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Solar Pool Heaters for In Ground Pools
Solar pool heaters warm your swimming pool with the sun's energy. These effiecient pool solar heaters warm your pool water using energy collected from the sun. Solar pool heater from In The Swim.
Average Customer Rating:
(15 Reviews) 15
15 of 15(100%)customers would recommend this product to a friend.
Customer Reviews for Solar Pool Heaters for In Ground Pools
Review 1 for Solar Pool Heaters for In Ground Pools
Overall Rating:
Best Investment So Far,
Date:July 17, 2010
By Anonymous
from Rochester, NY
from Rochester, NY
Pros: More time spent enjoying pool
Cons: You need to manage heat to avoid losing gains
"I'm very pleased with the heat gain in the pool. I live in upstate NY where the pool temp averaged in the mid 70s last year. This year, mid 80s. Granted, this year is running warmer than average, but by July 1st I actually had to shut the solar collectors off some days and remove the solar cover overnight because the pool temp was in the 90s, and not very refreshing. I can easily gain 2 to 3 degrees per day using a solar blanket to minimize loss at night. I learned that you have to manage the heat. Get a solar blanket or you'll lose your daily gains at night. Unless you get an automatic control that turns the panels off when they are colder than the pool, they will just as effectively cool the pool off. Using this heat management routine, I only installed six panels on a 14'x14' deck roof for a 20'x44' inground 30,000 gallon pool. At 880sq ft of water surface, it can easily lose 3 to 5 degrees at night if it drops to 65 or 70, more if it is colder or windier, so it is important to use the solar cover to retain the heat.
The online solar panel calculators called for 15 panels for this size pool, which would probably be necessary if you had no solar blanket and had to make up the nightly heat loss every day. I didn't have the roof space on my deck, nor budget, for 15 collectors. I opted to start with 6, and if necessary I could always add collectors on a different roof if necessary. It won't be.
As of June 30th, I had spent more time enjoying the pool (at around 86 degrees!) than I had spent in the pool the entire previous season. My kids are in the pool almost daily for hours at a time.
As far as the installation itself, I'm a skilled tradesman so I had the tools and knowhow to install the panels in a single day, including the piping. My teenage son helped hold things in place while I fastened them down. I think I might like a more robust manner of fastening them to the roof before the first real gale approaches, but other than that the materials supplied were good quality. I used a diverter valve and pitot flow meter so I can divert a measured flow to the panels, since I only have six, and it recombines with the filter water returning to the pool. I have built my own automatic control to turn the solar panels on whenever they are hotter than the pool water, but I have yet to install it.
In summary, by investing in a pool solar cover alone and learning how to use it for optimum gains and minimum losses, the pool was warm enough for the kids, around 80 degrees, but by adding a few solar panels, it is warm enough that everybody wants to hang out in the pool for hours at a time. Before making these investments, all I had was a beautiful pool I poured time and money and chemicals into but nobody wanted to actually swim in it because it was just too cold. I'll be interested to see how late in the season we have the pool open this year. I have recommended this to friends who own pools."
The online solar panel calculators called for 15 panels for this size pool, which would probably be necessary if you had no solar blanket and had to make up the nightly heat loss every day. I didn't have the roof space on my deck, nor budget, for 15 collectors. I opted to start with 6, and if necessary I could always add collectors on a different roof if necessary. It won't be.
As of June 30th, I had spent more time enjoying the pool (at around 86 degrees!) than I had spent in the pool the entire previous season. My kids are in the pool almost daily for hours at a time.
As far as the installation itself, I'm a skilled tradesman so I had the tools and knowhow to install the panels in a single day, including the piping. My teenage son helped hold things in place while I fastened them down. I think I might like a more robust manner of fastening them to the roof before the first real gale approaches, but other than that the materials supplied were good quality. I used a diverter valve and pitot flow meter so I can divert a measured flow to the panels, since I only have six, and it recombines with the filter water returning to the pool. I have built my own automatic control to turn the solar panels on whenever they are hotter than the pool water, but I have yet to install it.
