Protect Your Solar Heat All Season

This is a guest post by Monique Nelson. If you want to guest post on this blog, send us a message here.

As swimming pools begin to open for the season, there is one thought on everyone’s mind: what is the best way to heat up a pool’s water for the least amount of time and money.

Solar heating for swimming pools is a growing trend that becomes more popular with each installation. It is a very cost effective long-term solution to all your pool heating requirements but, as with any product, there are a few drawbacks to using solar heat – for example, getting it to last through the ups and downs of our fickle weather.

There are ways to protect the heat your solar system gains with little to no hassle or cost. Here are my Top 3 Tips for Effective Solar Pool Heating:

#3: Create a wind shield

Wind increases the rate of evaporation in swimming pools which, in turn, increases the amount of heat that is lost from the water.
In very simple terms, if there is no wind, the air above the water will become more humid and the rate of evaporation will be relatively low. As the wind picks up, the air above the water is moved, allowing cool air to replace the warmer, humid air and allowing more water to evaporate. The higher the wind speed, the higher the evaporative rate.

Considering about 70% of your heat is lost through evaporation, reducing this loss will help to keep the heat in your pool. Creating a wind shield – which could be as simple as fencing your backyard or pool area – will help you make the most of your solar heat gain throughout the season.

#2. Reduce running water features

Running water essentially increases the surface area of your pool. This means there is more surface water to be vulnerable to evaporation. Features such as vanishing edge pools or water falls may lose up to twice as much water each day as a pool without running water features.

If possible, reduce the length of time your water features operate. If you are only home to enjoy the beauty of your fountain for 2 hours every evening, turn off the features at all other times. This could reduce your evaporative loss significantly and, once again, make the most of your solar heating system.

#1. Protect your gain with a pool cover

As you know, approximately 70% of a pool’s heat is lost through evaporation, so the best way you can protect your solar gain is to cover your pool.

There are a variety of pool cover options – safety covers, automatic covers, bubble covers – but if you want the benefits of a pool cover without the hassles of using a plastic blanket, you can opt for a liquid pool cover. This innovative product will help you retain up to 50% of your overnight heat loss, allowing your solar heater a higher water temperature each morning. This will create a cycle of gradual gain to get your pool water up to temp quicker, and keep it there throughout the entire season. One of the benefits of using a liquid pool cover is that it will be cover your pool 24/7 automatically – while leaving it open and available for use and admiration!

If you have a solar heating system, you want to do everything in your power to help that system be as effective as possible. Create a wind shield, be reasonable with your water features and, most importantly, cover your pool at all times for the most solar heat retention possible.