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I've searched the forum, might have got dumped with the reboot. Last year or the year before even, someone had posted pictures of a homemade solar heater using plywood painted black and a lot of black garden hose. Anyone remember? If so could you point me to where the directions and/or pictures might be? Thanks so much. ;)
Thank you so much. I must have searched it wrong. :o)
Seminole, I saw the post earlier and didn't think it applied to what I posted. The plywood and garden hose didn't compute. Anyhow, my last comment still applies if you want the build pics and descriptions.
Al
PS: For now I'm just hoping for SUN. Down to 43 last night and no sun. Pool cold. BAH !!
What if you built a 2x4 frame and used 1 1/2" ISO board (polyisocarnate) with the black tarpaper finish on the bottom and sides and plexiglass or glass for glass for the top glasing and seal it. It will make it like the inside of a car during summer.But you have to be careful or you might melt your plastic pipe. I understand you can almost get the water to boiling that way and it holds the heat more after the sun goes down. This is how if I understand correctly that hot water solar heaters are made for home hot water heaters but they use a storage tank where you pool would act as the storage tank. Some use copper piping in this system for better heat transfer. If you really want to get it hotter put the system in a parabolic dish like two curved sections of three ft. dia. pipe painted silver to reflect the sun's energy to increase the heat even more. I am think of doing this later if my solar panels don't get the pool hot enough by themselfs.
One of the problems I see with the glazing solution is the water can get very hot, hot enough to scald (as you said almost to boiling), unless some sort of controller is put in place to stop flow when that happens. This doesn't seem very safe for the swimmers who are hanging out close the returns.
The other thing is, and you said it yourself you have to be careful of melting what is between the glazing, you would have to use some sort of metal (copper?) piping inside the glazing. That increases the cost of the homebrew solution.
When I was searching for solar, I looked the homebrew black pvc runs (ala Poconos), I decided I didn't have enough room to make that type of solar collector efficient. I went with the pool panels, as mentioned before they are the most efficient for the smaller size that might fit on a roof or some other platform. We who are on postage stamp size lots don't have the space that would make PVC piping work (but I do have broadband :)). Also add in the cost the necessary PVC connectors (elbows, T's, etc.), the homebrew costs really start to add up fast. You may find some inexpensive ebay panels give you the most bang for your buck.
I bought 4 of the double -2' x 20' solar abg panels kits from backyard living and some other place in OK. I got three of them for $80 - $87 AND the other one for $109.00. Made me mad to go over a hundred. I just took my time and quit bidding if they went over a hundred except that one I put a $110.00 max on.
I did have to buy a $99 in ground kit just to see what all was in it. Straps, vacuum breaker and three way valve. Think I could have found all of this cheaper myself If I had known what to look for. Still waiting from my pump and filter. (Back ordered from Pentair) so I have not hook them up yet. Of course my pool isn't up yet either so I'm not upset yet.