FollowBy installing a solar pool heater, you can substantially reduce swimming pool heating costs. They are very competitive from a cost basis with both heat pump and gas pool heaters, and have the added benefit of very low operational costs per year. Here’s some information regarding how they work.
Normally, a solar pool heating system includes:
- A solar collector through which pool water circulates and is heated by the sun.
- A filter that removes debris before water is pumped through the collector.
- A pump that circulates water through the filter, the collector, then back to the pool.
- A flow control valve, which is a manual or automatic device that diverts pool water through the collector.
Pool water gets pumped through the filter and through the collector, where it is heated and then returned to the pool. In hotter climates, the collector can also be used to cool the pool during summer by circulating water at night.
When the collector temperature is sufficiently greater than the temperature of the pool, that water is diverted through the valve. When the temperature of the collector is about the same as that of the pool, the filtered water bypasses the collector and returns to the pool.
Pool collectors are made of varying materials. In California, since most areas remain above freezing the majority of the time, most collectors are “unglazed,” meaning they do not include a glass covering. Unglazed collectors are typically made of heavy-duty rubber or plastic treated with an ultraviolet light inhibitor that extends the life of the panels. Because of their simple design, unglazed collectors are typically less expensive than their glazed counterparts. An unglazed system can also work for an indoor pool as long as the system is designed to drain back to the pool when it is not being used.
A glazed, or glass-covered, system is used in colder climates. It typically consists of copper tubing on an aluminum plate with an iron-tempered glass covering. Because of this, a glazed system is more expensive than an unglazed one. However, they contain heat exchangers and transfer fluids that can more efficiently capture solar heat than an unglazed system, and can be used year-round. They can also be used to heat domestic hot water all year.
Call POCO Solar for a free consultation to find out which type of solar swimming pool heater is right for you.
Source: pocosolar
