Must You Construct Your Own Solar Pool Heater?
Posted on 2010 under Uncategorized | No Comment8 Jun
From the operators of www.GreenLivingRocks.com — providing education regarding how to make a home made solar panel, solar lights, and solar installation.
Building your own solar pool heater is a great do-it-yourself project if you desire to add solar to your home. You will not need to get a lot of costly equipment or tools. And you will not need highly specialized skills. Here is a basic explanation of the process and benefits so you can decide if you want to tackle it.
The project payback time can be as short as 2 years in terms of energy savings. This is since you will be saving the cost of gas to heat your pool. And the cost of materials for constructing a solar pool heater is lower than with most other solar projects. You will also be saving the price of installation if you decide to go ahead and do that yourself.
You will need to obtain only a few simple components: solar collectors, piping, a controller and a diverter valve. You will not need to build or buy a storage reservoir, since your pool already stores the water. And you will not need to obtain, build or install a circulating pump, since your solar pool heater will use your pool’s circulating pump.
Here’s a simple explanation of how the system operates. The water from the pool gets pumped into the solar collector, gets heated by the sun and gets pumped back into the pool. This is called an open loop design. The controller allows you to choose the warmest temperature you want the pool to reach. And the diverter valve either sends water back to the pool if it is already warm enough, or over to the collector to be heated as needed.
The solar collector is a straightforward system of black polypropylene UV-resistant tubing. The choice of supplies is vital so that the tubing doesn’t break down from exposure to the sun or from exposure from the chlorine in the pool. The appropriate materials will last up to 20 years.
Although it is enticing to think of doing it all yourself, including making the solar collector, it is really easier and more cost effective to purchase ready made collectors for your project. The reason is that adhesives will not stick to polypropylene, and the equipment you would need to thermal weld it would cost more than buying the ready-made collectors. Plus, experts advise against using a cheaper rubber or plastic tubing that will break down too quickly because of exposure to the sun and chlorine.
If you choose that you really want to install your solar pool heating system yourself, the easiest method is to purchase a kit. You will still need to design measure and install your system. And you will be able to enjoy the fruits of your efforts for years afterwards.
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