Solar Pool Heater 300ft from pool

[Poolnewb105]

Hey guys, assuming I have the pumping capacity, is it highly impractical to place a ground mounted solar pool panel array roughly 300ft from the pool? While the pannels would be in full sun all day, the piping going back to the pool would be in the shade.

I would be able to put it closer to the pool but if that were the case I'd like to hide it on top of a structure. Is it bad to lay these panels flat on top of a pergola (like in the attached picture) if they are to be located up here in snow country? I'm not sure if the weight of the snow and ice would tear the pannels where there is no support beneath. Thanks.

 

[Frezel]

tagging along, i am in the same boat curious as to how much heat loss on return back to pool would be. I actually thought about placing the tubing slightly underground to keep it warm

 

[Rossterman]

that calculates to 78 sqft of surface area. heat loss (or gain) is difficult as it is based on ambient temp Surrounding vs. temp in the pipe, flow rates, Etc . These are changing all the time. The good news is most solar systems only add 2-3 degrees of temperature To the existing water temp. Not knowing your solar panel total sqft of surface area per panel or how many. It’s difficult to even make a back of the envelope guess.
as to panel placement, they need to be elevate on the discharge so that water comes in the bottom and rises to the top then spills over into the return. This also allows draining to occur when off (vacuum breaker is a requirement. Left flat, not only will performance be degraded, the panels will be difficult to drain in winter so freeze damage will ruin them each winter.. also panels need substantial support underneath (asphalt shingle roofs are best but they tolerate clay tile roofs as well. As to placing on top of a pergola, depends on how far apart the slats will be.
sounds to me like you should do some reading on designing and installing solar panels before taking the plunge. There are several websites that have good articles as to proper design and installation. The company that sells vortex panels has a good one (can’t remember the web address).

 

[boxdin]

I run about 120 foot of 1.5 inch and zero problems for 5 years now

 

[boxdin]

I generate one million BTUs per hour w these 31 panels Raising 23,000 gallons one degree per hour.

 

[Mike0893]

My ground mounted solar rack is 225 feet from my equipment pad and is 60 feet long. My 2 hp pump has no problem with flow. I get 65 gpm with 2 inch pipe. For 300 feet you might think about using 2 1/2 inch pipe and if that’s not enough you could try a solar booster pump. I got a couple of bids on my setup from solar pool contractors and they said distance is no problem

 

[Poolnewb105]

Very interesting.

My ground mounted solar rack is 225 feet from my equipment pad and is 60 feet long. My 2 hp pump has no problem with flow. I get 65 gpm with 2 inch pipe. For 300 feet you might think about using 2 1/2 inch pipe and if that’s not enough you could try a solar booster pump. I got a couple of bids on my setup from solar pool contractors and they said distance is no problem

Very interesting. Is any portion of your piping below ground or is it all above? My pool equipment currently utilizes 2in piping and has a 3hp variable speed pump. I only run it at either 1900 or 2200 rpm so it is capable of quite a bit more (I believe 3600rpm) for my 17,000 gallon pool.

 

[JamesW]

I generate one million BTUs per hour w these 31 panels Raising 23,000 gallons one degree per hour.

1 degree per hour is a heat gain of 191,820 btu/hr for 23,000 gallons.

300 feet isn't too far as long as you keep the water velocity low enough.

I would suggest the following:

2" pvc up to 40 gpm.
2.5" pvc up to 60 gpm.
3" pvc up to 110 gpm.

 

[Mike0893]

My piping is below ground. About 2/3 of it is about 12 to 16 inches deep the other 1\3 is only 3 or 4 inches deep. Heat loss from above ground pipe is minimal. The water is moving too fast In the pipe. The largest heat loss is of course the surface of your pool.