Solar panel with a Intex frame pool?

[Kimrst]

I am thinking that as much as I love my little pool,(18') some heat in it would be wonderful. Here in Michigan the water temps never got much above 80* last year. I am wondering if I could put a 4x20 solar panel on the roof of our garage to generate some much needed warmth? Our yard is partialy shaded where the pool is, but the garage isn't. My cartridge filter won't have enough juice to get the water up the garage and back, so what kind of a pump would I need? Any ideas would be great. Thanks, Kimrst

[gregugadawg]

sometimes these pools you can get a 40gpm pump to work on them, I have nvver done it myself but have heard from other customers that it is possible. I still don't think you are going to be able to push enough water to go through a solar heater.

[NWMNMom]

We had an 18x48" round soft side pool for many years with just a 2x20 solar panel on it for many years using only the pump that came with the pool (1/2 hp with the cartridge filter) and kept our water averaged at 82-87, except for a few times of unusually cold weather streches with no sun and at the every end of July/start Aug when we bypassed all together because it got too warm. We are in FAR NW Minnesota and believe me, just about anywhere in the US including parts of Alaska are warmer than here any time so it really did work for us, but we HAD to have the solar blanket on or all the heat would go right back out. How far away and what is the distance up?

[CarlD]

I used a 4x10 panel with an Intex 15' round donut and my water temp reached 105! I had it on the ground near the pool and just routed the entire return through it. I did have to valve it down a little so the return in the pool would have enough velocity to move the water around, but it got EXTREMELY hot, and that was in north central NJ. The Intex has been retired for 4 seasons now.

I don't know if you can get it to the roof with your pump--once it's primed it shouldn't be a problem, but priming may be. Then again, it may not.

[Kimrst]

Thank you for the replys. DH says the roof of the present garage may not be the best place as its an odd shapped roof that goes to a point, not like a regular garage. This garage is over 60 years old. If it goes up there it will have to be shorter than 20feet long. I will do my research and see what I can find. I really want a bigger "real" pool next year. But with DS graduating from hs next year, & that might be the time to move out of this town and into the country where my husband really wants to live. I'm ready to have the real pool just dont want to put it up this year to move next year. And I think the solar panels can go with us. I have a great solar cover, I just got it. Didn't have it last year, maybe it will help some.. Thanks, Kim