Painting of White Pipe On Roof ... Good Idea or Bad Idea ??

[Halifax]

I recently got a solar pool heating system installed at my home in south Florida. FAFCO Solar did the installation. FAFCO used 2" white pipe on the roof and wall.

The Home Owners Association in my community has requested that I paint the pipe to better blend with the colour of the solar panels (black) and the colour of my house (tan). They have asked that I paint the pipe on the roof black (to match the solar panels).

FAFCO has said to me that they do not use black pipe any more, due to it being prone to failure, and that they only use white pipe on new installations.

I guess I have 3 options:

Option 1 is to paint the pipes black on the roof. I'm not sure if this is a great idea, as I'm a bit concerned that painting the pipes black may cause them to overheat and start leaking.

Option 2 is to paint the pipes on the roof a tan/brown colour (which would match the colour of the tiles on the roof).

Option 3 would be to leave them white, and argue with the HOA that painting them might reduce the efficiency of the overall system (due to potential overheating/leaking of the pipes).

As mentioned above, the HOA's preferred choice is for me to paint them black. Personally, I don't have a problem with this, assuming it won't negatively affect the performance of the system and/or cause leaks.

Any thoughts on my best choice of action??

[SunEagle]

I recently got a solar pool heating system installed at my home in south Florida. FAFCO Solar did the installation. FAFCO used 2" white pipe on the roof and wall.

The Home Owners Association in my community has requested that I paint the pipe to better blend with the colour of the solar panels (black) and the colour of my house (tan). They have asked that I paint the pipe on the roof black (to match the solar panels).

FAFCO has said to me that they do not use black pipe any more, due to it being prone to failure, and that they only use white pipe on new installations.

I guess I have 3 options:

Option 1 is to paint the pipes black on the roof. I'm not sure if this is a great idea, as I'm a bit concerned that painting the pipes black may cause them to overheat and start leaking.

Option 2 is to paint the pipes on the roof a tan/brown colour (which would match the colour of the tiles on the roof).

Option 3 would be to leave them white, and argue with the HOA that painting them might reduce the efficiency of the overall system (due to potential overheating/leaking of the pipes).

As mentioned above, the HOA's preferred choice is for me to paint them black. Personally, I don't have a problem with this, assuming it won't negatively affect the performance of the system and/or cause leaks.

Any thoughts on my best choice of action??

Painting any type of piping that contains a hot fluid may cause it to fail or the heat may cause the paint to flake off. I suggest contacting the pipe manufacturer to see what "modifications" like painting can be done or not to their product.

Another possible solution is to use a black colored pipe insulation. I have seen that is used for some solar pool heating systems but again it comes down to what the pipe manufacturer states is acceptable or not.

If the manufacturer states that painting is a "no-no" then you may have to get that in writing to prove to your HOA that painting is out of the question. Good luck

[J.P.M.]

I recently got a solar pool heating system installed at my home in south Florida. FAFCO Solar did the installation. FAFCO used 2" white pipe on the roof and wall. The Home Owners Association in my community has requested that I paint the pipe to better blend with the colour of the solar panels (black) and the colour of my house (tan). They have asked that I paint the pipe on the roof black (to match the solar panels). FAFCO has said to me that they do not use black pipe any more, due to it being prone to failure, and that they only use white pipe on new installations. I guess I have 3 options: Option 1 is to paint the pipes black on the roof. I'm not sure if this is a great idea, as I'm a bit concerned that painting the pipes black may cause them to overheat and start leaking. Option 2 is to paint the pipes on the roof a tan/brown colour (which would match the colour of the tiles on the roof). Option 3 would be to leave them white, and argue with the HOA that painting them might reduce the efficiency of the overall system (due to potential overheating/leaking of the pipes). As mentioned above, the HOA's preferred choice is for me to paint them black. Personally, I don't have a problem with this, assuming it won't negatively affect the performance of the system and/or cause leaks. Any thoughts on my best choice of action??

If you needed HOA approval to install, and you applied for such approval, and they signed off on it, and you installed it as proposed, I'd suggest they had their opportunity for a sniff. After the fact rescission without reasonable cause, might not be looked upon favorably by some arbitrator or judge. As for what to do, I'd not consider paint before careful checking with the pipe mfg. Dark stuff gets hot in the sun, perhaps beyond recommended pressure/temp. limits, particularly under stagnation conditions. Did Fafco offer any thoughts on reasons for their observation that black pipe may be for failure prone ? Wrapping the white with larger black pipe might solve the view and heat problem, but is unworkable for lots of reasons. Some covering that matches the immediate surroundings may be a possibility. Basically, cover the pipe with the same stuff it sits on or runs along side of.

