Tonyj

Does anyone have experience of the results of fitting solar heating to an already built outdoor pool? If so, how difficult a task was it and are the results worth the investment?

Online advice seems focused on the UK and one concern here is that in the heat of summer, the pool may end up being too hot. Our aim is to extend the months we can comfortably use the pool, if possible.

EMR

We looked at solar but with limited space having panels equal to at least 50% of the pool area.was not practical.
We went for a heat pump , very efficient with the advantage of setting the max pool temp neaning that does not operate .once reached.

Tonyj

Thanks for the info EMR. Was the installation of the heat pump expensive and how hefty are the running costs?

dingg

Heat pump air or ground source , I'm interested too

BillBullock

I replaced my heat pump earlier this year. The Zodiac Z300 TD5, a 3 phase heat pump, cost €3922 and the installation cost €50 which included alteration to the pipework in my pump house. My pool is 10 m x 5 m x 1.5 m average depth.

Tonyj

Hi Bill. Thanks for the info. How expensive are the running costs?

BillBullock

That of course depends on a lot of factors. I only heat at the beginning of the season when the air temperature is hot enough to strip off my clothes and walk to the pool and back. Usually it's in April but it depends how quickly the Algarve warms up again after winter. Usually it's September before the pool heater kicks in again and, when October ends, my wife and I find it's too cold to strip off clothes and walk back and fore to the pool. A heat pump is reasonably efficient, depending on the air temperature, but there are too many factors affecting the cost in electricity for me to give you a figure. If it costs €50 a year, it's well worth while considering the extension to our swimming season. The cost of a solar heating system for an existing pool setup is probably out of the question for us but I am open to suggestions. The same applies to a solar heating system for warming our house, whether it's using hot water or photo-voltaic cells.

Tonyj

Thanks. I think it is about getting longer use of the pool into April and October for us and it being more comfortable in May when the pool can still be a little cool. I am attracted to solar because we wouldn't need to worry about the running costs but not sure we would have sufficient room for the panels. May get some quotes.

BillBullock

I would be interested to hear your quotes. My research so far leads me to the conclusion that the capital cost would be prohibitive. The payback time for solar heating is much longer than I envisaged.

Score76

Hi Tony,

I went through the same process last year. I ruled out the solar heating systems as it just didn't seem sensible to cycle the water out of the pool, through a bunch of panels then back again. I looked at a few different ones and none of them looked like they'd stand up to the Algarve sun. Be brittle after a year or so and would soon start to leak and fall apart.

What I went for in the end was a solar cover made by Aquatop in Belgium. The cover obviously retains the heat overnight, but during the day acts as a huge solar panel, 100% of your pools surface area. The top part is clear so let's the heat and light from the sun through, the underside is black so radiates this heat into the water. We now have the pump on a timer, 5 minutes every hour to circulate the warm water underneath the cover otherwise it gets hot. A sure sign it's working well I suppose. If ever the temperature is getting too high, just hit the button to roll open the cover.

Went for a heat pump as well but as one of the previous posters has said, it just doesn't kick in for most of the year, perhaps extends the season by a month to 6 weeks at each end, but the electricity cost is high. Perhaps if you have PV panels to generate the electricity this would work out cost effective.

BillBullock

We use an insulation cover rather than a bubble cover because it lasts twice as long. However, it is coming to the end of it's life this year (year 8) and I am considering buying a similar cover with a clear top and a black bottom surface. It will be the simple kind that you roll manually on and off the roller. They are not much more expensive than simple blue bubble covers. The trouble with bubble covers is that the water surface gets far too hot in the Algarve sun and you lose your guarantee when you exceed 29 degrees Celsius. Circulating the water every 5 minutes is a good idea when the cover is on.

PV panels to run the heat pump sounds like a good idea except that my heat pump requires a steady 1.2 KW or more. How do you get the Sun to cooperate when some clouds come over? I think the heat pump would be on/off a lot of the time. It is also a 3 phase heat pump.

MrBife

+1 for the idea of fitting an insulating floating cover with a heat gain layer. Personally I am all for a refreshing swim and hate getting into a pool that is like warm bathwater. Warm water encourages bacteria growth (needing more chemicals), the floating bubble cover stops a lot of debris and dirt going in and once bought has zero running costs. When the weather is warm anyway (May to October in my book) roll it up and leave it off.

BillBullock

I put the cover back on at night to maintain the temperature and reduce the debris that blows in on a windy night. 29/30 degrees is hardly bath water temperature. Our saltwater pool needs no other chemicals, just a bit of acid occasionally.

EMR

The benefit of the cover was revealed to us this autumn, Sept early October.
When removing the cover there was a layer of very warm water in the high 20s.
This was perfect for those who prefer just to float around rather than swim.
In summer leaving the pool cover off can result in a drop of 2- 3 degrees , more if it is windy.
Any pool heating is a waste of money unless you also cover the pool when not in use ,

Tonyj

Hi. Thanks for that insight. I will definitely take a look at the cover you recommend. I take your point on the panels. One of my fears is that it will make the pool much too hot in the summer when we actually want it to be a refreshing dip.