Solar heating

[Wing68]

I am in North Phoenix (Surprise Az) and have a question. If I were to place water tubes under the ground 2 to 3 " and have it covered with artificial turf, would I be able to raise my pool temp. The ground here new cools off so I would think I would get a little heating from this year round? I have a dirt back yard and they are installing my pool as we speak. Not sure of the number of gallons, but it will be 14X30 with a max depth of 5 feet. 4 foot on each end and 5 in the middle. Just wanting to extend the swim season without turning on the heater. I will be running the pool pump on low speed during the day, and higher speed at night to run the infloor cleaners.

Thanks

 

[JohnT]

I really doubt it would be of much benefit. Your pool will already tend toward the soil temperature since it's embedded in the soil and exposed to the same environment. Black solar panels will be far more efficient.

 

[Geebot]

Earth is an okay insulator. 4 inches would likely give you an R-value of 1, or roughly 1/3 the per-inch value of fiberglass. Astroturf will likely reflect a good amount of sunlight and the backing will likely absorb and retain heat. so your "solution" is going to be appreciably worse than a traditional solar heat system, which itself is an imperfect solution. Seems like a waste of time and effort if your goal is to heat the pool.

 

[jblizzle]

I agree. Put the solar mats on your roof if you have room ... lots of energy up there.

 

[jatkinson]

Funny you mention this method. My friend ran a 1inch pex loop about 1500ft worth in his pool deck. He gets a 2-3 degree rise from it. The deck is medium brown stamped concrete. Miles of PEX is cheap, I'd go that route.