How To Build a Solar Pool Heater

A solar pool heater enables you and your family to take pleasure in your swimming pool or outdoor spa for a better part of the year. Into spring and autumn. And into cooler mornings and evenings. When other individuals are shivering!

You will find 4 strategies to heat your pool:

1. Electric heater
2. Gas, ordinarily a propane heater
3. Employing a pool cover
4. Solar pool heater

The solar resolution is greatest. It's affordable to run and you don't contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. A guilt-free time in your comfortably warm pool or outdoor spa! Why not.

A commercial pool heater can cost you up to $2000. But you can construct your own personal at a smaller fraction of that price.

Just look around on the net for guides that offer you clear directions of ways on how to build a solar water heater. There are many.

How do solar pool heaters work?

They run on a passive solar principle.

Basically, pool water runs by means of long lengths of flexible tubing. These are suspended in front of reflectors to receive and transmit the sun's warmth towards the water within the tubing. The tubing need to be protected, say with with polythene sheeting, from any wind chill.

The reflectors could be produced out of halved storm water piping, sprayed with chrome paint to increase their reflective powers. To circulate this warmed water through your pool or spa you'll need a small pond pump or solar electric pump. The latter is far more costly, but certainly you can help the atmosphere and your wallet by spending somewhat more to begin with.

Minimal pump specifications should be that it delivers ten litres per minute (120 gals/hour) and is capable of raising water to 1.6m (52).

All components, containing tubing, reflectors and cover, are assembled into a solar panel. Its ideal size is determined by optimum dimensions for ease of handling, structural integrity and heating efficiency. Obviously more than one panel is usually used. A spa wouldn't need to have a large panel. But then again... some like it hot!

Generally, a panel measuring 3.4m (11 4) by 1.4m (4 8) is successful on pools as much as 30,000 litres (6000 gal).

Panels should really be placed in such a strategy to maximize receipt of the sun's rays. It's finest to have them face the sun's mid day position. Place them vertically on a fence or horizontally on your roof.

To create the most beneficial of the solar pool heater, it makes sense to make use of it having a solar blanket. But this can be not ordinarily necessary to benefit from your now upgraded asset - your pool or spa.

You may be interested to find out more on DIY solar water heater and hot water heaters.

Learn How To DIY solar water heater:
http://www.greenearth4energy.com/diy_water_heater.html

Useful information hot water heaters:
http://www.greenearth4energy.com/hot_water_heaters.html