two-speed with solar panels

[tphaggerty]

I second mas985. My controller stays on all summer. After it rains or we have a few cold nights, it will kick on, even in July & August.

Extending the season isn't anything to sneeze at, though. We opened about 3 weeks ago, the water in now 85+. We will swim until almost the end of October in 80+ water. No one else, and I mean no one, will do that around us (unless they get solar!!)

[cleancloths]

I second mas985. My controller stays on all summer. After it rains or we have a few cold nights, it will kick on, even in July & August.

Extending the season isn't anything to sneeze at, though. We opened about 3 weeks ago, the water in now 85+. We will swim until almost the end of October in 80+ water. No one else, and I mean no one, will do that around us (unless they get solar!!)

I've done it for years in Northern NJ with my heatpump. The key issue is more of using a solar cover then how you heat. The heat loss in April/May and Sept/Oct at night is HUGE if you don't use a cover.

[tphaggerty]

I've done it for years in Northern NJ with my heatpump. The key issue is more of using a solar cover then how you heat. The heat loss in April/May and Sept/Oct at night is HUGE if you don't use a cover.

True enough. We also use a "solar" cover religiously. When we first got the pool, we bought a very expensive, very ugly commerical reel. We were going to return it because it is very big, but after getting used to it (we can roll it over the diving board with no problem and can reel the cover up without bending over), we decided to keep it.

Many people we talked to about their pools complained about the price of heating, but didn't bother to use the cover. Sort of like heating a house and leaving all the windows open at night when it's still getting down into the 40s.