Heating your swimming pool using solar energy.
Solar water heating can be used for a number of applications including the home and swimming pools, no matter howe large it may be.
vacuum tube collectors are a highly efficient when used for heating swimming pools, this is because the temperatures are lower than would be required for domestic hot water, which optimises their performance.
If the swimming pool is close to the house, then the solar water heating system can be used to heat the domestic hot water too, helping to generate hot water throughout the year. This combination arrangement can help give the fastest financial return of a solar heating installation.
You may be wondering how a solar water heating system can heat a large area such as a swimming pool.
How a solar water heating system works to heat a swimming pool.
Absorber coating within the vacuum tubes absorb the sunlight, transferring the heat it has absorbed to a heat pipe. The heat is then carried to the tip to the solar fluid, which is circulated through insulated pipes which is subsequently transferred / released through a swimming pool heat exchanger or in the case of domestic heating, a coil within the hot water cylinder.
In order heat a swimming pool using solar thermal heating there are a number of requirements which include:
South Facing area fro collectors is the best but they can be sited east or west, or a combination on the two but this will increase the number of collectors needed.
There needs to be a route to allow the pipes to travel from the collectors to the swimming pool.
A suitable heat exchanger must also be sited between the outlet from the filtration unit and the swimming pool.
The solar collectors can be attached to a pitch roof, normally using stainless steel mounting bolts to hold them in place or they can be flat mounted.
Ideally the collectors should be located near to the swimming pool as the shorter distance that the generated energy has to travel helps to reduce heat loss through the pipes and therefore a reduction in energy efficiency.
Choosing a solar thermal heating system suitable to your needs requires taking a range of factors in to consideration, contact one of our Cornwall swimming pool specialists for more information on the solar swimming pools heating systems available and how they could benefit you. |