Swimming pool water is pumped through the pool panels (usually with the existing pool filtration pump) when the sun is shining resulting in the water getting heated. The panels should ideally be installed in a sunny north facing area (like on a roof) and the total panel surface area would usually be about half the swimming pool surface area.
The thermal losses on the surface of a pool is significant and even a slight breeze blowing over the surface of the pool can drastically cool down the pool. It is therefore very important to always use a thermal pool blanket to cover the pool when not in use even if it is an indoor swimming pool. If for some reason a thermal pool blanket can’t be used you would need to install more heating panels and the usable days per year will be reduced. Please note that the use of the correct type of pool thermal blanket will seriously reduce evaporative water loss, filtration pump time and chemical use and therefore we would highly recommend it even if you are not interested in a heated pool.
A bypass valve will have a significant impact on the pool temperature. If the pool water is pumped via the heating panels on a cold day it might actually cool down the swimming pool. Therefore having a bypass valve enables you to only pump via the heating panels on warm days. It also is needed to prevent overheating. If you for example like the water to not be warmer than 28°C, the panels need to be bypassed once the pool reaches temperature.
Yes, ITS sells a high quality differential temperature controlled automatic bypass valve. The controller will bypass the heating panels when the panel temperature is colder than the pool water temperature or when the pool has reached the desired setpoint temperature. This setup really ensures you get the most out of your heating panels.
On average it takes a day to install a solar pool heating system.
This depends very much on the sizing of the system, if a pool blanket is used and the ambient temperature. Temperature of 40°C is possible but most systems are designed for the 25°C to 30°C range.
The pool panels are designed to be maintenance free but an annual cleaning and inspection is not a bad idea.
The main advantages of a solar pool heating panels is that it does not use electricity. If you are simply looking for a system to make your pool very pleasant for 6 to 9 months of the year and you’r not interested in swimming in the middel of winter then pool heating panels is the best. Of course you must also have enough space for all the pool heating panels (usually on the roof). A high quality solar panel like Heliocol requires much less roof space than most other panels on the market and has a longer life expectancy.
Most solar pool heating panels on the market will not last 5 years and that is why we only supply Heliocol panels. Heliocol is the top panel internationally with a 10 year warrantee and more than 20 year proven life expectancy.