What Is Solar Pool Heating?
Solar pool heating generally refers to the process of using the passive solar heat of the sun to warm up a swimming pool. Solar pool heating may also, however, refer to large-scale solar ponds, being heated up to store energy that can be used for a number of purposes. While this first use is something most people have access to, larger-scale solar pool heating is generally undertaken by industry, although it may have applications for homesteads looking to generate their own power. A solar pond is a large pool of salt water, which sits in a natural gradient, with high salt water at the bottom, and low salt water at the top. Sunlight strikes the water and goes down to the bottom, heating up the lowest layer of salt water, in turn causing the water to expand and become less dense. If it were fresh water, this lower level would rise to the surface, and a convection current would form, but since it is part of a salt water gradient, it remains at the bottom and continues to increase in heat,
Matt, Solar pool heating uses panels fixed on the house roof to heat water which is trickled over black, corrugated metal panels and picks up the heat from them. Obviously these work best when the sun shines strongest but they can still be effective in the Winter and they don’t really cost anything to run since the pump has to operate anyway. We don’t have them on our house, we have an electric heat pump, ( like an Air-conditioner in reverse) which again works best when its warmer but still works even down to about 40 degrees. We also have a pool cover which helps retain the heat but you have to remember to put it over the pool in the evening and take it off when you start using the pool again. The other alternative is a gas heater but these are falling out of favour due to the high cost of natural gas. Homes we have stayed in on Westridge in the past have had both solar heating and a gas heater.
