FAQ’s for pool solar heating:
Not sure about pool heating. Her are some FAQ’s to help you make a decision. Here are some questions from some of Tim’s clients. To help save you time, we have just added questions here FYI.
Heat pumps are easy to install. Pool solar heating is not easy to install.
Does it include a heat pump or similar, so you can still adjust the temperature?
Comes with a pump and controller, with ability to set a target temp.
Pump will service water to and from roof
Do you know approx running costs? I assume the pump requires electricity? Or does the solar run the pump?
Cost per season $380 or around 2000kWh
How does the lifespan compare with a heat pump? I assume the day-to-day costs will be significantly lower, but if the lifespan before
needing work is shorter it may not work out cheaper over all?
Heat pump ave life span 6 year average and will require regular servicing, usually 2 year warranty with a 6-10 year life span… (Not an implied warranty), then you need to buy a new heat pump.
Solar - 10 year warranty, We can do an additional 5 years, but would need a 2 year servicing plan. Life span, we currently service 20 year old systems that are going strong. Can go longer. But no appliance generally goes that long. Maybe pump, controller will need replacing and at 20 year, I would keep a close eye on it. Could go longer. Cost per use is so low.
Roof material can be reinstalled at low cost vs a new heat pump.
How much maintenance is required, and is it something we could easily do or should we get someone in on a regular basis?
$285 per service 18 months or 2 years
Performance is where solar powers ahead. LAst sat we started a solar system pool on 24 s degrees. 9am start. By 5pm pool 31 degrees, no cover and we diverted hot water into the build in spa that hit 36 degrees. NO COVER. Heat pump could not touch those numbers in a day, with no cover. N.b. We sell heat pumps and make out own rollers and cover., Solar is simply the #1.
If we had several cloudy days in a row, would the pool temperature drop significantly (or ‘plummet’ as one website I read suggested)?
Cloudy doesn’t mean cold. A roof is still 35-40 degrees with cloud.
Cold will make the pool cold. Solar will struggle, but so will a heat pump.
Your 4mm heat guard thermal blanket will help retain the heat so heat generally doesn’t ‘plummet’ as people advise, which means they dont really know what they are talking about.
If it is cold, you wont want to swim as much. If the sun is out, the pool is warm.
Solar will heat the water faster than a heat pump.
People try to scare people into believing solar doesn’t work. But they can sell a heat pump. If someone says solar will plummet with clouds, they simply don’t understand heating pools. They just install heat pumps only.
We offer a customised range of heating solutions. Ie rollers, blankets, solar, heat pumps, automation.
We focus on the solution and work backwards. We also sell heat pumps( our parent company makes some of the best heat pumps on the market). Solar is always your primary heat source.