Solar Thermal Panels for Swimming Pools
For full info on how Solar Hot Water Panels work, please see our info section on domestic use. - click here
Solar Thermal Panels for Swimming Pool heating could and should be considered a 'no brainer.'
A large body of water that needs heating usually when the sun is out and the (UK) weather is at its best surely should harness the sun's rays to do so, rather than racking up a huge cost in fossil fuel use? But many pool owner's still spend a small fortune on heating.
Benefits of Solar Thermal on a Swimming Pool:
Free, eco-friendly, carbon neutral heating all year round.
Less reliance on a boiler.
A one-off payment rather than ongoing and ever-increasing bills.
Your pool can act as a constant heat dump.
Solar integrates smoothly and easily with the existing heating systems and can utilise the same pool pump.
Little-to-no maintenance required.
How many panels do I need to heat my pool?
This is calculated by the surface area of your pool, how well insulated it is, if it's indoor or outdoor, above ground or below ground and how often it is used and what temperature you want it to be.
A loose rule of thumb is 25% area of the pool needs to be used for panels, with a view to increasing up to 35% if more heat is required. We strongly recommend the use of a cover when the pool is not in use to increase your solar gain.
Sizing a system:
Indoor Pools
3x6m = 1x 5830AL Panel & 130k BTU Heat Exchanger
4x8m = 2x 5830AL Panels & 170k BTU Heat Exchanger
5x10m = 3x 5830AL Panels & 230k BTU Heat Exchanger
10x25m = 15x 5830AL Panels & 2x 460k BTU Heat Exchangers
Outdoor
3x6m = 2x 5820AL Panels & 170k BTU Heat Exchanger
4x8m = 3x 5830AL Panels & 230k BTU Heat Exchanger
5x10 = 4x 5830AL Panels & 230k BTU Heat Exchanger
10x25 = 22x 5830AL Panels & 3x 460k BTU Heat Exchangers
What will I save?
Outdoor Pools - used only during the summer - you should save on almost all of your water heating costs with a correctly sized Solar Thermal system
Indoor Pools - used all year round - you should be able to offset about 70% of your heating costs.
Where can they be fitted?
Panels can be installed on a roof or ground mounted. The closer they are to the heat exchanger (usually in a plant or boiler room), the better.
Heat Exchangers
Swimming Pools that have chlorinated water require a heat exchanger to utilise solar thermal panels and cannot be connected directly. This is because the chlorine can deteriorate the copper in the solar panel's manifold.
For solar use a heat exchanger should be rated at least one size larger than for a conventional heating system.
How does Solar work on a Swimming Pool?
You can find a schematic for a typical system in our Documents & Download page
If you are looking to use solar to heat a pool in conjunction with a domestic solar heating system, the Swimming Pool can be treated as a heat dump.
Can I add to my system later?
Yes, if you have space, the panels are easy to add on to.
What are the running costs?
Very little. An A-rated low voltage circulation pump and we recommend having the system serviced every 3-4 years.