In summary, by investing in a pool solar cover alone and learning how to use it for optimum gains and minimum losses, the pool was warm enough for the kids, around 80 degrees, but by adding a few solar panels, it is warm enough that everybody wants to hang out in the pool for hours at a time. Before making these investments, all I had was a beautiful pool I poured time and money and chemicals into but nobody wanted to actually swim in it because it was just too cold. I'll be interested to see how late in the season we have the pool open this year. I have recommended this to friends who own pools."
Review 2 for Solar Pool Heaters for In Ground Pools
Overall Rating:
great investment,
Date:January 29, 2011
By jojococo
from Port Charlotte, Florida
from Port Charlotte, Florida
Pros: in the summer gets our pool up to 90 degrees. seems hot right but not in Florida when the air is hotter it is very nice
Cons: after a couple years you call and get plugs to plug holes.They send them free.
"Combine the solar panels with a solar cover and once you get the pool to your desired temperature the solar blanket will hold it for a few days."
Review 3 for Solar Pool Heaters for In Ground Pools
Overall Rating:
Total success,
Date:July 11, 2009
By Flamingo
from Leesburg, FL
from Leesburg, FL
Pros: Saving money every day
Cons: Can be too efficient
"Needed a pool heater for my mother's swim therapy but all I could find were far too costly. Then I found this system. Total cost was less than half best estimate. In two days pool temp went from 78 to 87. Then we had great weather and it got up to 96...too much of a good thing. Adjusted length of time the filter runs down to the 4 hour minimum to maintain water quality and we now have constant 88-92 degrees and Mother is happy again."
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
Review 4 for Solar Pool Heaters for In Ground Pools
Overall Rating:
Great almost-free pool heat,
Date:June 8, 2009
By BobB
from Philadelphia, PA
from Philadelphia, PA
Pros: Extends swimming season, more comfortable water temps
Cons: none really
"I installed six panels in 2003 and they are still going strong today. We live in the Philadelphia area. Here are some tips:
- Installed 3 panels on each side of my peaked garage roof.
- Rather than the supplied steel straps, held the panels down with half-inch pvc pipe and U-brackets. when it's time to take them down for the winter, slip the pvc pipes out and the panels come right down. After initial installation, takes less than an hour to install or remove.
- Found that the panels are almost impossible to completely drain for the winter - better to take them down, drain them, and store in garage for winter.
- Since I have two banks of three panels each, I use a valve on the return for each bank. Each valve is kept half open. Otherwise the water runs only through the bottom-most panels.
- Make sure you install the diverter so that you can turn the panels off when your water hits 90 in August :-) The pool isn't refreshing if it gets much warmer than that.
- With a 25,000 gallon in-ground pool, our swim season has been from mid-April to mid-October!
- a bit of plumbing effort is required to install the panels, but this is a one-time job and well worth it!
- I say almost-free heat because you need to run your filter extra to move the water through the panels. Still much less expensive than gas heat!
- Enjoy! My wife would only go in the pool when the water is 85 or more, meaning she would only get in for a few weeks in August. Now she's in from May to September!"
Review 5 for Solar Pool Heaters for In Ground Pools
Overall Rating:
great heater,
Date:November 27, 2008
By senior
from Wilkes Barre Pa
from Wilkes Barre Pa
Pros: instructions were easy to follow tip from one guy about 2 by 4s and blocks helped .
This customer did not provide a text review.
Review 6 for Solar Pool Heaters for In Ground Pools
Overall Rating:
Exactly what it says it is,
Date:October 8, 2008
By nobby
from Davenport, Florida
from Davenport, Florida
Pros: Simple, well documented.
