Pool
solar heaters are most beneficial when there is sufficient area on which
to install the solar collectors. The collectors absorb the sun's rays
and generate the energy, so it is also vital for the location of the
collectors be exposed to as much sun as possible. If collectors are
installed on a pitched roof, south-facing exposure is ideal. Generally,
the most efficient formula for collector area is 60% the area of the
pool surface (length x width x 0.6).
Professionally designed pool solar heaters, the controls are completely
automatic. When the pool requires heat and the solar collectors are
charged with solar energy, automatic control diverts the water coming
from the filter to the solar collectors. This continues until a pre-set
temperature is reached or until no more solar energy is available. Solar
collectors will also preheat the water before it gets to the gas heater
and the gas heater will only use the fuel required to make up the difference.
Pool solar heaters save significant amounts of money spent on heating
a pool. Also, the solar collectors will generate energy for at least
20 years. In this way, it just makes more sense to spend a one-time
fee of about $5,000 to install a solar pool heat system instead of spending
$2,000 per pool season on natural gas.