Solar Question

[pilot]

Im thinking about installing a solar system, what kind of increases are you seeing and what percent of panel area do you have, thanks

[Simmons99]

I jut had a solar company out and they told me with my pool facing north under a screen enclosure NOT using a pool blanket that they can put up about 500 sq feet of panels (1/2 on the north roof, 1/2 on west roof - full sun all day) I can get about 13 degree increase in the temp of the water over the temp of the air (13,500 gallon pool).

They stated that I can get more by placing more panels on east/west/south facing side or by using a pool blanket.

This is with the helio-panels (sp?) without any risers (bad for hurricanes).

BTW - neighbor had these installed and they have to turn off the solar already because it's too hot! Avergage daily temp day = 90's and avergage nightly temp = 70's

[roxy]

Pilot,
I have a 28' by 54" deep above ground, and live in upstate New York and my water temp was 82 today. I have one 4 x 20 panel mounted on plywood at a 45 degree angle, you can see pics in the above ground pool and equip section under the solar panel mount thread. Three of my neighbors have pools, but we were the only family swimming on Memorial Day, probably the best $200 I have spent on pool "stuff" so far. My temp has risen about 4 degrees each warm day.

[RocKKer]

This is one of those "it depends" questions. It depends how sunny a location you live in, it depends on what exposure you have to place the panels, south-west-east-north (listed in most to least desireable) and if it's full sun or not. It depends how much space you have available for panels, (my roof was a limiting factor).

www.powermat.com (http://www.powermat.com) has alot of answers (Temp. graphs and other info) for this.

My understanding is you try to cover about 70% of pool surface area in solar panels, that is based upon a full sun southern exposure in the sunny states. You can have less, lots of people do, it still warms the water nicely just slower.

For mine, I have 115% of pool surface area in panels. I have an easterly exposure on my roof. In the peak of the season I see 8-10 degree increase in temp of the water after the panels. Early in the season obviously it is alot less.

To control the temp you need an electronic solar temp control and valve, if I tried to control it manually I'm sure I would end with a swimming pool size spa (my kids want me to try that!).

When I first got my system running (peak season) my 23K gallon pool rose 9 degrees in about 6 hours.

PS - If your pool gets to hot you can cool it off by running the system at night.

[CarlD]

I have a 16x40 pool, 20k, 640 sq ft and the equiv of 3 4x20 panels--240 sq ft. Yesterday, in North-Central NJ, the water hit 92 deg. I frequently run only half the system.

My parents had a 13,500 18x33 oval (525sq ft), with only 6 hours sun a day on the pool and on the 4x20 and 4x10 panels (120 sq ft) I installed and they went from 78 deg (brr) to 84 deg all summer--just six hours a day. Total cost: Less than $500, inclding a 4-way valve for the DE filter's output, TigerFlex, fittings and the panels.

I think 2 to 3 4x20 panels will do you VERY nicely.

[Karen_in_TN]

Here in middle TN, we had a warm April then cold May. :( I run a 4 x 20 panel on my 18' AG pool. Panels are elevated on racks in the yard (about 3 feet up) and get sun from about 9 am until 5 pm. They run from north to south. With the highs in the low to mid 80's, my pool gained from 75 degrees to 92 in about a week. I know this is not typical. (Friends pool in same town is just now hitting 82.) They were definately the best $200 I ever spent. I also use a 16mil clear solar cover, and it definately helped. For 2 weeks our highs were only in the 60's with almost no sun (40's at night) and alot of rain yet my pool was still at 75.

[NWMNMom]

For several years we ran one 2x20 panel on an 18'x48" deep pool averaging in the mid 80s for temps except when we had to bypass end of July/start of August because it was too hot - always WITH a solar blanket to keep the heat in. We are in the FAR northwest Minnesota, as cold a summer as you can get. We had ours on a 45 degree ground rack facing south - this year we have 18x33' x 52" and obviously more panels on an elevated rack facing south - not operating yet this year due to construction.

