Do Solar Pool Heaters Work At Night

How does a solar pool heater work.

Do solar pool heaters work at night.

Solar pool heaters are undoubtedly the most inexpensive pool heating mechanisms available out there and they work just as well as any other heat pump. So when you consider the issues of low temperature and limited sun exposure it s easy to see why many pool owners use solar pool heaters as back up to more on demand heating systems like gas heaters or pool heat pumps which can heat your pool at outdoor temperatures of 30 degrees. Prevent heat from escaping your pool. If you have an above ground pool the heat loss is much greater you need a collector with more surface area.

Solar potential when the pump is on. Cutting down old man oak isn t much of an option if your blood is truly green. If you can put an amount of solar panels equal to at least 50 of the pool surface area and mount them in a southerly direction you ll have more heat than you can imagine. Directly convert solar radiation into usable heat.

I decided that a solar heater that i could mount outside the shadow of the house would be just the thing to bring the water temperature up to more bearable levels. Retaining heat is especially important at night when the air is cooler than the swimming pool. As the warm water flows through the cooler panel it chills the water to a more agreeable temperature allowing for comfortable morning swims. The only difference is that solar pool heaters will only work at full capacity when it s hot out otherwise its efficiency will significantly diminish when it s overcast.

Some are still electric using solar power as their supply which is the best way to apply solar to heating much of anything. Solar pool heaters generally work in one of three ways. A solar water heater lives about 20 years. So the family of four could save 4 000 to 6 000 over the solar water heater s lifetime.

Instead these crafty folk run their solar heaters at night when the temperature is significantly cooler. In an in ground pool a cover can increase the water temperature by 5 degrees f for each 12 hours of coverage. Solar blankets will add heat to the pool to a greater or lesser degree depending on 1 amount of surface coverage and 2 amount of direct daily sunshine. And solar heaters work well in all parts of north america.

Note how your solar panels are oriented how much sunlight do you get. Otherwise choose a larger collector. In our previous article on solar water heater costs and savings we determined that by taking advantage of federal and local rebates a solar water heater easily pays for itself in the long run and then some. However this relies on a lot of direct sunlight as well as a battery array to store the power to continue functioning into the night.