Gee....another older member coming out of the woodwork...Welcome. I say older because registrations have been frozen since last Summer I think. I have two solar things and both are fed off the pool pump but not part of the pools return system. I run a couple 1.25" white pool hoses under the diving board and weight them part way down with a bleach jug full of sand. Not the prettiest but not ugly either. I wanted to say 'functional' but someone would get mad at me. Private joke. Hoses are out of the way. Gives me less restriction on the pump, more flow, and better mixing too. The normal returns still have enough flow to do their job. By dumping deeper and skimming higher you naturally would get better mixing and therfore temperature consistancy also.
Al