Solar Pump just to run water through solar panels?

[thegoat54]

Hi!

I'd like to get a solar pump that will just circulate water through my solar panels for heating.

I'd then put my pool pump on a timer off-peak time to keep the water clean at about half the cost of running my pump during day hours.

Anyone doing something similar? Any suggestions on a pump?

 

[mas985]

I can see no benefit in doing that.

You will want to filter the water before going to solar anyway (or risk panel blockage) so why bother with the second run time at night or even a second pump. Just run the pump when you need solar and shut it down if you don't. More than likely you will need at least 2 hours per day anyway.

 

[wayner]

I can see no benefit in doing that.

You will want to filter the water before going to solar anyway (or risk panel blockage) so why bother with the second run time at night or even a second pump. Just run the pump when you need solar and shut it down if you don't. More than likely you will need at least 2 hours per day anyway.

And if you want the full benefits of solar then you will be running it for 12+ hours to get the heat from the panels, especially in a northern latitude where days are long in the summer (I am assuming that the Hamilton in the OP's location is Hamilton, Ontario).

 

[tmurphy]

We use a 1/4hp submersible pump to circulate through our solar panels.
This is our third year....
up u till this year we ran the pump on solar panels on the top of our shed, so it was completely hydro free.
The solar system has to come down now as hubby doesn't want to be bothered with it anymore so we are just running it with hydro now.... but still cheaper than running the 1hp pump all day long.