Heating your Swimming Pool with Solar Power

Does your home have a swimming pool? Then you may be an ideal candidate for a solar heating system. Conventional pools are heated with electricity, which is not only costly but usually inefficient. Heating your pool with a solar system, on the other hand, is safe, efficient, easy to install, durable and low in maintenance.

Strange as it may sound, a solar pool heater is simpler in its installation and function than a solar hot water system. There are different types of solar pool systems to choose from, including the copper-glazed with heat exchanger and direct-heating by panels systems. The more common type of solar pool heaters today are of the direct-heating type, though.

Direct-Heating by Panels

This solar pool heating system functions rather simply: directly heating the pool water via several polypropylene tubes, which are located within 4x8x12 foot panels. Several pieces of UV-protected black polypropylene panels are either mounted on a platform near the pool, or on the roof facing south or west.

These solar systems for the pool are usually non-insulated and unglazed, as opposed to the solar hot water systems that are found inside the home. Without the glaze, less sunlight is reflected away from the panels, allowing for greater absorption of the sun’s heat. This is also the reason why heating a pool in this manner is so efficient.

In fact, when atmospheric temperature is higher than pool temperature, the solar pool heater is 80 percent efficient. Of course it becomes less efficient during the spring and fall seasons, as the pool temperature rises above the atmospheric temperature.  If that is a concern for you may want to consider a plastic-paneled solar pool heater. However, this is not ideal if freezing temperatures occur in your area; under these circumstances, they are not switched on during the coldest times of winter.

The design of the solar pool system is similar to the drain-back solar system for heating water. A typical pool comes with a pump that filters water which is sent back to the collectors. If the pump is equipped with a differential controller, the differential temperature between the water entering and the water exiting will activate the pump. When the solar panels do not have enough sunlight or there is no excess heat to draw from, the pump will automatically stop, allowing the pool water to be drained back to the pool.  This auto switch is simple in its functionality and also ensures efficiency when excess heat is available. It also ensures that there is no occurrence of freezing, which can lead to ruptured pipes

Even when the solar panels are not kept at ideal parameters, perhaps due to limited sunshine, the pump will continue to pump and filter water. This way you can always be sure to have high quality water circulating in your pool.

So what are you waiting for? Discuss it with your contractor, as solar pool heaters are not only effective and an excellent investment, they also help reduce your utility bills and dependence on fossil