Cons: Working on a roof in florida
"After reading up on what other customers had to say i ordered 6 panels which arrived in a couple of days.
the first thing i did when i arrived at the site of installation was to roll the panels out against their packaged curve, and they were flat within an hour.
three hours after that they were installed.
this product is exactly what it says it is all you need is the pipes to and from the panels.
I will be installing another two sets this week for two more customers.
if anyone needs advice (allthough it is very simple) i would be more than glad to help."
the first thing i did when i arrived at the site of installation was to roll the panels out against their packaged curve, and they were flat within an hour.
three hours after that they were installed.
this product is exactly what it says it is all you need is the pipes to and from the panels.
I will be installing another two sets this week for two more customers.
if anyone needs advice (allthough it is very simple) i would be more than glad to help."
Review 7 for Solar Pool Heaters for In Ground Pools
Overall Rating:
Date:July 13, 2008
By bones
from ABQ, NM
from ABQ, NM
Pros: We bought the solar heating in 2003, it will extend the swimming season.
Cons: Have had to replace panels, but company did not carry the same size.
"The company sent the connections, but the panel were of a diffrent size, and they keep popping off and loseing the water in the pool. (We are not always home to catch the pop of the panel connections). We need for the company to replace panels with the same size so the pressure will not pop them. Can someone please contact us?"
Review 8 for Solar Pool Heaters for In Ground Pools
Overall Rating:
Works Great!,
Date:May 25, 2008
By Kim1
from Colorado
from Colorado
Pros: free heat
"We purchased this last summer, and it really works well!
After reading Fireman Steve's review about the difficulty of unrolling the panels, I had to write to tell everyone what the trick is (this is not documented in the manual). Get a couple 2 x 4s and bricks, cinder blocks or something heavy. Work on a hot driveway. Unroll one end and put the 2 x 4 over it and weight it down on both ends. Then unroll part of panel (maybe 1/4 of the way down) and weight it down with the other 2x4 and more bricks. Wait about 15 minutes then move the 2 x 4 down further. When you get to the end and remove the 2x4's, the entire panel will remain flat as a pancake for easy installation. I can't image trying to work with the panels without making them flat first! That must have been a lot of work!!
We didn't want a roof installation, so we made a frame out of 2x4s and corregated pvc panels. This worked very well. Remember to fence it in or cover with elevated chicken wire, because our neighbor's dog or a coyote or hawk or something ran across it and punctured one of the panels over the winter."
After reading Fireman Steve's review about the difficulty of unrolling the panels, I had to write to tell everyone what the trick is (this is not documented in the manual). Get a couple 2 x 4s and bricks, cinder blocks or something heavy. Work on a hot driveway. Unroll one end and put the 2 x 4 over it and weight it down on both ends. Then unroll part of panel (maybe 1/4 of the way down) and weight it down with the other 2x4 and more bricks. Wait about 15 minutes then move the 2 x 4 down further. When you get to the end and remove the 2x4's, the entire panel will remain flat as a pancake for easy installation. I can't image trying to work with the panels without making them flat first! That must have been a lot of work!!
We didn't want a roof installation, so we made a frame out of 2x4s and corregated pvc panels. This worked very well. Remember to fence it in or cover with elevated chicken wire, because our neighbor's dog or a coyote or hawk or something ran across it and punctured one of the panels over the winter."
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
Review 9 for Solar Pool Heaters for In Ground Pools
Overall Rating:
Good solution,
Date:April 1, 2008
By Firemansteve
from Medford, Or.
from Medford, Or.
Pros: Free heat is always a plus.
Cons: difficult for one person install
"I am going on my second year of use with our system. It lengthened our season last year and in all reality, made a swim season possible! It didn't really get hot enough to warrant a swim season last year, but the added boost from these panels got the pool to a swim-able temperature. I added some valves to facilitate a complete draining for winter, in hind sight, I should have added valves to completely shut the system out of the loop all together. I may go back in and add them this fall. No matter how you install these, you'll need a plan and a trip to the hardware store for everything you will need.
