DIYbanter - View Single Post

Rich256

wrote:
On Wed, 11 Oct 2006 14:15:56 -0400, "Don Phillipson"
wrote:

"Alex" wrote in message
ups.com...

We have a 25' above ground pool (48" deep), and we are looking for ways
of heating the pool now that it's starting to get cooler outside.
Three basic methods:
1 Conservation = use of a solar blanket (bubble
blanket) to delay loss of heat on cool nights.
2 Active heating, burning electricity or fuel.
3 Passive solar = adding to the pump circuit
a long length of black hose exposed to the sun.
During recirculation, this travel through sunshine
increases water temperatures 2 to 5 degrees
Celsius even in Canada. Special multi-channel
hose is sold specially for this purpose.

I am very skeptical of these black hose schemes unless you have a
****load of hose. They size solar collectors as a percentage of the
pool surface area and systems that actually work in winter tend to be
over 100% of pool surface, even in Florida. My neighbor can hold 84-85
in Jan/Feb but he has 125% of his pool surface in collector on a south
facing roof and he has a bubble cover. I don't use a cover and have
about 75% collector/pool ratio. I can get daytime ambient air temp for
an evening swim. That still buys me about 3-4 extra months tho.

Use Black Plastic irrigation pipe. Cheaper than hose and available in
larger sizes.