Pool Maintenance Tips | Pool Guides » solar pool heaters

The Most Essential Things You Need to Know about Gas Pool Heaters

Guest Blogger — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 22:39:36 +0000

There are many pieces of equipment that are not a requirement to use your swimming pool, but as a luxury consideration gas pool heaters are definitely among them. Unless you live in an area with a year round sunshine and warm climate you will definitely want one. It has a large number of benefits and many advantages over the heaters working on other energy sources.

The gas pool heaters provide for the even heating of the water throughout the entire pool. You can expect not to feel any hot and cold waves, but a stable temperature around the entire water volume. One of the most valuable features of such a device is that you can set it at any temperature you like depending on your preferences. While most experts recommend the optimal temperature to be around 85 °F and the sun rays being able to heat the water to 87 °F at the most, the majority of people prefer a water temperature of around 80 °F in their swimming pools. So, you will definitely have the most delightful experience in the water if you opt for a gas heater.

These devices are much less expensive than all the other ones with the same function sold on the market. The oil and electrically powered models are much more costly compared to the standard gas pool heaters. You can expect such a piece of equipment to cost you anywhere around 6 to 10% of the entire cost of your pool, which is quite a bargain. Most importantly, the operational costs of the device are also relatively low especially compared to the ones that you have to incur if you are using another type of model.

Not all gas heaters come with the same durability, quality and efficiency. It is best to opt for a model that has a strong and weather and chemical resistant coating. The size and design of the device are also essential for its reliable operation especially in terms of getting the appropriate ventilation. Overall, such a piece of equipment has to be perfectly adjusted to function outdoors and withstand the different types of weather conditions. Also, it must not affect negatively the quality of the water in any way.

The gas pool heaters are generally very effective in providing the right water temperature, so for additionally supplementing your pool heater you might also want to use a solar pool cover.

Incoming search terms for the article:

Swimming Pool Solar Panels and Their Benefits

Guest Blogger — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 04:01:42 +0000

The potential of solar energy is huge and sun is not meant to provide just Vitamin D to us. Solar energy can be used and implemented for the betterment of society and this can be done with the help of solar heating panels. The swimming pool solar panels can be used to heat water, provide lighting, cook food and charge the batteries. If we can use the solar energy in a calculated, well designed way then the whole energy crisis will fade away easily.

Swimming pool solar panels have gained a huge success lately. The pool and spa owners have really found this idea a cheap and better idea to heat the large amount of water by spending the least amount. Installing swimming pool solar panels require you to spend only for the very first time and after that the maintenance cost is almost zero which could help you to save a lot of money as the sun energy is free for all. On can install the swimming pool solar panels near the pool itself, however installing it at the roof near the water tank is the best option. The tank water is made to pass through the solar heating device which turns it into hot water and then it can be used for the general purposes. The thermostatic controller of the solar heating device will keep the temperature under control during summers. Installing swimming pool solar panels will not only save your money but also contribute towards the energy conservation which is a need of the hour.

The solar panel devices can be used to light the streets in your area. A solar light would require a portable device to be attached to the lighting pole which would charge the lighting lamp during daytime and provide lighting to your streets in the nighttime. Solar heating panels can also be used in cooking food. The solar heating cookers can really help you to save your money though the solar cooking would take comparatively more time.

Scientists have also developed a solar paneled car and bike which will run without the help of gas or petrol. The vehicle would run with the help of solar energy and hence can eradicate the energy woes which are troubling all the countries across the globe. Solar energy, if capitalized efficiently, can really change the earth and its problems.

Great Resources on Swimming Pool Solar Heating

Guest Blogger — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 03:45:17 +0000

Here are some great sites I found that offer some good advice and tips on swimming pool solar heating. They are all informative and each offer a different take and view on how to heat your swimming pool inexpensively. Please take a gander at all of them and enjoy.

How Solar Energy Can Be Good For Your Health And Fitness …

A great article on all of the health benefits of swimming pool solar heating and how it can heat your pool to boot. Those Brits know their stuff.. lol

Swimming Pool Heaters

This article compares all the ways you can heat a swimming pool. From gas, electric and of course solar. Very informative article.

How does a solar water heater work ?

How does solar heat exchange actually work? This article actually tells you. Great at explaining passive, direct and indirect heating.. Great stuff..

Green Homes: An Environmentally Friendly Swimming Pool.

American Pools & Spas teams up to construct a swimming pool for Green Builder®VISION House Orlando 2008. To learn more about American Pools and Spas, please visit www.american-pools.com

» Waking the Giant: Solar Heating Technology | » Blog Archive …

An article about solar thermal heat principles and its many, many applications. Great for you techies… enjoy

The Green Life: Summer Sports Week: Swimming

Green your pool? Doing this can save by keeping the heat from escaping your water.. Maybe not generating solar heat, but keeping it from escaping..

DIY – How to Build and Install a Solar Pool Heater

DIY solar heating how to’s.. very impressive. For all of you tinkerers like myself. You will find this article chock full of information to build your own solar pool heater.. Cool…

How to Heat Your Pool with Solar Swimming Pool Covers | Swimming …

Solar heating your swimming pool with a solar cover.. yes folks that is considered swimming pool solar heating.. read on

Well its getting late and I have to sign off. Hopefully there are some great info and resources for you to look at.. see ya tomorrow….