The panels have such a strong memory out of the box, that even on a hot day, one guy is hard pressed to install them solo. The panels want to roll back up, and on a pitched roof, it is very difficult to weigh them down to keep them flat, or at least out of the way. Get a buddy over and it will be an easy hour, hour and a half install. (without cursing or throwing the whole darn thing in the neighbors yard.)"
The panels have such a strong memory out of the box, that even on a hot day, one guy is hard pressed to install them solo. The panels want to roll back up, and on a pitched roof, it is very difficult to weigh them down to keep them flat, or at least out of the way. Get a buddy over and it will be an easy hour, hour and a half install. (without cursing or throwing the whole darn thing in the neighbors yard.)"
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.
Review 10 for Solar Pool Heaters for In Ground Pools
Overall Rating:
Solar Panel add-on fiasco,
Date:October 16, 2007
By keljak
Pros: The solar panels were easy to order and came in a timely manner
Cons: The add-on panels don't come with enough hardware to install them. In-the-Swim doesn't sell the hardware on its website
"Generally we have been very happy with our purchases at InTheSwim. I was amazed this time, when I enquired about the lack of hardware for the solar panels I was told "thats just the way it is". I was informed the hardware could be purchased with a special order from the manufacturer. The fact that they don't even tell you that the hardware is missing is a major flaw, plus the website leads you to believe you will get everything you need for installation."
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
Review 11 for Solar Pool Heaters for In Ground Pools
Overall Rating:
Best solar for cheap price,
Date:September 4, 2007
By Luda
Pros: heated pool really fast
Cons: sprung three leaks
"Best buy I've ever made but some panels leaked. =["
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
Review 12 for Solar Pool Heaters for In Ground Pools
Overall Rating:
Big Propane Saver,
Date:August 29, 2007
By soxfan
Pros: Didn't turn on my heater yet
Cons: Better know your PVC plumbing before you install yourself
"This product works, on a sunny day we can pick up 6-8 degrees, in our 35,000 gal pool. We have 10 panels, ordered 12 but could only fit 10 on my roof. Pick out a good sunny spot and save a lot of Propane $$ and Carbon emissions as well."
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
Review 13 for Solar Pool Heaters for In Ground Pools
Overall Rating:
NO COST heat,
Date:August 22, 2007
By snoopd
Pros: no moving parts, free HEAT
Cons: not a one man installation job
"The in-ground solar pool heater gives me FREE HEAT during the day during normal pump operation. My pool temperature remained over 84 degrees and was easy to regulate with the bypass valve(s). I installed the unit myself but I would recomend having help. It saved me thousands over the cost of having a gas unit installed and the fuel costs."
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
Review 14 for Solar Pool Heaters for In Ground Pools
Overall Rating:
Excellent product,
Date:August 22, 2007
By ExPgher
Pros: Heated water to a great warmer temperature
Cons: Wouldn't recommend to a novice do it your self person. Need experience to do this.
"We are so happy with this product. LIving in SC where its hot, the pool still remained slightly too cool for our preferences because of neighboring trees, shade etc. We built this on a "rack" instead of the roof and we gained extra storage this way. We have the basic 4 panels for a 6000 gallon pool and we use the pool every day. Since the water is so warm, we are using the pool at night almost daily, too instead of almost never. I would highly recommend this product. The water temperature is warmer by at least 8-10º. This is an excellent product at a very good price."
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
Review 15 for Solar Pool Heaters for In Ground Pools
Overall Rating:
Paid for itself in one month,
Date:June 30, 2007
By Flip
Pros: Great heat source
Cons: Need to fix ocaisional leaks
"I have 6 panels on a 56000 gallon in ground pool. My propane heater can burn 100 gal per day. I did not even start the propane heater this year. I own Chain O' Lakes Campground in Northern Michigan and my pool is at 86 degrees using nothing but this system."
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.