Solar Pool Heat

Swimming pool solar heating uses the sun to heat the pool water. Natural gas and electricity have traditionally been the main sources of power for heating swimming pools. Of course, gas and electricity  are expensive and the price for using them is steep with high monthly utility bills acting as a constant reminder. Not so with solar pool heat. You pay the initial outlay and installation costs to begin with and that’s it – no monthly pool heating costs to have to worry about.

Professionally installed swimming pool solar heating systems range in price from $3000 to $8000 give or take. The cost will depend on the size of the pool you want to heat. Even those pools that only require solar heating in the cooler months – mid-fall through winter to mid-spring ot there abouts – will pay for themselves in a few short years. Naturally, if you heat your pool throughout the year, that break-even time will much shorter.

The Basics of How Swimming Pool Solar Heating Systems Work

A solar pool heat system works on a very simple principle.

• The pool water is heated in special solar water collectors. These solar water collectors must be strategically positioned in an area that receives a lot of direct sunlight daily.
• The swimming pool water pump is used to pump the water from the pool into the solar water collector,where it is warmed, and then brings the now warmed water back into the pool again. This cycle continues all day long or until your pool has reached the desired temperature.
• A solar water collector is a solar panel that gets hot when exposed to the sun. The water running through the collector is warmed by the heat that  the collector has absorbed from the sun.

Of course, anything that is powered by solar energy is dependent on sunlight for it to be able to work.  With swimming pool solar heating systems, it is no different. They need direct sunlight to work effectively. That being said, innovations in solar energy technology have changed this equation slightly because systems are being developed that can concentrate the weakest of sunrays into usable solar power.  Of course, in places that get a lot of  sunny weather throughout the year, solar pool heat will do extremely well in all seasons. In places where rainy or snowy weather predominates in winter, they will benefit mostly from an extended swimming season into spring and fall.

There are several different swimming pool solar accessories on the market these days that can be used in combination with the solar heating systems. Solar pool covers, for example, are useful because they help the pool retain its warmth. Uncovered swimming pools lose heat during the cool nights. A solar pool cover helps to trap the heat in the pool. During the cool hours of the night or on rainy days it will prevent heat dissipation. If you keep the cover on during the day when the pool is not in use, the solar cover also increases the water temperature. Solar pool covers attract the sun, get hot, and transfer the heat to the pool water.