Building a do it yourself solar power pool heater is a great project to add solar to your house. You do no need to purchase a lot of costly equipment or tools. And you will not need highly specialized skills. Here is a simple explanation of the steps and benefits so you can decide if you want to give it a try.
The project payback time can be as short as 2 years in terms of energy savings. This is because you will be saving the expense of gas to heat your pool. And the expense of equipment for making a solar pool heater is less than with most other solar do it yourself projects. You will also be saving the expense of installation if you want to go ahead and do that yourself.
Your solar pool heater is made from some really simple components: solar collectors, piping, a controller and a diverter valve. You will not need to build or buy a storage tank, since your pool already stores the water. And you won't need to pruchase, build or install a circulating pump, since your solar pool heater will use your pool's circulating pump.
Here is a simple explanation of how the system works. The water travels from the pool through the solar collector and is then heated by the sun and pumped right back into the pool. This is called an open loop design. The controller allows you to select 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 an easy system of black polypropylene UV-resistant tubing. The choice of materials is important so that the tubing doesn't degrade from exposure to the sun or from exposure from the chlorine in the pool. The proper materials will last up to 20 years.
Although it is tempting to think of doing it all yourself, including making the solar collector, it is really easier and more cost effective to buy 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. Also, experts advise against using a less expensive rubber or plastic tubing that will degrade too quickly because of exposure to the sun and chlorine.
If you decide that you really want to install your solar pool heating system yourself, the easiest method is to buy a kit. You will still need to plan, measure and install your system. And you will be able to enjoy the fruits of your work for years to come.
The project payback time can be as short as 2 years in terms of energy savings. This is because you will be saving the expense of gas to heat your pool. And the expense of equipment for making a solar pool heater is less than with most other solar do it yourself projects. You will also be saving the expense of installation if you want to go ahead and do that yourself.
Your solar pool heater is made from some really simple components: solar collectors, piping, a controller and a diverter valve. You will not need to build or buy a storage tank, since your pool already stores the water. And you won't need to pruchase, build or install a circulating pump, since your solar pool heater will use your pool's circulating pump.
Here is a simple explanation of how the system works. The water travels from the pool through the solar collector and is then heated by the sun and pumped right back into the pool. This is called an open loop design. The controller allows you to select 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 an easy system of black polypropylene UV-resistant tubing. The choice of materials is important so that the tubing doesn't degrade from exposure to the sun or from exposure from the chlorine in the pool. The proper materials will last up to 20 years.
Although it is tempting to think of doing it all yourself, including making the solar collector, it is really easier and more cost effective to buy 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. Also, experts advise against using a less expensive rubber or plastic tubing that will degrade too quickly because of exposure to the sun and chlorine.
If you decide that you really want to install your solar pool heating system yourself, the easiest method is to buy a kit. You will still need to plan, measure and install your system. And you will be able to enjoy the fruits of your work for years to come.
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