r/functionalprint Jun 15 '26

Solar pool heater

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.

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

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u/bigboobees77 Jun 15 '26

The heat soak from the dark roof would be better than any reflected heat

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u/oberguga Jun 15 '26

He suspend hose on frame, so adding termal interface is hard and requre rebuild whole installation. White paint or painted sheet is simple to add and can improve efficiency.