Solar Heater valve ????

My son got me an early fathers day gift. A Solarheater 2 x 20 setup and a diverter valve kit. I got the heater mounted on a raised angled platform. Our pool is a 12 x 20 Intex AGI have a couple of questions: I am kinda handy with plumbing stuff, but for the life of me I can't figure out how a single valve would change the water flow from my pool to the heater and then back to the pool. Second question, I don't have the "factory" authorised brackets for mounting the solar heater I just used some angle brackets. But the thing really buckles up, right now it is about 4 inches in a buckled area. Is that normal??

thanks for any suggestions / help

Ok. I am definitely not the want to help you on this problem, but just wanted to say that my solar heater has two valves, not one. I have to open one and shut the other to send the flow where I want it. Somebody will be along to help.

Nice gift! It will make a big difference in your pool. My pool is already up to 86 most days. Without my solar panel, i would be nowhere near that warm.

Here is a diagram on how solar is typically installed. The return side of the solar is plumbed through a check valve and teed back into the return line for the pool. Both check valves are a good idea especially if the panels will be elevated so water doesn't drain backwards through the filter. Also, if you want the panels to be self draining, they will need a vacuum release valve.

http://www.smarthome.com/images/3242dgm2.gif

Mark,
That is a good diagram. Hopefully it will help our poster with his panel. Also, I noticed that you have commented on several of the threads I bumped up this morning that had not had any replies. Thanks for taking the time to do so. I'm sure these people will really appreciate your input.

No problem. It was actually hard to find a diagram that actually had the panels installed properly. Some had the return pipe of the wrong side, some didn't have the check valves and some didn't show the vacuum release. This one though was closest to ideal that I could find. However, a ground based installation could do without the VRC and filter check valve. Also, the isolation valves are nice to have but not necessary either.

Thanks for the diagram. Looks like it has everything. And it got me thinking about the "diverted kit". I will post a drawing that I think might work later.

This is simple and probably could use at least one check valve in it. My theory is that if the ball valve is closed the cool pool water will go through the solar collector and then to the pool, it has no choice. With the valve open the water will take the path of least resistance and go straight to the pool bypassing the solar. I realize it isn't an automatic operation, but hey it's cheap!

For the life of me I couldn't visualize how that kit was supposed to work, I even cruised the site where my son got the stuff with no luck. Once I say the drawing the mas895 provided it all came together in my pea brain!

If this looks like it will work or not work to you seasoned veterans please comment. thanks for the help so far!!

http://www.communiquest.biz/images/Solar.JPG

actually, that's not necessarily true. Instead of a T-valve, I have ball valves around a Sched 40 standard T. The pressure there is so strong, I open the valves to my solar panels just a little, barely a trickle.

But my panels aren't on a roof.

My panels are actually on a platform 4' high right next to the pool. So the most pressure I will have is from the pump. Which I should have is a day or two. I purchased a new 1 hp pump on line and got one that leaked like a sieve, so I am waiting on a replacement. At the moment I am using the small cartridge pump/filter that came with the pool.

Oh...I didn't read it clearly. Easy as pie! I don't think you need a bigger pump.

I had an Intex 15' round donut with their 1/6hp pump-filter and I ran a 4x10 solar panel with it with no problem. 4x10 and 2x20 are the same size. Your pump is probably a little bigger as the 15' was 3500 gallons and yours is 6500 gallons

I didn't need to divert the flow but ran it through the panels. I did have to re-plumb them so the inflow was at one end and the outflow at the other. It came with its own valve and I found I had to close it down to about 80% or the flow was too weak to the return. With that, my pool turned into a hot tub hitting 105 deg at one point!

I then put a 4x10 and a 4x20 on my parents' pool--13,000 gallons and 3/4hp pump. I used a 4-way valve that could route all the flow to the return, the panels, or both, and used, again a ball valve to slow the flow to the panels. At the time, I didn't cut a return from the panels, just put hose over the side. It worked amazingly well considering they only had 6 hours of direct sun on the water and panels. A chilly 78 deg pool became a comfortable refreshing 84 deg pool.

So, based on my own successes with solar panels, I don't think you need to convert to the 1 hp pump. If it's full-rated, then it is 'way overkill for your pool--and you'll need a filter to match it. If it is a two speed you'll never need more than "low".

Currently, I have a 20,000 gallon FantaSea with solar panels equivalent to three 4x20 panels. I have a 1 hp 2spd and run it on "low" most of the time--panels and all. The panels are about 4' higher than the pump.

That's just my take on it. In case you hadn't guessed: I'm a big fan of free, solar heat!

There may be something buried in the archives about me, Intex and a solar panel.