[skeeter_ca]

Usually all of the piping runs are made with standard PVC pipe. Most likely schedule 40 since it is a low pressure application or schedule 80 for stuff around 2". Look at the pipe, it should have printing on it saying what kind it is. Using a latex exterior paint with a brush or roller is the norm. As a matter of fact the PVC piping should be painted so as to protect it from UV rays which can overtime breakdown and weaken the pipe. Most all paints will not adhere to the PVC pipe very well so regularly checking and repainting the pipes may be required. Black paint is usually used and it does not seem to be a problem with the heat. The tan color would also work ok. I am surprised that the installers did not paint them after they were installed. They should know that the pipes need a UV protection on them. But that would have cost more.

skeeter

[Mike90250]

PVC pipe can get "sunburn" from the UV in sunlight. Yellow paint is the cure (like the blu-blocker sunglasses) Yellow on the pipe first. Then if you need another color, use it, but avoid darker colors, as they heat the pipe more and cause it to expand and shrink more.

[Naptown]

We paint ours and have had no problems I know of.

[skeeter_ca]

We paint ours and have had no problems I know of.

(Drum roll please.......) And what color did you paint it?

skeeter

[foo1bar]

And what color did you paint it?

Mine is black on the roof and light blue (to match the house walls) for the vertical portions.

The pipes are black PVC and the fittings are white PVC.

Painting PVC to help with UV protection is normal/expected.
The pipes have been on my roof for >20 years (since well before I bought the house, so I'm not sure how long).

If you use a good latex paint, I wouldn't worry about it peeling. And I wouldn't be worried about it causing the pipe to leak - painting it probably will protect it from UV and help it stay more resilient if something impacts it (like hail)

I used a black spray paint to touch up some of the fittings (after many years the black paint on them had faded/worn away.) IMO black looks better and it probably adds a tiny amount of heat to the water flowing through.

[Naptown]

(Drum roll please.......) And what color did you paint it?

skeeter

Black to match collectors

[GsGoodwill]

Painting of White Pipe On Roof Good Idea or Bad Idea

Dad did this with 300' or so of 3/4" black pipe to heat the pool. The pool would often be 82F or warmer.

Also check out "Cowboy Hot tubs". With livestock tanks, black PVC pipe and setting it on a tin roof. Apparently they will get quite warm and you might have to add in some cool water. I was going to build one in Canada so I could watch the Nothern lights, but I left first.

Cedar

[thastinger]

I painted mine black when I installed the system 3ish years ago, no problems with any of the plumbing and none of the pain has flaked off.

[todd_vero]

Hi....I ran across this thread and can use some advise from the contributors that have painted white PVC piping. I live in Vero Beach, FL. I am going to DIY install the solar panels on the roof. The panels (Vortex) are black. I purchased 2" white PVC schedule 40 piping to install between the pump/panels and want to paint them black. Obviously, I won't paint the pipe connection points. I understand I need to scuff the PVC pipe before painting. What paint should I use for prime and top coat? I read about Krylon Fusion paint, but I don't want to use spray paint because I have about ~200 ft of pipe and that seems costly and a waste. What primer/paint and process do you all use? Thanks! Todd

[Logan005]

painting the pipe black will not cause over heating, but you must sand PVC for the paint or primer to adhere.

[todd_vero]

Thanks, Logan. Thanks for confirming that it's okay to do that because I wasn't sure about the heat issue.

At this point, I'm trying to figure out what primer/paint to use. Is there a specific type/brand? Or can I just go to the paint store and ask for a gallon of primer and another gallon of flat latex paint that will work with plastic/PVC?

[Mike90250]

I used the krylon Fusion to paint 100' of 8" white PVC sch 20 drain pipe. Only took about 4 cans. I used yellow for UV protection, Black will increase your thermal expansion, and you may have to use some paired 90° angles to create some "flex" in the runs, or risk cracking. You may want to consider the CPVC pipe for it's extra strength when hot. A bit more pricey, and I don't know what it's UV resistance is,
But you need to also insulate the pipe, or your efficiency is going way down. 2" seems awfully large too.