[Janicepyatt]

A few questions about Solar Heating for the Pool:

1) Is it worth doing?

2) Issues?

3) A local contractor they could recommend - OR not recommend?

Jack's Solar?

Fun in the Sun?

Thanks in advance.

[fdpaq0580]

Originally Posted by Janicepyatt

A few questions about Solar Heating for the Pool:

1) Is it worth doing?

2) Issues?

3) A local contractor they could recommend - OR not recommend?

Jack's Solar?

Fun in the Sun?

Thanks in advance.

We put in solar heat for our pool. Worth it? Yes.
Issues? Not but a couple. Valve stuck once and leak in link between panels once. Things can happen with any system, but solar provides a lot of "free"heat. Yes, you pay for panels, which is the solar equivalent of a water heater. The solar heat is free, unlike the gas or electricity to operate the heater.
One thing that folks don't always seem to understand is that solar only works when the sun is shining. Once the sun starts going down the pool temp will begin to drop. If you want to get up at o-dark thirty for an early swim, the pool temp will not be as warm as yesterday at 3 pm. If you want to swim year round, you may need a water heater to supply help for times solar is not up to the task.
For us, we use our solar only pool February into November. There have been very warm sunny days in December and January when we have used the pool.
Solar lights and More is the company that did our installation. We are using Tri-County pool and spa to service our pool.

[RedChariot]

Jack's Solar installed almost 10 years ago. Not one problem. That was the company recommended to us by T&D who built our pool.

[billethkid]

Be sure to optimize and get as many panels as your site will allow.

Be sure to understand the method of attaching hardware to the roof. Incorrect/improper installation can lead to leaks if the fasteners are not coated and stainless steel.

Get maximum warranty available. Many many joints and opportunity for leaks.

Consider the age of your roof and when replacement might be.
The solar system is a complete remove and re-install.

Yes solar is worth doing.
WE have gas heater plus solar back up. Makes the system usable 11 months per year.

We used Solar Lights and More in Ocala. Very responsive after the sale service.

[tophcfa]

T&D used to sub out solar to Jacks before they decided to do it in house. Solar is nice, but the so called free heat probably is at best a break even to recover the cost of installation. Also, when solar is running, your pool pump has to work much harder to circulate the water up to your roof and through the solar system, which burns more electricity and shortens the life of the pump. You get lots of free heat when it’s so warm out you don’t need it, and when you need the heat the sun (if it’s out) is too low and the days are too short. Solar is nice in the spring and early part of fall, but not much value in the summer or winter. A couple of cautions regarding solar. It’s not worth installing it unless you have a relatively new roof. It’s expensive to remove and reinstall it if the roof needs replacement. Also, if you are a snowbird and are not at your home for long periods of time, you need to run the solar when you are not there. If chlorinated water is not frequently run through the system, a science project will quickly grow within the system. If that happens, the phosphate levels in your pool will spike when you return to your home and fire up the solar system. Don’t get me wrong, solar has benefits, but it is at best a supplemental heating system best used with either a heat pump or gas heater.

[jaj523]

I had solar when I had a pool, and no, I did not feel it was worth it. While the water was nice and cozy, the cold air on the part of my body outside of the pool was very uncomfortable. While I like swimming underwater, one has to come up for air sometimes.

[MandoMan]

Originally Posted by Janicepyatt

A few questions about Solar Heating for the Pool:

1) Is it worth doing?

2) Issues?

3) A local contractor they could recommend - OR not recommend?

Jack's Solar?

Fun in the Sun?

Thanks in advance.

How warm do you like your pool? I like to sit in my pool and read, and 92° is my preference. My pool is 15’ x 30’. I have a pretty large solar heating system. I also have a heat pump that comes on when needed. I also have a roll-up pool cover that looks like blue bubble wrap.