[tphaggerty]

20 x 40 IG vinyl here (30k gals). About 70 miles north of NYC. Opened after Easter, was at close to 80 before 2 weeks of clouds and rain put us back down to 65. Now we are at 86 and the solar runs about 2 hours/day. We typically get a 2 to 3 degree per day rise using a solar cover.

We have about 55% coverage on an East/slightly northeast roof. So far, we are thrilled with the system. Our neighbors are all swimming in low 70s due to fuel costs!!

[cleancloths]

I have a 16x40 pool, 20k, 640 sq ft and the equiv of 3 4x20 panels--240 sq ft. Yesterday, in North-Central NJ, the water hit 92 deg. I frequently run only half the system.

My parents had a 13,500 18x33 oval (525sq ft), with only 6 hours sun a day on the pool and on the 4x20 and 4x10 panels (120 sq ft) I installed and they went from 78 deg (brr) to 84 deg all summer--just six hours a day. Total cost: Less than $500, inclding a 4-way valve for the DE filter's output, TigerFlex, fittings and the panels.

I think 2 to 3 4x20 panels will do you VERY nicely.


Not to doubt the effectiveness of your system, but that does not sound like much heat generation. I have a 20x40 IG and use a heatpump and solar cover. I had heated the pool up to 79 degrees with the heatpump. I am in NorthWestern NJ and my water is 85 degrees just from the outside temperature and the sun hitting the pool and being covered at night with no other heat added to the pool. In other words, just by having the solar cover on it it has gone up 6 degrees in the last week.

[wer3angels]

20 x 40 IG vinyl here (30k gals). About 70 miles north of NYC. Opened after Easter, was at close to 80 before 2 weeks of clouds and rain put us back down to 65. Now we are at 86 and the solar runs about 2 hours/day. We typically get a 2 to 3 degree per day rise using a solar cover.

We have about 55% coverage on an East/slightly northeast roof. So far, we are thrilled with the system. Our neighbors are all swimming in low 70s due to fuel costs!!

How big of a solar panel are you using? We are new to a 12 x 32 IG pool and are hoping to have some heat in it this summer.

Barb in PA

[pj1016]

I'll let you know in a week or two.

I'll be assembling and installing mine starting this weekend. 487 sq. ft. of panels which yields 87% coverage for my IG pool.

Majority of the panels on south facing roof; the rest on a west facing roof.

I expect to be able to swim in an 84 degree pool just about all year round.

pj

[CarlD]

Not to doubt the effectiveness of your system, but that does not sound like much heat generation. I have a 20x40 IG and use a heatpump and solar cover. I had heated the pool up to 79 degrees with the heatpump. I am in NorthWestern NJ and my water is 85 degrees just from the outside temperature and the sun hitting the pool and being covered at night with no other heat added to the pool. In other words, just by having the solar cover on it it has gone up 6 degrees in the last week.

Please read it again: 13,500 gallons, 1 4x20, 1 4x10, and only 6 hours sun per day on the water or the panels. Even with a solar cover, my parents had troubles getting it to 78-79. With the panels and the limited sun, it jumped to 84-85 for the whole summer.

I get far better results in my pool, because I get far more direct sun, mostly all day.

But remember, solar heat is free heat. Even the most efficient heat pump cannot match it for cost.

[tphaggerty]

How big of a solar panel are you using? We are new to a 12 x 32 IG pool and are hoping to have some heat in it this summer.

Barb in PA

We have 8 4x14 panels, which give use about 450 sq ft of coverage for an 800 sq ft pool. I could have squeezed on another panel, but it would have required some custom work on the fittings.

My recommendation for an IG pool is to go for as much as you can afford and your pump can handle. Not so much for the maximum heat you can get to, but for recovery time. The more panels you have, the quicker you can recover heat after rain and the cold early spring/late fall nights. If you have no interest in extending the season but just want warmer water, I really don't think you need to go much more than 40 to 45% coverage.

I would say for a small pool like yours, you could easily get by with 4 4x12 panels, which is 50% coverage. BUT, if you have the roof space, I would add at least one or two more panels. The increased cost shouldn't be much more than the cost of the panels. We added a panel and went from the 4x12 to 4x14 panels for a couple of hundred extra.