Heat Things Up With a Solar Pool

Since pools consume so much power, solar pools are becoming a lot more popular. Converting to a solar pool is a good idea, with concerns about energy use rising. You can still enjoy heated pool water, without having to worry about power bills and environmental impact. Solar energy is renewable and free, since it draws on the light of the sun. This makes it a smart way to heat your pool.

Solar pool systems usually use inexpensive, unglazed plastic solar collectors. Since the pool water acts as thermal storage for the system, you can use your existing pool punk to circulate water through the collectors. The least expensive solar pool systems can cost as little as a hundred dollars.

The most simple solar solution for your pool is to get a pool cover. You should use a cover in conjunction with all other solar pool heating systems, since covers greatly increase the efficiency of your solar pool. Using covers on solar pools is referred to as passive solar heating, since the heat of the sun is being trapped, but collectors and electrical systems are not involved.

Active solar pools require the collection and storage of power from the sun. This means you'll need photovoltaic panels, batteries, and storage units. Active solar heating will provide a more constant temperature than passive heating. While initial installation of an active system may seem expensive, you'll continue to benefit from that system for many years, and the power will be free! Commercial active solar pool heating systems run around four dollars per square foot, and are the most reliable way to heat your pool with sunlight.

For those who like to do it themselves, there's also the option of making your own solar pool collectors. These aren't the more complicated commercial versions, and usually don't involve photovoltaic cells. Instead, you can create a solar pool heater with a thin sheet of dark metal sloped to the south in direct sunlight. This metal should have closely spaced channels or groves, and have water pumped down over it. The heat from the sun-warmed metal is passed to the water, which in turn heats the pool. You can find plans for this kind of do it yourself collector online.

A solar pool is a smart idea, and not too expensive. It will quickly pay for itself with the money you save on electrical pool heating. If you're interested in heating your pool with solar power, investigate one of the above options. You'll be happy you did when you're saving money but still enjoying a warm, luxurious swim.