Incoming search terms for the article:

Save Heating Costs With a Solar Swimming Pool Heater

Guest Blogger — Wed, 06 May 2009 18:11:58 +0000

Heating your pool can be expensive. The conventional types of pool heaters used today are, natural gas, propane, oil fired, and electric. They can all run you $100.00 or more per month to use, depending on your climate, what the cost of electricity is in your area, and/or what energy costs are at any point of year. There is an alternative to supplement or even heat your entire pool by itself, (depending on your climate and how many sunny days you get). I’m talking about a Solar Swimming Pool Heater

There are 4 basic component areas to a solar pool heating system.

1. A pump that circulates water through the system.

2. A filter that removes debris before entering your solar collectors.

3. The solar collectors – This is where the water is pumped up to and heat is transferred from the sun solar energy to the water.

4. A diverter valve – this is a device that diverts water through the solar collectors.

The path is as follows. The water is pumped and filtered through the solar collectors, heated and returned to the pool. Sounds like a simple concept, and it really is. Solar pool heating systems can be completely manual or can be fully automatic. In automatic systems temperature sensors are place to monitor both pool and solar collector water temp. When the collector temp is greater than the pool temp, water flow is diverted through the collectors to draw out the heat. And when the pool temp is greater than the collector temp, water flow is diverted and bypasses the solar collectors. You get the idea, as this is the very basic operation of what a Solar Swimming Pool Heater does.

There are basically two types of solar collectors. There are glazed or unglazed. The unglazed types are made of heavy-duty rubber or plastic treated with UV inhibitors to prolong the life of the panels. The glazed types are generally made of copper tubes secured to aluminum plating and covered with iron-tempered glass. These types of collectors are more expensive but can be used year around if desired. Actually you see a lot of glazed solar collectors on the rooftop of houses, and their function can also include supplying supplemental heat to your hot water system inside.

To purchase and have a Solar Swimming Pool Heater installed generally runs around $3,000 to $4,000. Pay back in costs avg. around 1.5 to 7 years depending on your climate and fuel costs. Other factors include the fact a solar pool heating system usually will last longer that heat pump and gas pool heaters. Properly maintained a solar pool heating system will last and run smoothly for 10-20 years. Always consult your owner’s manual and your contractor for any maintenance requirements.

Incoming search terms for the article:

swimming pool as supplemental heat

Solar Pool Covers and Their Benefits.

Guest Blogger — Sun, 03 May 2009 23:47:05 +0000

You can easily reduce pool-heating costs by covering you pool when not in use. Pool covers can also decrease the size of the unit that heats your pool, whether it is a nature gas, propane, electric or even a solar heater. Wondering how this is possible? Here is how Solar Pool Covers do their job and work.

Almost 70 % of the swimming pool looses its heat by evaporation. The water that is evaporated consumes larges amount of energy. Heating a pool only takes 1 Btu to raise 1 lb of water 1 degree, but for each pound of water at 80 degrees, the process of evaporation draws out 1,048 Btu’s of heat from your pool. That is HUGE difference.

There are a lot of factors that increase the evaporation rate of pool water. The pool’s water temperature, the temperature of the air, humidity levels and even the wind speed at the surface of the water. For instance, the higher the wind speed and pool water temperature along with lower humidity levels, the greater evaporation rate you will have. If you live in a windy spot, installing a fence or planting trees and shrubs can reduce the wind over the water and decrease the evaporation. But you have to plan carefully so you don’t create turbulence over the water and of course you don’t want to block any sun from heating the pool naturally. Indoor pools aren’t subjected to the same sets of circumstances as outdoor pools, but the same percentage of heat lost happens by evaporation.

Solar Pool Covers come in a variety of styles, but the most popular type is the bubble cover. These covers look like bubble packing, but they use a thicker grade of plastic and are design specific and have UV inhibitors. The best types of solar covers (for sunny areas) are the transparent type that allows solar energy from the sun to enter the water easier. The solar loss is also minimal with these types at around 5% to 15%. Opaque covers can have greater solar losses from the sun at around 20% to 40%. How much sun you get during a typical season at your swimming pool should guide you on what kind of solar pool over (clear or opaque) you should get.

Solar Pool Covers come in either manual, semi-automatic and fully automatic. Of course manual styles you have to install and remove by hand. You can either roll them up on a pool cover real or fold up when not in use. Semi-automatic pool covers use a motor-driven reel system and still require manual guidance to make sure they roll on and off straight. Fully automatic solar covers are usually built into the pool itself, covering and uncovering our pool at the touch of a button. These are the most convenient, and the most expensive type.

Other benefits of solar covers are a 30% to 50% reduction in the need to add water to your pool. You can also reduce your pool chemical usage by 35% to 60%. And you can reduce your pool cleaning by keeping the solar cover on, and the nasty debris and dirt out. For the minimal amount of investment up front, solar covers for you pool are definitely the way to go.