Cheapest way to heat up a pool?

[SolarFox]

My mother in law lives up north and it gets chilly. She is always complaining that thee can't use the pool like they want to. My wife and I were going to buy her and my father in law a pool heater but for that pool size, 12 x 24, it isn't going to be cheap. I was thinking if there was a solar option that would work as good but cheaper in total cost. Any ideas?

[inetdog]

My mother in law lives up north and it gets chilly. She is always complaining that thee can't use the pool like they want to. My wife and I were going to buy her and my father in law a pool heater but for that pool size, 12 x 24, it isn't going to be cheap. I was thinking if there was a solar option that would work as good but cheaper in total cost. Any ideas?

The best solar option is solar thermal panels combined with a variable speed pump which will save them on electricity.

You can DIY solar thermal panels for pool use, and there are some nice designs at homepower.com. We can give you some good advice here and answer questions but the wealth of simple designs in detail they have are better than you can get here.
Or you can go with commercial solar heating panels. Be sure to use the type that circulate the water through tubes in the panel rather than the kind that use vacuum insulated tubes with a manifold to transfer the heat to the water. The latter are more suited to Domestic Hot Water (higher temps) and winter use.

[tehan]

Do solar thermal panels really ever make economic sense these days? I have not crunched the numbers, but it just seems like PV costs have come down so much. Wouldn't a PV/heat pump system now deliver a lower cost per heating Watt than a thermal system?

[J.P.M.]

Do solar thermal panels really ever make economic sense these days? I have not crunched the numbers, but it just seems like PV costs have come down so much. Wouldn't a PV/heat pump system now deliver a lower cost per heating Watt than a thermal system?

The cheapest way to have pool water at a temp. you can use is to buy and use a wet suit.


After that, a pool cover that's consistently used is about the most cost effective way to heat a pool.

PV/heat pump systems are probably much more expensive than existing solar thermal pool heating systems and likely more complicated.

[foo1bar]

Do solar thermal panels really ever make economic sense these days? I have not crunched the numbers, but it just seems like PV costs have come down so much. Wouldn't a PV/heat pump system now deliver a lower cost per heating Watt than a thermal system?

Doubtful.

Just the installation cost for the heat pump is probably as much as the installation cost of the thermal solar panels. And then the cost for the PV panels (at ~$2-$4/watt) is added on above that.

[tehan]

PV/heat pump systems are probably much more expensive than existing solar thermal pool heating systems and likely more complicated.

I can't seem to find a reliable source online for solar thermal cost per watt - do you know a good figure to use? Here is at least one guy whose analysis shows solar thermal just makes no sense these days:

http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/solar-thermal-really-really-dead

[foo1bar]

I can't seem to find a reliable source online for solar thermal cost per watt - do you know a good figure to use? Here is at least one guy whose analysis shows solar thermal just makes no sense these days:

That's domestic hot water - not pool heating.

$5k I believe will get you ~10 panels that are 4'x10'. What I've seen online quoted is a "10%" efficiency. I'll let you figure out what the "watts" would be for 4'x100' at 10%.

I'd estimate that a heat pump is going to be at least $3k (probably $5k) - plus I'd guess at least $8K in panels to power it.

On the plus side you can probably upsize the panels easier and do more heating in winter easier.
On the minus side it'll cost more.

[inetdog]

...
On the plus side you can probably upsize the panels easier and do more heating in winter easier.
On the minus side it'll cost more.

And who "up north" is going to heat an outdoor pool in the winter?
(My mother-in-law has a pool in Missouri that is used year round, but it is under a triple layer translucent geodesic dome.)

[Naptown]

You can make one simply by using black irrigation pipe in a series of coils
Or you can buy a system made by Fafco Solar industries, Helocol etc Those are the best in MHO.
That is not a very large pool so depending on how far north you are use a ratio of about 60-100% of the surface area.
A pool cover is probably the best thing you can invest in. Since 70% of the heat loss from a pool is from evaporation from the surface reducing that will reduce the amount of heat to keep the pool warm.

Cost is about the same installed for solar a heat pump or gas heater once you figure in all the installation costs like gas line propane tank if necessary or electric line for heat pump.
But the solar will have no energy costs and they generally last much longer than a gas or heat pump.

[solarix]

Try an outfit called AquaTherm. But don't get your expectations up too much. Heating a pool with solar only gives you a month or so on each side of summer.

[Naptown]

Try an outfit called AquaTherm. But don't get your expectations up too much. Heating a pool with solar only gives you a month or so on each side of summer.

Aquatherm and solar industries are the same company.

[emartin00]

You can make one simply by using black irrigation pipe in a series of coils
Or you can buy a system made by Fafco Solar industries, Helocol etc Those are the best in MHO.
That is not a very large pool so depending on how far north you are use a ratio of about 60-100% of the surface area.
A pool cover is probably the best thing you can invest in. Since 70% of the heat loss from a pool is from evaporation from the surface reducing that will reduce the amount of heat to keep the pool warm.

Cost is about the same installed for solar a heat pump or gas heater once you figure in all the installation costs like gas line propane tank if necessary or electric line for heat pump.
But the solar will have no energy costs and they generally last much longer than a gas or heat pump.

My dad built a system like that back in the early 90's for our pool in Northern Maine (about an hour from Canada). I seem to remember it working pretty well, of course I was just a kid, so I would swim when the water was only 60 degrees anyway...

[saniconenergy]

Seems that the Pool is not originally designed for winter usage. What if i propose that u initially buy only half the capacity of the solar panels and back it up with gas fired pool heater. Whenever she would like to use it then she only may have to turn it on 3-4 hours prior. Later on u can scale it up to the desired levels if the pool usage increases.

[WaterWave]

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[J.P.M.]

My mother in law lives up north and it gets chilly. She is always complaining that thee can't use the pool like they want to. My wife and I were going to buy her and my father in law a pool heater but for that pool size, 12 x 24, it isn't going to be cheap. I was thinking if there was a solar option that would work as good but cheaper in total cost. Any ideas?

The cheapest way, hands down, to heat a pool is with a pool; cover. The cost is a fraction of a solar pool heater. There is, however, the PITA factor to consider, but since pools are already a PITA in many ways, some folks get used to it. On the other hand, depending on location, a 12 X 24 ft. pool won't take a super large solar pool heater ( ~ maybe 1/2 to 2/3 or so of the pool area) and maint. or PITA factor will be less than a pool cover. I'm ignorant as to current solar pool heater cost. Perhaps others can suggest an estimate on cost.