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Heating an Above Ground Pool Alex 10-10-2006
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Posted by Rich256 on October 11, 2006, 6:10 pm


gfretwell@aol.com wrote:
> On Wed, 11 Oct 2006 14:15:56 -0400, "Don Phillipson"
>
>>
>>> We have a 25' above ground pool (48" deep), and we are looking for ways
>>> of heating the pool now that it's starting to get cooler outside.
>> Three basic methods:
>> 1 Conservation = use of a solar blanket (bubble
>> blanket) to delay loss of heat on cool nights.
>> 2 Active heating, burning electricity or fuel.
>> 3 Passive solar = adding to the pump circuit
>> a long length of black hose exposed to the sun.
>> During recirculation, this travel through sunshine
>> increases water temperatures 2 to 5 degrees
>> Celsius even in Canada. Special multi-channel
>> hose is sold specially for this purpose.
>
>
> I am very skeptical of these black hose schemes unless you have a
> shitload of hose. They size solar collectors as a percentage of the
> pool surface area and systems that actually work in winter tend to be
> over 100% of pool surface, even in Florida. My neighbor can hold 84-85
> in Jan/Feb but he has 125% of his pool surface in collector on a south
> facing roof and he has a bubble cover. I don't use a cover and have
> about 75% collector/pool ratio. I can get daytime ambient air temp for
> an evening swim. That still buys me about 3-4 extra months tho.

Use Black Plastic irrigation pipe. Cheaper than hose and available in
larger sizes.

Posted by on October 12, 2006, 1:15 pm



>> I am very skeptical of these black hose schemes unless you have a
>> shitload of hose. They size solar collectors as a percentage of the
>> pool surface area and systems that actually work in winter tend to be
>> over 100% of pool surface, even in Florida. My neighbor can hold 84-85
>> in Jan/Feb but he has 125% of his pool surface in collector on a south
>> facing roof and he has a bubble cover. I don't use a cover and have
>> about 75% collector/pool ratio. I can get daytime ambient air temp for
>> an evening swim. That still buys me about 3-4 extra months tho.
>
>Use Black Plastic irrigation pipe. Cheaper than hose and available in
>larger sizes.


You are still limited by the surface area exposed to the sun, and that
is minimal, particularly with larger pipe. You could end up with an
air buble in the top and not transfer much heat at all. Real solar
collectors have small tubes, very close together. You also have to
understand that the actual water temperature is limited by the air
temperature so you want fairly short runs in parallel not one long
run.. Once you get a few degrees above air temperature you bump up
against diminishing returns.
The "car" analogy is flawed because that is a closed area. Typical
pool collectors or the pipe ideas are exposed to the ambient air.
You might actually do better if you heat exchanged your attic.


Posted by Rich256 on October 12, 2006, 6:48 pm


gfretwell@aol.com wrote:
>
>>> I am very skeptical of these black hose schemes unless you have a
>>> shitload of hose. They size solar collectors as a percentage of the
>>> pool surface area and systems that actually work in winter tend to be
>>> over 100% of pool surface, even in Florida. My neighbor can hold 84-85
>>> in Jan/Feb but he has 125% of his pool surface in collector on a south
>>> facing roof and he has a bubble cover. I don't use a cover and have
>>> about 75% collector/pool ratio. I can get daytime ambient air temp for
>>> an evening swim. That still buys me about 3-4 extra months tho.
>> Use Black Plastic irrigation pipe. Cheaper than hose and available in
>> larger sizes.
>
>
> You are still limited by the surface area exposed to the sun, and that
> is minimal, particularly with larger pipe. You could end up with an
> air buble in the top and not transfer much heat at all. Real solar
> collectors have small tubes, very close together. You also have to
> understand that the actual water temperature is limited by the air
> temperature so you want fairly short runs in parallel not one long
> run.. Once you get a few degrees above air temperature you bump up
> against diminishing returns.
> The "car" analogy is flawed because that is a closed area. Typical
> pool collectors or the pipe ideas are exposed to the ambient air.
> You might actually do better if you heat exchanged your attic.
>

When I lived in the San Fernando Valley (many years ago) a neighbor had
an array of that plastic pipe on his patio roof. In the ground pool.
He had it such that his filter pump pushed the water through the pipes.

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