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Pool Solar Panels -- What Are They?

By John Greenspan

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Pool solar panels are essentially heat exchangers. They increase the water temperature of your pool using solar energy. Each heat exchanger (or heat collector) is lined with metallic pipes that run parallel to each other. They are always painted black, as black color is most efficient in absorbing heat. In this way, conversion of solar energy into heat is maximized.

Solar heaters are also covered with a glass panel to act as a greenhouse, trapping heat within the enclosure. Since heat cannot escape through convection (due to glass), the only way of dissipation is through conduction. Fortunately the rate of conduction is much slower. Therefore most of the heat is retained.

How they work

Cold water runs into a heat exchanger and out comes warm water for your pool. This happens as the black-painted pipes absorb heat from the sunlight and transfer them to the water passing through. The surfaces of the heat collector box are also painted black and certainly helps warm up the air within. This, too, adds to the temperature of the water in the pipes.

The sunlight intensity, rate of water flow and diameter of pipes determine how hot the water will be. Generally, the thinner the pipes, the more efficient the heat transfer. This is because there is more surface area through which heat can be conducted from the pipe into the water.

Advantages

Solar heaters rarely need any maintenance at all. They can also last many decades without significant wear and tear, provided it's built and installed properly. Most importantly, solar heaters are cleaner and cheaper than gas and electric heaters.

The typically payback period of a pool solar panel is about 1 to 2 years, depending on the sunlight intensity and fuel costs.

Because solar heaters are very simple in design, they make very popular DIY projects. Homemade heaters will obviously cost much lesser than commercially made pool solar heaters. A typical heater may cost within the $4,000 price tag while a do-it-yourself solar heater often cost only a tenth of this price. Therefore the payback period is much shorter.

Installation

Installing a pool solar panel will not be a very tedious task. Most importantly, you should tilt your panels toward the south (if you are staying in the northern hemisphere) so that they can receive more sunlight throughout the year.

Other installation considerations include local building and insurance requirements as well as safety issues. An option is to have a qualified solar thermal contractor to install your solar heating panels for you. This will ensure quality.

With its simplicity, ease of installation and durability, pool solar heaters are getting more popular with consumers. Many DIY enthusiasts are also beginning to put together copper pipes to make their own homemade solar heat collectors to warm up their pool. Such do-it-yourself projects will only get more popular as consumers realize the benefits of using pool solar panels.

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