Got a swimming pool you’d like to heat with the sun?
No problem.
Solar hot water systems make great pool heaters.
Solar pool heaters circulate water from the swimming pool to the panels and back again during daylight hours. These systems are about as simple as you can get. There’s no need for a heat exchanger, antifreeze, expansion tanks, or a hot water storage tank as in many SDHW systems. Sure, you will need sensors to switch the system on and off automatically each day and you’ll need an electric pump. But you can avoid the sensors altogether by installing a PV panel that runs a DC pump, as mentioned earlier in this section. You’ll also need a few more panels than you would if you were heating domestic water.
Solar hot water systems can warm our pools and lengthen the swim season substantially. And, if you like, you can even link the domestic solar hot water system with the pool heating system. Some homeowners have installed systems that heat their pools, their domestic hot water, and their homes. To learn more, I’d strongly urge you to read “Solar Pool Heating” Parts 1 and 2 by Tom Lane in Home Power magazine, issues 94 and 95.
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What is a Solar Hot Water System?
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