Using solar panels to heat up a pool

[Melle]

Dear forum,

I'm new to this pool life and last year we've had a beautiful sunny summer (temperatures of 30+ degrees Celcius). Our pool got up to a temperature of 30 degrees Celcius, which obviously brings the needed care with it, but was well worth it. For this year we would like to achieve (sort of) the same temperature, even though we might not have the same weather.

Would solar panels help us to warm up a 15000-gallon pool significantly and effectively with an average weather temperature (mostly without clouds) of 23-25 degrees Celcius or would this just be a waste of cash (looking at the actual rise in water temperature and the time that it will take)?

I would love to hear some experiences with warming up a larger pool with solar panels. Thanks!

 

[MickyT]

Hi Melle,
That's a bit of a tough question to answer. I've had solar heating on all my pools, across several states in Australia and each one was different due to climate. You also have a larger pool than I have ever owned, so that will vary, but here is my experience.

Solar heating is variable on several things. The size of the system needs to be in direct proportion to your pool surface area and average sunny days. Some brands of heating are also more efficient, panel vs tubing etc. You also need to consider which way your roof faces in relation to sun, does the pool itself get shade during the day and will you have a cover on the pool? My thoughts are that you will need 100% of pool surface on the roof in panel. Some manufacturers say up to 70%, but again, it will depend on how much sun you get.

Solar is cheaper to run than all other options, but in most cases won't heat as well, depending on the variables. On my current pool, which was only finished this year, I installed an oversized solar system. The height of summer, we average around 30 - 35c. This year was very hot here and I set the heater on tropical which actually cools the pool, running at night as it gets too hot. I also use a solar pool cover which keeps heaps of heat in at night and also itself warms the pool in the sunlight. I try to keep my pool at 27c. The main purpose for my heating is to extend the season. Where I live, winter averages around 5 - 10c during the daytime and can get below zero at night. So I hope to keep my pool warmer into Autumn and earlier start in Spring. Summer not an issue.

Solar heating is slow to heat, so if you get cool nights and have no pool cover, you will lose heat faster than you can make it, so it probably will be a waste of money. If you make warmer temps for daytime pool, with cooler nights, without a cover that would suggest in theory that water evaporation will also be higher, so you may need top up more often.

If you can deal with the hassle of a solar pool cover (there are pros and cons to a cover) and don't already have one, I would get one of those first. On sunny days that will raise the temp anywhere between 2-8c and will also hold the heat in at night. Once you have a cover, then consider all other variables and go solar.

In all honesty, I think solar without a cover would not achieve what you hope. However, your climatic conditions will dictate that.

Hope that helps..

 

[markayash]

Anybody ever tried this solar attic option? Seems to make sense, my attic is probably 130 in the summer

SolarAttic | Home Page | The New Fourth Generation Solar Pool Heater

Solar Pool Heating is taken to the next level with the NEW fourth generation solar pool heater that eliminates roof mounted solar panels and cools your home as it heats your pool. At a MRSP of only $2995, this fourth generation of solar pool heaters is the most cost effective way to heat a...

www.solarattic.com

 

[MickyT]

Anybody ever tried this solar attic option? Seems to make sense, my attic is probably 130 in the summer

SolarAttic | Home Page | The New Fourth Generation Solar Pool Heater

Solar Pool Heating is taken to the next level with the NEW fourth generation solar pool heater that eliminates roof mounted solar panels and cools your home as it heats your pool. At a MRSP of only $2995, this fourth generation of solar pool heaters is the most cost effective way to heat a...

www.solarattic.com

I've never seen that before, not available in Oz. It makes some sense in theory, but how does it actually transfer heat? Is it just an air to water heat pump? From my quick look, the website lacks detail. It says no fossil fuels but it appears to run on electricity. Interesting though but my spider senses are tingling about how good it really is..

 

[markayash]

I've never seen that before, not available in Oz. It makes some sense in theory, but how does it actually transfer heat? Is it just an air to water heat pump? From my quick look, the website lacks detail. It says no fossil fuels but it appears to run on electricity. Interesting though but my spider senses are tingling about how good it really is..

Yes website is horrible but I read about it last year. Basically a big radiator that pulls in hot attic air, claimed it even helped cool the attic but my concern is a leak. They said it had a pan with a safety switch that would kill water flow if needed.

 

[Katodude]

The website really does suck. The concept makes sense put a heat exchanger in a really hot place. Their reverse flow idea seems a little sketchy. However, the biggest problem for me is it will only work when I dont want it to. My attic only gets really hot in the summer, and at that point my pool is hot enough. Right now when I really want to heat my pool it wont work. Also I am not a big fan of running any additional water through my attic (already had one air conditioner cause a ceiling collapse).

What I really need is rooftop solar panels but I dread drilling holes in the roof to mount them. Also concerned about how they would survive a hurricane. But I figure with a good set I could extend my season by at least 3 months.

 

[jimmythegreek]

Solar isnt hard to DIY I did my own last year. Money well spent and the holes are no biggee. Use high quality roof cement in a tube not homedepot stuff. There are solar branded roof sealants that are great too.