Here are answers to some of the questions you may have about heating your pool.
Why heat my pool?
Why solar?
Is there enough sun where I live?
How does it work?
How efficiently will my solar system heat my pool?
How about maintenance?
How do HI-Deluxe and Hi-Temp compare with those 20-foot solar panels?
How does a solar heater differ from a "solar" cover?
How does a solar heater compare with a heat pump?
You bought your pool for enjoyment, entertaining and possibly for health reasons. But you probably find that on many days when you would like to use your pool it is just too cold for comfort. Whether for recreation or relaxation, a comfortable pool is a great gathering place for family and friends.
Not only will the right solar heater make your pool warmer and more comfortable, it will add months to your swimming season. That means you can spend more time in your pool. More relaxation, more exercise and more fun! As a bonus, greater value from the investment you have in your pool!
Millions worldwide have been enjoying solar heated swimming pools for over two decades. Heating swimming pools is today the largest use of solar energy in the world and there are good reasons for this.
There is ample solar energy anywhere in the U.S. and Canada to heat your pool, if the solar heater is correctly selected and properly installed. The U.S. Weather Bureau’s records show that even northern states such as Maine and Minnesota receive more solar energy from April through October than Miami Florida does during its October through April heating season. They swim with solar heat year-round in Miami.
According to the United States Department of Energy, solar collectors for heating swimming pools represented 93 percent of all solar collectors, for all purposes, shipped in the U.S.A. during 1997. The study also shows that they went to all climates of the continental U.S. plus Hawaii.
With
HI-Deluxe, Hi-Temp or EZ Heat Deluxe you have a choice of two
control systems. A manual control where you turn the system on or off by turning the
handle on a three-port control valve, or a fully automatic electronic control system.
With the automatic system you simply set the desired temperature on your control panel (1) and the system does the rest.
When the solar sensor (2) finds that there is enough solar energy to heat your pool and your pool is colder than you desire, water is automatically sent to your solar collectors (4) by the valve (3). Bright sunshine is not needed to heat your pool. The solar sensor will turn on your solar system even on a hazy or cloudy day when it finds the right amount of solar energy.
Your pool pump (5) sends pool water to the solar collectors. As the water flows through the many tubes in each solar collector the sun’s energy heats it. The solar-heated water then flows back to your pool. This simple cycle continues until your pool reaches your desired temperature.
You can cool an overheated pool in warmer months by simply running the pool pump at night. Your control system will automatically switch to cooling your pool.
With a manual control the operation is the same except that you have to turn the handle on the valve to shut off the solar system in bad weather when your pump is running.
If you follow our recommended solar heater sizes and installation instructions your pool should be six to twenty degrees warmer than it was before you heated it, under the same weather conditions. Evaporation of water from the surface of the pool causes most of the cooling of the water. The larger the solar collector area, the more of the sun’s energy it will collect and send to the pool. Therefore, the larger the solar collector area is in relation to the surface area of the pool, the warmer the pool water will be. If in the future you decide you want an even warmer pool or would like a longer pool season, you can add solar collectors to a HI-Deluxe, Hi-Temp or EZ Heat solar heater at any time.
No special periodic maintenance is needed. If you close your pool at the end of the season the solar system will automatically drain down if the installer has followed the installation instructions.
How do HI-Deluxe and Hi-Temp compare with those 20-foot solar panels?The 2’ x 20’ and 4’ x 20’ panels you may have seen are designed for use during the pool season and then removed and stored indoors until next year. When installed horizontally the water does not drain out and they can freeze and rupture in cold weather. They are often made from lower grade plastic compounds that may fail from extended outdoor exposure. HI-Deluxe is installed vertically and is self-draining. Hi-Temp can be permanently installed horizontally because its EPDM rubber solar absorber surface is resistant to freezing and outdoor exposure.
A solar cover is made from thin plastic formed with air pockets so it can float on the surface. A solar cover cannot heat a pool. It is not totally transparent to sunlight so it blocks out much of the sun’s energy that would otherwise heat the pool. However, it effectively prevents evaporation from the water surface, slowing down cooling of the water at night and in bad weather. We recommend use of a cover at night on above ground pools with a solar heater. The solar heater heats the water and the cover helps keep it warm. If you have a larger solar heater on an in-ground pool you can use a cover at night near the beginning and end of the season when the nights are long and cool. CAUTION: Never let anyone swim in your pool unless you have completely removed the cover. A number of people have drowned when they swam under covers. The cover adheres to the water and you cannot come up for air under it.
Unlike a solar cover (or "solar blanket") a solar pool heater is a true pool heater. It is different from other types of heaters because it uses no gas or electricity, only the greatest and most efficient energy source of all, the sun.
A heat pump for an in-ground pool will cost about the same as a solar system and heat the pool about as well. With the heat pump you will still have the monthly electric bill. With a solar system the sun's energy is free!
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Site last modified 25 February 2005.
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