Are you considering heating your pool with solar energy? Solar pool heating makes sense in the Sacramento area, helping you use the power of the sun to reduce your energy bills. Solar pool heating is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint, increase your family’s enjoyment of your pool, and conserve energy for the future.
How Does Solar Pool Heating Work?
Imagine a garden hose that has been lying in the sun. When you turn on the faucet, out comes hot water. That’s solar heating. The sun’s energy has been absorbed by the hose and transmitted as heat to the water inside it. The hose acts as a solar collector.
Comfortable swimming water temperature is relatively low compared to other uses of hot water. This allows the use of simple, efficient solar collectors. These systems require no separate storage tank, since the pool itself serves as the storage tank.
In most cases, the pool’s filtration pump is used to force the pool water through the solar panels. In some retrofit applications, a larger pump may be required to handle the needs of the solar system, or a small pump may be added to boost the pool water up to the solar collectors.
When adequate sunshine is available, the filtered pool water is circulated through the solar collectors where it is heated by solar energy powered by the sun and then returned to the pool. In this operation, the water goes from pool to pump, from pump to filter, from filter to collectors, from collectors to fossil-fueled backup heater (if there is one), from fossil-fueled heater to automatic chlorinator (if there is one), then back to the pool.
Automatic controls may be used to direct the flow of filtered water to the collectors when solar heat is available. This may be accomplished manually by the use of a manual “bypass valve”. Normally, solar systems are designed to drain down into the pool when the pump is turned off. This provides the collectors with freeze protection.
Benefits of Solar Pool Heating
- Enjoyment: Your pool is designed for use. Harnessing the sun’s energy to heat your pool extends your swimming season and increases everyone’s enjoyment. A solar pool heating system warms your pool in the cooler months and cools your pool during the hottest portion of the year. Your family and friends can enjoy your pool year round.
- Environmentally Friendly: Unlike traditional pool heating systems that use natural gas or electricity, solar pool heating uses natural energy from the sun. This renewable energy source is environmentally friendly and pollution free. Your solar pool heating system won’t create carbon dioxide, pollution, or consume fossil fuels.
- Cost Effective: Solar pool heating is very cost effective. The sun provides a free energy source for your pool heater. The pump that filters and circulates the heated water is the only cost you’ll have once the system is installed. Since your heating system ties into the pool filtration system, even this cost is minimal. Compared to traditional natural gas heating systems, your solar pool heater is amazingly energy efficient and inexpensive to operate.
- Low Maintenance: Solar pool heaters are durable and require less maintenance than a traditional gas or electric pool heating system. The standard solar system lasts between 15 and 20 years, double the average usable life of a traditional system. Simply maintaining a good chemical balance in your pool and checking your filter system periodically will keep your solar heating system running properly.
Why Wait? Install a Solar Pool Heating System Today!
Solar energy is plentiful in the Sacramento Area. Using this free and renewable energy source just makes sense. Installing a solar pool heating system saves you money and saves the environment at the same time.
At Aztec, we are dedicated to bringing solar pool heating systems to Sacramento and the surrounding area. Contact us today to discuss how you can enjoy your pool year round while lowering your energy bills and making a difference for the environment. We will discuss the ways solar energy can benefit you!