Solar Heater just for the start of the season

[kwolfe]

Last season we put in a lagoon shaped in ground pool (south central PA)

41' long x 16' wide in the deep end x 25' wide in the shallow end
Deep end is 8'
approx. 29,000 gallons
Direct sunlight from 9am to 5pm

Last season we started swimming by mid June and stopped swimming by the end of September. The pool was in the mid 80s that whole season and that is without any solar cover (we haven't bought one yet).

I am looking for a economical way to get the pool warm in the begining of the season and maybe extend the tail end a little bit. I looked at natural gas heaters, however they are expensive to own and run. Especiallly if I don't need it for the majority of the season. This is why I looked at solar.

The only issue I have with solar is that I don't want to put anything on my house if I can help it. I would rather lay something out in the yard for 2-3 weeks to get the pool up to temp and they be able to remove it during the main swim season when the water is perfectly warm all by itself.

Would buying just a couple of the 4x20 panels be enough to get the pool up to a swimmable temp within a couple of weeks?

[CarlD]

The very obvious question is why don't you buy a solar cover to start? It acts like a greenhouse and traps heat in the water, plus it insulates it at night when the sun passes.
You may also want to look into the coil/pyramid type of solar heaters like a Solar Pro that have a 3x3 footprint per unit. I don't know how well they work but they are compact and several (like 4) would be surprisingly small. Combined with a solar cover you should see significant heat increase during that early part of the open season.

But I would suggest starting with a solar cover and a solar reel to make it easier to cover and uncover. I like the transparent ones, blue or clear best. I've found they last 3 years whether I buy a heavy expensive one, or a less expensive lighter one, that's their life span.

[kwolfe]

I am definitely buying a solar cover this year. I just didn't buy it the first year we and the pool. Guess in was too excited about just having a pool in the first place. I also plan on buying a reel as well.

[CarlD]

I found that while cheap or expensive solar cover doesn't seem to matter on the cover's life, the reel is worth investing in. I'd get one with metal ends and a metal cranks, not the plastic ones. That one fell apart in 2 or three years. The all-metal reel has been going for years and is fine.

[kwolfe]

So I talked tonancouple of dealers. One of them sells the Solar Bear brand which has a great price point. It has the diverted valve built into the header which I would not choose to use because my panels would be hooked header to header.

I also spoke with another dealer who makes their own brand which are supposedly very similar to the sun saver by Fafco accept that they are made in china. They are about 25% cheaper give or take.

I looked at Enersol and while they have a good rep, they are the same price for a 12 panel as compared to the solar bear 20 ft panel. Is there really that big a difference in material quality or is it simply brand cost?

[CarlD]

I truly don't know. I haven't used a Fafco or Solar Bear flexible solar mat in a decade--not since I put up my FantaSea. Things change in 10 years.