solar heating-check my thinking please.

[pj1016]

mas985 in post #6, and tphaggerty in post #8 are spot-on.

Bottom line: The amount of panel area needed is directly related to:

1) How long you want your swim season to last.

2) How much daily sun exposure you have where you intend to install the panels AND what you have on your pool through the day.

3) Are you willing to use a pool cover.

4) Is your pool subject to any cooling effects from wind.

5) How fast you want the water temp to rise.

I think that we can all see that everyone's wants and needs and thus hardware requirements will vary substantially.

pj

[msm859]

Has anyone tried using smaller panels that are enclosed with glazing? It seems they would warm the water more and thus be as effective as a larger "less" efficient area.

[tphaggerty]

Has anyone tried using smaller panels that are enclosed with glazing? It seems they would warm the water more and thus be as effective as a larger "less" efficient area.

There is quite a bit about this on the web and even here on the forum. Those panels are designed for heating a small amount of water to a much higher temp than pool panels, but at a much lower volume. To get the same amount of heat into the pool, you would be spending much more money.

Remember that heat is temp rise * flow rate. At 4 to 10 GPM (which is typical for pool panels) per panel, with 8 panels, I get between 32 and 80 GPM of water at a 2 degree rise. A typical glazed panel will heat 30 to 60 gals of water to about 175 degrees over an hour plus. To get the same heat, you would need a significant number of glazed panels and they are expensive. They are just designed to do a different job. Sort of like comparing a Honda Fit to a semi. Each is more "efficient" at doing what they are supposed to.