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SOLAR SWIMMING POOL HEATING
Solar swimming pool heating is done with one of the two types of collectors you see in the two photos above. For simple shingle roofs or rack mounts a common solution is a semi rigid polypropylene grid style panel like our Powerpro shown in the photo on the left. Click that photo for more. On the right is Powerstrip. We manufacture this product. It is flexible and it can be made in any size. This type of system is used when freezing is an issue (flexibility means it can accomodate the expansion of water as it freezes), when systems need to be glued down as in the case of a tile roof and when it is desired that the system be custom fitted to the roof. Powerstrip can go right on the sloped ground avoiding the need for a rack structure. It is fully repairable and much less likely to suffer damage in the first place from shipping, hail, handling, wind storms, debris. This is an automotive grade engineered thermoplastic. There are no issues with the use of chlorine as there are with EPDM synthetic rubber solar collectors. Click that photo for more.
Do it yourself?
So, you want to divert the flow from your pool filter through hundreds of feet of pipe and hundreds of square feet of thin black solar collector mounted on your house roof and you're nervous about the ramifications? You should be. There is more to this than meets the eye. Diverting the flow through the black thing on the roof when the sun shines without understanding the implications is a dangerous game. Hot Sun looks at the whole picture, including the roof and the pool mechanical system and intimately understands what is happening. Aside from the products, this is really the key gap you need filled whether you are a do-it-yourselfer, a contractor or even a major solar dealer. The work itself is simple PVC plumbing. What we can offer you is the design specific to your situation and a top-notch custom system appropriate for your situation with full support. If you have time and can work safely on the roof, this is a pretty simple PVC plumbing job. If not, we have local dealers and representatives in many areas.
What Will a Solar Heater Do For My Pool?
Through extensive collaboration with universities and government we've learned to simulate the performance of a solar pool heater with remarkable accuracy. We've verified these curves repeatedly with real systems and found excellent correlation. Below is is a typical pool in San Diego, California with a little pool shade, located near the ocean where the collectors are on a south facing roof.
100% solar means a solar heater sized at 100% (same size) as the top surface of the pool. We also have compiled curves for many major cities in the US. Go here for performance predictions more specific to your location and for a full discussion on sizing a solar heating system for a pool.
Our Product
Powerstrip
Flexible collectors are assembled from a header pipe and a tubing strip. The flexibility allows use directly on a flat roof in a freezing climate. It also allows us to glue it directly to wavy s-tile roofs so very common in the big solar markets of the US. We're also able to fit these systems where regular polypropylene grid style collectors (like our Powerpro) can't make good use of available space. You don't need a "good roof" for solar panels anymore. Powerstrip adapts to the space available. See Powerstrip for much more on this amazing collector.
Solar Pool Heating Design Basics
Low pressure is the bottom line when it comes to setting solar up for long term reliability. You can't expect a thin plastic collector to withstand extreme temperatures, thermal movement, aging etc all in combination with stress from pressure in the water. Take away the pressure and you compromise NOTHING. You simply allow the system to operate stress free the way it is intended and you've removed the source for problems. We end up solving other problems in this process and creating a harmonious smooth operating pool mechanical system. Easy to say. Not nearly as simple as you might think to accomplish.
This is our most common solar design for a simple pool without a spa and without "in-floor" cleaning built in where the collectors are elevated up at least one storey. This design requires that the pressure where solar ties in is low. For much more on this visit Proper Pool Mechanical System Design
Please take a look at this document. It covers plumbing designs and automation options for your solar heater. We're proud of the animations we've created to help educate you.
Note that we include a bypass valve in the above design. In other words, we don't try to force all the flow to solar. In very few cases with modern day pools is it advisable to send all the flow to solar. Note that with almost every solar pool heating kit you can buy, the design is always exactly the same: blindly send all the flow through solar and stop reverse flows at night with a one way valve. It works, but it doesn't make much sense because it overloads the pool pump and the collectors in too many cases.
Solar Pool Heating Installations - Siting
The biggest hurdle we all face when implementing a solar heater is finding a space for the collectors that is large enough to do what you want. There are no magic answers. We want a south facing roof. East or west will do, especially if the pitch isn't too great. North is NO GOOD except for the unusual case where you don't want a cover and you just want a warmer pool in mid summer.
Sometimes you want to use up spare real estate instead of the roof of the house. Powerstrip can act as its own weed cloth and be directly ground mounted.
Solar pool heaters often go on the roof of the house but the space is not conducive to regular rectangular polypropylene grid style collectors (like Powerpro)
Can you even tell we put solar on this roof?
A roof that is flat is actually quite desirable and we have appropriate products and techniques available for those situations.
Look at how we custom configured this Powerstrip system to make good use of this flat concrete roof surface right on the ocean in Mexico.
It's very secure and it looks good.
We also have extensive experience creating beautiful (beauty is in the eye of the beholder) ground level racks for solar panels.
Solar Panel Efficiency
All products of this style (unglazed black heat exchangers with the sun) perform almost exactly the same because they are all the same color and temperature (black and pool temperature) and that's all there is to a comparative efficiency test in this industry. We don't need glass over the collectors because the air is warm relative to collector temperature. If you're comparing collectors based on performance ratings published by an accredited testing agency you're looking at the wrong features. If set up properly we can make any of the 20 collectors manufactured in the US operate almost exactly the same, at top efficiency. What is important is to set it up so the flow is even, so it doesn't cause roof leaks, so it doesn't overload the pool pump and so it isn't overly stressed with pressure. A big part of our job is to design the marriage of these two mechancial systems for you.
Next, learn more about the auto controls and plumbing. Finally, click on sizing to learn all about what to expect from a solar heater. You'll find a form you can fill in so we can fully specify and quote your solar heater.
Before phoning please measure the pool and roof and gather the information we need to assist you. Click "Sizing" below for a list. If you fill in the form under sizing, that information will allow us to give you better information and a more specific detailed parts list. If you would prefer, you may call our office instead.