Solar Heaters on separate pump loop?

[DigitalGuru]

I just bought 6 of the Intex solar heaters and am (not surprisingly) disappointed. Connecting even one and setting the valve to the pad portion to heat, slows down the output enough that the aeration on the inlet stops. I tried setting up all 5 (that's the recommended max for my pool) and barely any water was coming out of the inlet. Due to space restrictions I'm not really able to get even one panel flat enough that doesn't kink the mat, usually in 2-4 places and able to pump water through fast enough to aerate. I was about to return all 6 mats, but I do have a few submersible pumps for aquariums and that made me wonder if I could use either one of these 250 GPH pumps or get a bigger 1000 GPH pump to just send water through the heaters and straight back into the pool, without going through the pump or SWG. Thoughts on this approach?

 

[ajw22]

You can use a separate pump to circulate water through solar panels but there should be a filter after the pump and before the panels. You don't want debris clogging up the panel tubes.

You also need a separate VGBA approved suction intake for the solar pump and a return for the heated water.

Solar Pool Heaters - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com