DIY Solar - SunHeater????

[malbee]

I want to get solar, but don't want to drop $6k doing it. I am interested in buying the panels and installing it myself. I saw a kit at Costco by SunHeater that is only $800 for my size pool. Does anyone have any feedback or a review for this system? I haven't been able to find any first hand knowledge about this product. Thanks, Matt....

[tphaggerty]

More info is needed. Do you have an IG or AG pool? (It would help if you filled in your profile). Do you want to increase the temp a little or are you looking for a substantial increase or extend your season? What direction does your roof (or wherever you plan to put the panels) face?

A good understanding of solar can be found at www.powermat.com. The info there is primarily for permanent installations for IG pools, but is a good starting point for understanding how solar works and how it is plumbed into your pool.

[cleancloths]

You can do it for a lot less than that. I have a couple of Fafco panels I bought on e-bay and just run a slip stream through them and they heat my pool quite a bit.

[CarlD]

How big is your pool? How much do you want to heat it? How many hours of sunshine do you have?

Recommended panel size can be two to three times larger than you need. If you plan it correctly, should you need to expand it, you can, but you may be very happy with less.

To give you an idea of HOW minimal it can be, my parents had an 18'x33' oval AG. It got about 6 hours of direct sun a day, and rarely reach 80deg even with a solar cover. "The Rules" said I should heat it with 3 20'x4' panels. I used 1 20'x4' and 1 10'x4'. Even with only six hours of direct sun a day, the water stayed at 84deg. They worked for hours after the sun passed because they were on the ground and the ground baked and released its heat too.

Remember: if the water coming from the panels is even 1deg warmer than the pool, the panels are adding BTUs to your water, and BTUs are the key to heating your pool.

My pool has 660 sq ft of surface area and the panels have 220 sq ft and it's plenty--sometimes too much--I frequently have water in the high 90's during heat waves--and I live in northern NJ.

[malbee]

Thanks everyone for the responses...

I have a 20x40 IG, southern exposure, no shade, perfect scenario for solar. My biggest concern is the quality of the SunHeater brand, and if anybody has had experience with this system. Or, can recommend something similar. The price is attractive, yet I could spend more if I was getting a lot more quality....make sense?

[Poconos]

Got a big enough property you could lay a bunch of black poly pipe on rolled roofing? I've got 1200' of 1/2" in my back field and works great.
Al

[Watermom]

I'm 99% sure that mine is a SunHeater panel. We have had it for about 5 years and have had no problems. It is amazing what a difference a solar panel makes for a pool. But, equally important is to cover the pool with a solar blanket at night; otherwise you will lose all the heat to the atmosphere that your pool gained during the day.

[AndyT86]

equally important is to cover the pool with a solar blanket at night; otherwise you will lose all the heat to the atmosphere that your pool gained during the day.

TRUE THAT - I found that my pool loses 2-3 F at night during the summer when I leave the cover off --- I live in west-central Georgia.

I used a single panel by SunHeater for several years. It did well for the amount of sun it got (only 2-3 hours direct sun per day). We replaced it two years ago with a Hayward heat pump because we just didn't get enough direct sunlight near the pool (we live in the woods), and the pool is too far from the house to put the panel on the roof (2-story) to get above the trees. The wife didn't like the panel laying out on the deck around the pool.

That heat pump allowed us to swim in March and through October last year. Before that, the wife and kids didn't get in until June, and only swam until Labor Day. But it was much more expensive than the solar heater, and the heat pump continues to cost us every month we run it.

I still like to use a solar blanket to keep that heat in at night. The family doesn't like to have to move it, but it does save money!