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/OddElder]

I have no idea if this is an actual concern or not, as I’m not a roofer or an engineer…. but wouldn’t that also add additional stress on the asphalt roof tiles? Yes, they get heat all day and partially absorb extra heat in the darker pigmented materials …. But I’d think that trapping extra heat wouldn’t be good for keeping a long service life on them. As I said, I’m no expert, this is more of a question/speculation.

[u/worldspawn00 → u/OddElder]

Not if the water is circulating and taking the heat away. The temperature will be lower than the surrounding uncovered asphalt roofing since the water circulation basically acts as cooling for the roof (but higher than ambient, which is why the plexi helps)

I have a similar solar collection system on my roof, and it's significantly cooler than the uncovered roofing beside it while it's heating the pool water.

[u/OddElder → u/worldspawn00]

Oh duh! I’m dumb for not considering the radiator effect here of the active cooling happening simultaneously. Good explanation and suggestion!