be worth it. (Buying a real pool heater is not in the cards here.)

Thoughts?

Kristin

 

[Newdude]

While the DIY redneck solar heaters do in fact ‘work’, the flow isn’t significant enough to make much of a dent. @Donaldson nailed it a while ago by saying it was like spitting in the ocean. A small diameter hose/pipe will in fact exit warmer, but not at a significant enough rate to matter for most pools.

Typically 70% of heat loss is due to evaporation. A solar cover will greatly reduce your evaporation and therefore retain more heat. It’s bangforthebucktastic.