Solar Pool Supply

[delaneybob]

Hi All,
Considering a non roof based solar heating system. I am looking at these guys Solar Pool Heater Full DIY Kits - Heliocol, SwimEasy, SwimJoy, SwimLux and not really into the DIY black hose setup. I do not want a roof setup because of putting hardware thru the shingles and the HOA hassle

Does anyone have experience with SolarPoolSupply?

Here are my calcs assuming I put in 4 4x10 foot panels (160sqft) its pricey though ($1800)

•1000W/10.8 sqft is what sun gives at noon max
- Assume 50% efficiency for panels
- 1.162 watt-hours raises 1 liter 1C
•My pool is 8900 gallons X 3.75=~34,000 liters
-I need 39,000 watt-hours to raise the pool 1C
-39,000 Watt-hours/1000 *0.5* 10.8 =840 sq ft to raise pool 1C in 1 hour
- 160 sq ft heating panel/840 sq ft=0.2C every hour at max Sun
•Figure 6 hours of Sun average with lower efficiencies other than noon- guesstimate is 1C temperature raise for 8 hours of daylight (Mar-October)

I would use a submersible pump (maybe 1HP 30ft head) due to where the main pool pump is and where I would put the panels (They would be ground level with 50 ft horizontal to and for not including length of run thru the panels)

Thanks!

 

[ajw22]

@mas985 can check your assumptions.

@Dirk always has thoughts.

 

[Ahultin]

I can't speak to your calculations but I can give praise for SPS. I purchased my swimjoy system from them and Tyler's assistance was invaluable in guiding me thru the build of the ground mount rack and installation.

The use of a seperate pump seems to negate some of the benefit of the solar, namely the low operating cost as well as any automation from a solar controller. Even in peak season my solar valve opens and closes several times a day.

 

[delaneybob]

Ahultin- thanks for the reply- Wow some setup you have and with 2 VSPs and a propane heater in addition to the panels. Outside of roof mount, I only have a 7' x 60' strip of land on other side of house from where the pump is. That is why I am thinking just manually run it with a decent sub pump understanding the cost. Electric bill here is still pretty cheap

Tyler recommended 75% offset and I would need 300 sq ft of panel to run Mar-October for the pool to be 85F here in Jacksonville Florida. Its appearing to not be worth it