Celebrate Earth Day all year long with this daily calendar. Filled with hundreds of tips on eco-friendly living this calendar will help you protect the environment and make the world a better place!



Nov 14
For those pool owners who are in the habit of regularly using their pool covers hats off to you for your energy-saving and planet-serving ways. For the not-so-dedicated, now is the time for you to bring out and use your solar pool cover if it is tucked away in the garden shed or rolled upon its reel languishing idly by the side of the pool. And if you don’t have solar cover as yet, may I be so bold as encourage you to invest in one soon.

If you live in the northern hemisphere, your solar pool heating system needs all the help it can get during the cold winter months just to keep in the heat; to prevent all its hard work coming to naught as the warmth of the water escapes into the surrounding cold air. A solar cover is essential as it reduces temperature difference by preventing the heat from escaping from your heated pool. It will not only prevent warmth from escaping, but it is also designed to absorb and grab hold of all the heat from the sun that it can manage even when the winter sun’s rays are weak. This heat is then transferred into the pool water and, let’s face it, in winter every bit warmth in the pool counts!


If you live in the southern hemisphere, then pool covers will prevent water loss through evaporation during the hot summer months. Evaporation is by nature a cooling process and plays havoc with the warmth of your pool. The ideal temperature for swimming is about 25 – 26 degrees C (77 – 79 degrees F) and in sub-tropical areas this ideal temperature is difficult to maintain without some additional help.

Heat is lost through evaporation and the constant topping up of pool water levels as well as through natural  night-time cooling off. If you don’t want to add more heat to the pool water, then a regular non-solar pool cover will be adequate. If, however, you do want to increase the temperature, then a pool solar cover will do the trick nicely and raise the water temperature by a  few degrees. Solar cover temperature difference needs to be experienced to be enjoyed!

Incidentally, should you decide to buy a pool cover from one of the links on my blog, I will be paid a small commission – not even enough for a small coffee!

Technorati Tags: pool solar covers, solar cover temperature difference, solar pool cover, solar pool covers

Sep 6

Solar heating for your pool is a wonderful clean, green addition to your swimming pool and a huge plus for your swimming experience. Solar pool heat can be generated inexpensively by any one of several easy-to-install, manage and maintain systems – one of which will suit the conditions of your home terrain, climate and budget best. That solar pool heating systems work has been proved time and time again.

However, relying solely on your solar pool heat system to maintain the heat of your pool without bringing in some extra help is, in most situations, not enough to ensure the warmest results. And this is not caused by a failing in your solar pool heating system, but by the fact that there are a couple of laws of nature at work that continuously try to undo what your solar pool heating system has already done.

You must be wondering what on earth I am talking about. Heat loss is what I am talking about. It is a big issue especially in temperate areas and it takes place because of perfectly natural processes.

How does heat loss occur?

  • Evaporation is a big one. It causes significant heat loss because evaporation is intrinsically a cooling process. Just think of how we perspire when we are hot. The perspiration evaporates and cools us down. It is no different for a pool.


  • But not only does evaporation cause a lowering of temperature, it results in water loss of between 50% to 70% depending on your climate. Having to top up the warmed pool with cold water means that you are constantly pushing cold water into it, lowering the temperature again.


  • Heat transference, in Nature’s ongoing need to re-establish equilibrium, will work to try reduce the temperature difference between the cold air outside and the warmer pool water. In other words, given the chance, it will generously try to spread the heat to the areas beyond your pool!


What is to be done about it?

A solar pool cover is just the thing to give your solar pool heating system additional leverage for keeping your pool heat where it belongs – in the pool water!

What are solar swimming pool covers and how are they different from conventional pool covers?

They are pool covers with a solar heating capability built into them so that the surface area they cover (i.e. your pool) also exhibits solar heat absorbing properties. This heat is then transferred to the water below it. Even without the help of a solar pool heat system, a swimming pool solar cover can raise the pool temperature by a few degrees, but when it is used together with a solar pool heating system, it makes a noticeable difference – easily 15+ degrees rise in water temperature.

Not only is the starting temperature of the water passing into the solar collector a little warmer at the beginning of each day, but the pool solar cover will prevent the inevitable cooling effect of evaporation because it stops evaporation almost completely.

Covering your pool when it is not in use means that heat is retained and does not escape.

Admittedly, if you have to manually put on and remove the solar pool cover each time you want to go for a swim, it can seem like an awful nuisance because it is such a cumbersome task. Installing a solar pool reel to do that job for you is a much better option. Some solar cover reels are electric and reel in at the touch of a button; others are manual and work on the hand winching principle.

What other benefits do solar swimming pool covers have?

  • A solar pool cover extends the length of your swimming season. For chilly locations,  it will stop solar pool coverheat loss, retaining the pool warmth from the day before by preventing the usual nightly drop in temperature. If you are someone who loves an early morning dip, the pool water will certainly be much warmer than in an uncovered pool.


  • A solar pool cover drastically reduces water-loss caused by evaporation. Evaporation is a process that removes water from your pool steadily throughout the day. Those weekly or bi-weekly top-ups that you used to do become a thing of the past. Now only infrequent topping up will be needed especially if the pool is being used most of the day.

  • Pool solar covers cut down on work around the pool. The cover catches leaves, insects and other debris that would otherwise fall into the water reducing the amount of cleaning and scooping that needs to be done.


  • Pool solar covers save you money. Because you don’t top -up your pool level as frequently, your water bill definitely reflects this positively.You will also buy less pool chemical. Evaporation will constantly throw off the chlorine balance (or whichever pool chemical you happen to use) in your pool. You will have to monitor these levels constantly and top up levels more frequently.

  • A solar pol cover will improve safety around your pool. It will increase safety at your pool. Even if your swimming pool is fenced, the gate can accidentally be left unlatched with potentially tragic consequences for small children and animals. A solar pool cover will provide an additional measure of security.


Solar swimming pool covers make a difference and are well worth investing in to improve the overall effectiveness of your solar pool heating system which, in turn, will improve the quality of your swimming experience in less than ideal swimming weather.
Incidentally, should you decide to purchase something from any of the links on my site, I will be paid a small commission for having promoted the product on my site.

Technorati Tags: pool solar cover. swimming pool solar cover, solar pool cover

Aug 16

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.

Incidentally, should you decide to purchase something from any of the links on my site, I will be paid a small commission for having promoted the product on my site.

Technorati Tags: pool solar panel, solar pool accessories, solar pool cover, solar pool covers, solar pool heat, swimming pool solar covers, swimming pool solar heating