The solar water heating is terrific, but you should also buy a pool cover like mine and keep it on when you are not using the pool. It doesn’t really heat your pool, but it does hold in a lot of heat that would otherwise be lost. It also holds in a lot of water that would otherwise evaporate. My pool guy tells me that because of the cover, my pool only uses about half the salt used by neighboring pools. The combination of the solar heating and the cover keep my pool around 92° from May to October. That’s perfect for relaxing. (I don’t swim laps.) At the beginning of November I turned on my heat pump, which had been off all summer, to add some heat as necessary. Yesterday I complained to the pool guy that the pool was only 88°. He said that other pools without heat pumps now had water in the 60s or 70s. He said that maybe 88° is the best the heat pump can do. But I haven’t noticed it running very often, so I’m not sure.

I would say that unless you like a cold pool to cool you down on a hot summer day, solar heating and a cover are necessities. However, if you have those in use all year, but you are a Snowbird, the pool will still be too cold to use, so you might as well not have a pool at all. Last winter I turned off my heat pump, as I wasn’t using the pool. I love having my pool because of the way it looks, but it’s a money pit. Cleaning and chemicals costs $2,000 a year. Solar heating installation costs, what, about $6,000? That’s about what the heat pump cost, too. (I wouldn’t have just the heat pump without the solar heating. Even in the winter, on sunny days it adds a lot of heat.) I’ve just paid nearly $2,000 to replace a valve for the solar heating and to replace the solar cell that processes the salt. Also, that pool cover, it turns out, is only good for one season, due to the UV light that makes it break down. I’ve just ought a new one. That’s about $300 with installation.

[chenault55]

A few questions about Solar Heating for the Pool:


1) Is it worth doing? Yes

2) Issues? Only one we’ve had in the 8 years we’ve had it is a leak in one of the panels which was repaired pretty easily by Jack’s solar.

3) A local contractor they could recommend - OR not recommend?

Jack's Solar? That’s who we used and were happy with him.

Fun in the Sun? In our experience the solar in the colder months does not make it warm enough to swim in my opinion. Ours will only raise the temperature between 5-10 degrees but that may be because of the amount of roof suitable to place the panels. If you could put more on the roof and use a cover (we don’t) I’m sure you would be able to raise the temperature more. The only other thing is the cost to remove an replace them if you need a new roof.


Thanks in advance.[/QUOTE]

[Villages Kahuna]

Jack’s Solar (352-267-4903) for sure. The solar heating system they installed operated without incident for almost ten years. Then I noticed a small leak in the valve mechanism. I called and Derrick, their long-time service tech, came out the next day and replaced the valve. When I asked for the bill, Derrick said everything was covered under their TEN YEAR warranty! I couldn’t recommend them more highly.

[Kathryn Putt]

The house we bought came worth a pool & solar panels. The solar panels work quite well.
We've used Jack's Solar before and they are very knowledgeable.

[TNLAKEPANDA]

Originally Posted by Janicepyatt

A few questions about Solar Heating for the Pool:

1) Is it worth doing?

2) Issues?

3) A local contractor they could recommend - OR not recommend?

Jack's Solar?

Fun in the Sun?



Thanks in advance.

Go with T&D…. Solar help but will not keep the pool warm once it gets cold out.

[Road Apple]

Highly recommend Jack’s Solar. Extremely professional and knowledgeable!
352/267-4903. Ask for Derrick.

[Kenswing]

You really need to look at it two ways. Return on investment and convenience. A friend of ours just had solar heat installed for their pool. Cost was around $5,000. Now figure out how much of an energy savings you're actually realizing. How long will it take to pay off the initial investment? Will it have paid for itself before you need a new roof?

Then ask yourself if there's any convenience in having solar heat. Is it convenient to not have your gas or heat pump running? Is it less of a convenience? With added equipment comes added maintenance. More pieces in the puzzle means more chance for failures.

[HoosierPa]

Yes do it

[Garywt]

My 2 cents, if I was tips heat a pool, I would put in a gas or propane heater. They only reason is I do lot like the look of solar on the roof and all the hoses going up the side of the house etc.