SunGrabber solar panel....

[BullDean]

Anyone have any experience with these..

I have an 18' x 48" above ground pool...

And someone on Ebay that has a very good reputation is selling a lot of these... 2 2x20' panels

Not sure if my pump on my intex will be strong enough.. But It shouldn't be too much of a problem...

Just need to figure out where I will place them...


Thanks

[MaxxFusion]

I bought the sun grabber system from ebay (probaly from the same seller). I went with them because of their design. I got them at the end of winter so was able to get them for $116 shipped.

[BullDean]

MaxxFusion,

So how is it working for you...

I live in Mechanicsburg which is about 30 minutes west of Columbus, OH..

It's probably been colder up in your area....

I just have a small above ground 18' x 4'... So I am debating how it will look and fit around the pool...



Thanks for the info..


Dave

[CarlD]

I had an Intex 15'x3' and used a 10x4 panel on it with no trouble. I just routed all of the return water through it. I did have to valve it down a little to keep up the return water velocity, but only a little. And it worked GREAT!

[MaxxFusion]

Unfortanatly I have not installed it yest. I have been working on my deck and my pool deck but that is next on the list. I have have my solar cover reel to install.

[Aranon]

I have the Sun Grabbers that I bought on ebay. We hooked them up temporary on the ground. I bought 5 kits so I had 10 separate 2ft x 20 panels. With my 1hp pump on low they worked great. Brought my pool up from 80 degrees to 86 in one day. Did not put the solar cover on at night and lost 4 degrees. Used the solar cover and kept the warmth in over night. To day I am putting them on the roof so I disconnected them. If you use them on the ground and just have a few you hook them up only on one end. If you are going to put them on the roof and use them like for an ingorund pool, you have to knock the dirverter our of the inlet side with a broom handle or wooden dowel and then you hook up both ends just like all the other inground systems. I knocked out all the dirvirters and got them on the roof but have not hooked them back up yet. I moved my pump and I am adding a 300 lb sand filter to my 150 cartridge filter. I should have them working by Tuesday.

But just laying on the ground they worked great on low speed.
Aranon

[mdenegre]

I bought a set also on Ebay. I hooked them up and worked great... until on of the connections let loose. OMG emptied right down to the skimmer...! However it was an installation error (mine) that caused the problem.

They raised the temp from 55 to around 75 in about a week. I have a 24' AG and live in NW CT. Only get about 6 hours of sun daily, but used a solar cover almost the whole time. I usually don't see those types of temps until late July.

I do have one concern. When I run the heater the pressure on my filter raises about 5 psi (14 psi normal, 19 psi when heater is going) and the return to the pool is much weaker. I have it set up with ball valves so I can turn it on and off. I used 1 1/4" black poly hose for the run. The fittings on the unit are 1 1/2", I used fenco rubber adapters to connect. Is the change in diameters causing the increased pressure? Is this going to cause damage to the filter or the pump motor?

mark

[prh129]

I just got a Fafco solar heater for a 24' round AG. The two things I like about it are 1) it's a single 4' x 20' panel so less plumbing and 2) it's got a built-in bypass valve. It sells for around $200. I notice that this mat uses small tubes placed side by side so the entire mat is used for water heating. I have it on the ground on one side of the pool. The water temp went from 62 yesterday morning to 68 (first sunny day in a long time!). I start to get shade on the mat around 3 PM so I think that's pretty good.

Peter

[BullDean]

Ok.. Think I might give these a try...


My pool is a 18' x 4' round intex pool....

So 2 2x20' panels are probably going to stick out like a sore thumb.. But warm water is more important to me....

Is it possible to bend these a little or do they need to be perfectly flat whether they are lying down or at an angle...

I figure if they will bend a little maybe I cna arch them around the pool...

[Aranon]

I would imagine that the increase in pressure is because you are forcing the water through those tiny little spaghetti tubing and then back to your pool.
Aranon