Solar pool heating advice please.
- Thread starter peastman
- Start date
I've no idea about solar heaters. But my advise would be to firstly buy a solar pool cover, or blanket. You may find that they work so well that a heater is not needed. But they would definately mean the solar heater wouldn't need to heat the water as much.
With my pool, the water gets so hot from the blanket that you have to leave it off in mid summer so the water will cool down.
See ya's.
I second this. To be fair, in Melbourne you may need both, but the pool blanket is far more beneficial than the solar heater.
After our solar died due to age we simply drained the yukky brown pebblecrete pool and had it pool-painted it in a dark blue (acid washed first etc).
No solar heating required now. We also have a blanket - bought before we painted - but never use it.
The other advantage was that it took a dated 20yr old pool and made it look brand new.
No solar heating required now. We also have a blanket - bought before we painted - but never use it.
The other advantage was that it took a dated 20yr old pool and made it look brand new.
So, it is covered with a roof and has a blanket, cosy little thing isn't it
.................... sounds like mine I have got a heat pump as well, I used to have solar heater but found the rubber strips on the roof went hard and were not as efficient after a few years. I ended up taking them off completely and just use my heat pump but to keep the cost down I try to run it when it is warm.
As you can imagine solar doesn't work when overcast so you could check how many cloudless skies you get, it does vary dramatically from area to area. If you are in a humid, warm but cloudy place then solar is not so good, heat pump would be better. Dry sunny skies most of the time and solar is the cheapest IMO.
Since getting my heat pump I have found it best to wait for a hot day, roll the blanket back so the warm air can get to the water, run the heat pump and the filter pump all at the same time.
I can gain 3-4 degrees in a day like this, soon as the day starts to cool off I put the blanket back on. I only take the blanket off to have a swim and then put it back on again, I do roll it back on hot days to let the pool freshen up but it all seems to work.
I probably don't have the water as hot as you and I live in NSW so nights may be warmer.
My thoughts anyway, may help as a comparison.
Hey Lizze.
My pool sounds the same as yours used to be, may I ask whom did the works and rough ball park for cost?
Was done by a guy recommended by the paint suppliers - not these guys but something like them http://poolpaint.com.au/
You can do it yourself - but I wasn't keen to try as have to apply the paint really quickly, and it's quite thick. Cost, including labour and paint, was around $2,500. The prep products and paint were the expensive part.
You can do it yourself - but I wasn't keen to try as have to apply the paint really quickly, and it's quite thick. Cost, including labour and paint, was around $2,500. The prep products and paint were the expensive part.
How does the paint affect the pool's temperature?
it's the colour ... darker colour attracting the heat ... going from an insipid brown pebblecrete to a dark blue
