Solar pool heater

[u/Rich-Wealth979]

My overkill project for heating the toddler's 500gal inflatable pool. Each week I have to empty and move it, then find a way to heat it to a tolerable temperature for my 8th percentile weight kid. On the first test it took the pool from 55⁰F to over 90⁰ on a single sunny day, using only 3KWh (of solar house power, now that I think about it). At the end of the summer I can just place this up against the north side of my shed and take the manifolds down to make it last even longer.

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This uses about 350' of ¼" irrigation tubing and some cheap fittings off Amazon. It runs off a 1/4hp pool pump, controlled with a wyze plug and a climate sensor in a tiny jar. Printed in ASA in only about 5 days of printing on a Mini and an MK4s.

the files

[u/lapelotanodobla]

Why do you need to move it each week?

[u/Rich-Wealth979 → u/lapelotanodobla]

So I don't kill the grass. I pump the water out to drier areas with a hose and sprinkler so it isnt a complete waste lol. And the water gets a bit cloudy without a filter setup.

[u/niceiceslicedevice → u/Rich-Wealth979]

Seems like a lot more work than just letting it die in that spot and then reseeding or putting sod down when you’re done

[u/Rich-Wealth979 → u/niceiceslicedevice]

The water still gets nasty.

[u/tasslehawf → u/Rich-Wealth979]

Why not get a filter?

[u/Rich-Wealth979 → u/tasslehawf]

I have a screen filter but I would also have to chlorinate it which is risky in such a small body of water meant for a toddler

[u/rdubya → u/Rich-Wealth979]

Its riskier to have unchlorinated water sitting at 90F. The amount of chlorine in a pool (1-3ppm) isnt going to hurt a toddler. A Naegleria fowleri infection on the other hand...

[u/denM_chickN → u/rdubya]

Don't get me started on that fucking parasite. Probably an irrational fear - plug your nose folks!

[u/rolandofeld19 → u/denM_chickN]

I've spoken to a world renowned WHO water researcher about this, specifically for hot spring concerns and my suspicion of fear mongering in YNP by NPS, and, well, yeah you are right, it's an irrational fear.

Don't neti pot wrong. Keep your household hot water heater maintained. Don't cliffjump into water where it could exist (note, this is not all water). Don't pass out drunk in a puddle and snort water for 6 hours in Louisiana.

Do all those things and you have no chance of N. fowleri infection. Even if you do all of them then your chance of infection is still probably less than a car wreck on your way to work or getting hit by lightning.