I have approximately 300' of black pipe spread ot all over the south facing
slope of my garage roof. I have found that it works much better if you can
cover the pipe with a layer of poly to ward off the cooling effects of the
wind. On a hot sunny day, the water comes out of the pipe so hot that I can
only hold my hand under the running water for about 5 seconds. We had the
pool tempuratyer up to 102 degrees f. last summer before I finally decided
it was time to bypass the heater.
I simply used the filter pump that came with the pool. It does not have
enough lift to push water to the roof of my garage, but I found that by
filling the 300' of black hose with my garden hose prior to hooking up the
pump, it works just fine.
This years plan is to mount all of the hose on to two sheets of plywood that
I will paint black. After mounting the hose, I am planning to cover
everything with black poly with hopes of extracting even more heat from the
sun. I will be starting work on that this week.
"Brandystew" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I have a above ground pool and I would like to make a solar pool heater. I
> assume you would use black flex pipe. I also would like to by-pass it at
times.
> Has anyone done this?
>
> Thanks
> Dave
>
> (To send e-mail, remove NOSPAM from address)
Tue, Jun 15, 2004, 7:20am (EDT-2) [email protected] (BiffNightly)
says:
<snip> This years plan is to mount all of the hose on to two sheets of
plywood that I will paint black.
Supposedly, elm green (whatever the Hell color that is), works
best.
After mounting the hose, I am planning to cover everything with black
poly <snip>
I believe clear works better. I can't remember where I got them
from, so you might want to check. Something like a car, with clear
windows, versus tinted windows.
JOAT
Use your brain - it's the small things that count.
- Bazooka Joe
Fri, Jun 18, 2004, 7:56pm [email protected] (loutent) claims:
Never tried this but my brother-in-law says that a big sheet of bubble
wrap floating on the pool works pretty well. <snip>
But then you'd have to screw around taking it up, every time you
wanted to swim, then put it back.
Be a lot better to cut out the individual bubbles, and use them.
That way you could just jump in. Let us know how it works out.
JOAT
Use your brain - it's the small things that count.
- Bazooka Joe
On Fri, 18 Jun 2004 21:25:11 -0400, [email protected] (J T)
vaguely proposed a theory
......and in reply I say!:
remove ns from my header address to reply via email
>Fri, Jun 18, 2004, 7:56pm [email protected] (loutent) claims:
>Never tried this but my brother-in-law says that a big sheet of bubble
>wrap floating on the pool works pretty well. <snip>
>
> But then you'd have to screw around taking it up, every time you
>wanted to swim, then put it back.
Bringing all the debris with it, though? Double it up as a pool safety
net, if made stronger?
Dave wrote: >I have a above ground pool and I would like to make a solar pool
heater. I
>assume you would use black flex pipe. I also would like to by-pass it at
>times.
>Has anyone done this?
>
>Thanks
>Dave
>
Sure have. I've got 6000 feet of black irrigation pipe lying on the southern
slope of the property, and it's been heating my pool for nigh on 6 years. I
plumbed a "Jandy" valve in just after the filter, one side leading to the
solar, the other leading back to the pool. The heated water is returned through
another PVC ball valve into the pipe leading back to the pool. Tom
Work at your leisure!
Before becoming too greedy ;-) I'd suggest looking into the life of poly
pipe vs. temperature. I little less temperature may be better.
RB
BiffNightly wrote:
> I have approximately 300' of black pipe spread ot all over the south facing
> slope of my garage roof. I have found that it works much better if you can
> cover the pipe with a layer of poly to ward off the cooling effects of the
> wind. On a hot sunny day, the water comes out of the pipe so hot that I can
> only hold my hand under the running water for about 5 seconds. We had the
> pool tempuratyer up to 102 degrees f. last summer before I finally decided
> it was time to bypass the heater.
>
> I simply used the filter pump that came with the pool. It does not have
> enough lift to push water to the roof of my garage, but I found that by
> filling the 300' of black hose with my garden hose prior to hooking up the
> pump, it works just fine.
>
> This years plan is to mount all of the hose on to two sheets of plywood that
> I will paint black. After mounting the hose, I am planning to cover
> everything with black poly with hopes of extracting even more heat from the
> sun. I will be starting work on that this week.
>
>
> "Brandystew" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>>I have a above ground pool and I would like to make a solar pool heater. I
>>assume you would use black flex pipe. I also would like to by-pass it at
>
> times.
>
>>Has anyone done this?
>>
>>Thanks
>>Dave
>>
>>(To send e-mail, remove NOSPAM from address)
>
>
>
There must be a site for this stuff, but it's sure fun to think about.
It would be a lot better to use a layer of roof tin over the ply, preferably
with a bit of air behinf it...maybe from some 1/4" slats every few inches.
Also, use clear poly. You want the light to get in and heat the backing and
pipe. Use a wood frame the thickness of the pipe to seal the edges and
prevent convection..
I don't have any real numbers, which I'm sure are on some energy site, but I
expect you could get 200-300 W/square yard in max sun. At that rate, 16-20
SY would equal a good electric heater. That would be six 4X8 sheets.
Actually, some celotex siding board would be a good backer, if you made a
support frame. It's insulation would help keep the exchange better.
Keep the flow rate high for max heat transfer. The colder the input water,
the more energy it will pick up.
Wilson
"BiffNightly" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I have approximately 300' of black pipe spread ot all over the south
facing
> slope of my garage roof. I have found that it works much better if you
can
> cover the pipe with a layer of poly to ward off the cooling effects of the
> wind. On a hot sunny day, the water comes out of the pipe so hot that I
can
> only hold my hand under the running water for about 5 seconds. We had the
> pool tempuratyer up to 102 degrees f. last summer before I finally decided
> it was time to bypass the heater.
>
> I simply used the filter pump that came with the pool. It does not
have
> enough lift to push water to the roof of my garage, but I found that by
> filling the 300' of black hose with my garden hose prior to hooking up the
> pump, it works just fine.
>
> This years plan is to mount all of the hose on to two sheets of plywood
that
> I will paint black. After mounting the hose, I am planning to cover
> everything with black poly with hopes of extracting even more heat from
the
> sun. I will be starting work on that this week.
>
>
> "Brandystew" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > I have a above ground pool and I would like to make a solar pool heater.
I
> > assume you would use black flex pipe. I also would like to by-pass it at
> times.
> > Has anyone done this?
> >
> > Thanks
> > Dave
> >
> > (To send e-mail, remove NOSPAM from address)
>
>
Maybe someone in alt.home.repair has.
On 15 Jun 2004 11:49:54 GMT, [email protected] (Brandystew)
wrote:
>I have a above ground pool and I would like to make a solar pool heater. I
>assume you would use black flex pipe. I also would like to by-pass it at times.
>Has anyone done this?
>
>Thanks
>Dave
>
>(To send e-mail, remove NOSPAM from address)
[email protected] (Brandystew) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> I have a above ground pool and I would like to make a solar pool heater. I
> assume you would use black flex pipe. I also would like to by-pass it at times.
> Has anyone done this?
>
> Thanks
> Dave
>
> (To send e-mail, remove NOSPAM from address)
No experience, but a recent slashdot.org article on a large fresnel
lense which can burn concrete and melt softer medals gave me the idea
of a very effective solar heater for the day when I get a pool in the
yard. You could defocus the fresnel a bit so it wasn't absolutely
blasting the metal, but the water could even boil with that type of
lense.
Alan