Swimming Pool Heating

Frequent Questions and Answers

We live in Florida. Why should we heat our pool?

Depending upon location and other factors, an unheated screened Florida pool is only comfortable for about three to four months a year. An open pool may be comfortable for four to five months. Florida has beautiful weather throughout much of the spring and fall… but unheated pools are too cold to swim in. A swimming pool represnets a significant investment, and can deliver tremendous returns in relaxation, family time together, keeping the kids close to home, therapeutic exercise and more. A heated pool can double and—depending upon the system and sizing—in some cases even triple your comfortable swim season.

Will a pool blanket heat my pool?

No. A pool blanket actually reflects a small amount of the solar energy that would normally strike the pool’s surface and raise the pool’s temperature. But this small energy loss is acceptable because a pool blanket does a fantastic job of keeping heat in your pool. Here’s what we mean:

When the air temperature falls below your pool’s water temperature, large amounts of heat energy are lost off the pool surface through evaporation. A pool blanket blocks this evaporation, which allows your pool to remain at a higher temperature. Heating your pool without a pool blanket in place is like trying to air condition your house with all the doors and windows open.

How well does solar energy heat a pool?

The sun’s energy is just another fuel with which to heat your pool. A properly sized solar pool heater can achieve the same comfort levels as other types of heating systems during the summer, spring and fall.

While it is true that a solar pool heater may not be able to keep up with heat loss off your pool surface during the winter months, odds are that at today’s fuel prices, you would not be heating your pool to a comfortable swimming temperature with gas during the cold winter months anyway. And if year-round swimming is important, you may wish to consider a hybrid system of solar assisted by a pool heat pump or a high-efficiency gas heater. Remember, the solar system will provide very substantial fuel cost savings during the winter, even if you must use the supplemental heater to maintian a certain desired temperature.

How does a solar pool heater work?

The system has two water temperature sensors: one near the pump and filter and another up at the solar collector panels. Whenever the solar collector panels are about four degrees warmer than the pool water temperature, an automatic control system activates a motorized valve to send pool water through the solar collector panels. Water passing through the panels is heated just like water sitting in a garden hose on a warm summer day. For almost every residential pool, the existing pool pump is more than adequate to circulate water through the solar panels.

Do the solar collectors have to face south?*

No. While south-facing solar collectors offer the best performance during the heating season, east-facing and west-facing systems can also perform well. As long as enough roof or other space is available, we can increase the size of an east-facing or west-facing panel array to deliver the same performance as a south-facing system. It is generally not a good idea not to face pool heating solar collectors north, as the collector surface will actually be shaded during the winter months.

*Note that this answer applies to systems installed in the northern hemisphere.

Does a solar pool heater require periodic maintenance?

No. None. Zip. Nada. Solar pool heating collector panels have no moving parts and require no maintenance. However, you should be aware that if you install a “loose tube” design, leaves and pine needles can periodically become trapped between the tubes, causing an unsightly appearance. Our Sunfire systems have a solid flat plate design and do not experience this problem.

How much will a solar pool heater cost to operate?

Almost nothing. You may run your pool pump a few hours longer during the heating season, but this extra cost is inconsequential compared to the cost of heating your pool with gas or electricity. And solar energy is free! In fact, with the annual cost of propane gas heating for a typical residential swimming pool now running over four thousand dollars per season, a solar pool heater can pay for itself with savings in as little as one to two years.

How does solar pool heating compare with heat pumps for pool heating?

The initial cost for a solar pool heater and a swimming pool heat pump heater are about the same. The heat pump’s operating cost is about one third the cost of propane and, of course, the solar pool heater’s operating cost is zero. We recommend heat pumps in situations where the roof or other space available to install a solar pool heating system is either insufficient or shaded. Also, a heat pump may be a better choice if year-round swimming is desired.

How long do the different types of pool heating systems last?

A high quality gas pool heater should perform well for seven to 10 years; a heat pump pool heater for 10 to 15 years; and a solar pool heating system for 25 to 30 years or more. Solar pool heating collector panels have no moving parts and no metals (that can corrode over time), which dramatically extends their useful lives.