MrPoolMan Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 Been mulling this over for awhile now (since last december). How do i figure out if i get solar pool heating it will actually save me money instead of just using my gas heater if i wanted to swim? I know that i have to look at the therm price which is about 41 cents right now i believe. I really dont know enough about my gas heater to do the math though.............. Please help me because my wife is set on getting it and is all over my case now!!! I keep telling her its going to be scorching hot in a month lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pool Clown Posted June 12, 2009 Report Share Posted June 12, 2009 Unless you live in the artic, Solar heat is almost always a good investment. It helps to have a roof that gets good southern exposure. And enough of it to cover it with all the panels you need. Oh yes, and there is the initial investment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFS Posted June 12, 2009 Report Share Posted June 12, 2009 I had solar installed 20 yrs ago (copper/aluminum) It only cost $4K than understand its $15K now. If you like your water comfortable like I do(85) its only practical way to do it. Beware of hype, I live in SoCal and my swimming seasen w/solar is usually May 1 to Oct 1. Cold nights will kill you, so will breezy conditions (15-20MPH). I wouldnt consider it unless there is a substantial tax credit. On the other hand I wouldnt have a pool without it. Good Luck-Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
francis Posted June 17, 2009 Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 Aloha, hopefully I am not Hijacking this thread by asking if you have looked at the plastic solar heaters that come in 20' sections (on Ebay) and sell for only around $125.00. They seem simple enough to pipe in to your pump. Any one have experience with these? francis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPoolMan Posted June 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2009 well my friend that has it says in march his pool was up to 80 which i thought was cool. We live in north texas so i dunno if thats different than southern claifornia cuz our nights arent that cold.... anyways me and my wife got a quote from an installer last week for about $5200 and im thinking i might go with it. Ours is South facing so i think it should work well.... Does anyone know how to compare it to a gas heater or electric because we have a pool only so we havent had to have either installed.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randy Posted June 26, 2009 Report Share Posted June 26, 2009 Location Location location is what solar is all about. North Texas sounds very sunny so solar will work great as long as it's installed correctly. Just don't expect it to work late into fall or early spring. It will extend your swim season. It works in socal ~May-Oct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPoolMan Posted June 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 Location Location location is what solar is all about. North Texas sounds very sunny so solar will work great as long as it's installed correctly. Just don't expect it to work late into fall or early spring. It will extend your swim season. It works in socal ~May-Oct. thanks randy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPoolMan Posted May 6, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2010 hi all been awhile since i was on here. i posted this awhile ago and we had to hold off but are revisiting it for the time being and i thought of another question. my friends got this and they had to get a booster pump for it, but my quote did not include one. the reason i ask is i have a 2HP pump and the panels are going on a barn roof about 200ft away from my pool equipment. before i call the company back, do yall think i need a booster pump? I called Leslies and they said they are about 400-600 bucks, so i want to make sure i dont get aany added cost on the back end of that amount. thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polyvue Posted May 7, 2010 Report Share Posted May 7, 2010 hi all been awhile since i was on here. i posted this awhile ago and we had to hold off but are revisiting it for the time being and i thought of another question. my friends got this and they had to get a booster pump for it, but my quote did not include one. the reason i ask is i have a 2HP pump and the panels are going on a barn roof about 200ft away from my pool equipment. before i call the company back, do yall think i need a booster pump? I called Leslies and they said they are about 400-600 bucks, so i want to make sure i dont get aany added cost on the back end of that amount. thanks Though I'm not an expert in solar equipment configurations I do know that you will want to estimate the head for this add-on solar system. How many solar panels and what size? Is the 200 ft run on even ground or does it run up a hill? How big is the pipe (ID 2", 2.5"... 3")? What elevation are the panels (how many feet above equipment grade)? Is your current 2 HP pump under, over or right-sized for your pool? etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pool Clown Posted May 7, 2010 Report Share Posted May 7, 2010 Having a 2 Hp to start with, you may not need another pump. You may not want another pump, 2 pumps = up to twice the energy cost, depending on the size of the 2nd pump. I'd say start without one. You can always add one later if you need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPoolMan Posted May 10, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2010 i guess i will just see if our 2HP can do the trick. I called the guy today and he said it should be no problem, that the 2HP pumps can pump the water long distances and back at the appropriate speed. thanks again guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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