DIY Solar Pool Heater
Save money with this homemade method
Among the many ways to enjoy the benefits of converting the sun’s natural power into reusable energy, a plan to make your own DIY solar pool heater is one of the easiest, least expensive, and most fulfilling to achieve. Not only that, there are numerous options as to how to create this device, from a simple array of irrigation hose to a complex heat exchanger, depending on your DIY style and budget.
As for understanding how a DIY solar pool heater works, anyone who has ever turned on the faucet to a garden hose in the summer is familiar with how hot the water is coming out from the thermal heating condition caused by the sun. The simplest method uses a significant amount of hosing arranged for direct exposure to southern facing skies in order to capitalize on this phenomenon of solar power. Cost can be from a low $100 to as much as $300 depending on your choice of hose or irrigation tubing including plywood and fittings.
The basic design uses an array of hosing in a concentric circle to avoid kinking. Whether it is 100-feet of garden hose or 200-feet of irrigation line, as long as it is black to absorb the solar power, you can use brackets or strapping to secure the hosing to a plywood platform, also painted black. The plywood is fashioned as a frame to hold the hosing flat for maximum exposure. A hole drilled at the center and the outside of the frame can be fitted with elbows and hardware to secure the two ends of the hose line as it leads away from the plywood panel. This panel can be fitted with supports to allow the angle toward the sun and the whole device can be seated on the ground near the rest of your pool equipment.
The flow goes something like this:
• Water is drawn from the pool through the skimmer by use of the pump
• The pump continues the flow from the filter to the chlorinator through the T on the way to the bypass
• The bypass, fitted with a ball valve, can be adjusted to allow flow to the heater
• Water courses through the encircled hose line where it warms and then flows into the pool
There is no need to open the valve fully as it will only tax the pump and when the valve is closed, it acts as a bypass, completely eliminating the route to the heater altogether. It is easy enough keep an eye on the filter’s pressure gauge to regulate the flow so that it does not force the pressure up.
Utilizing a solar cover is also a good idea to retain the warmth so it is not cooling down and undermining the process. Fitting the hose panel with a clear cover will also help to reduce airflow over the hose that also tends to cause some cooling. Just be sure if Plexiglas is selected that it is designed for extended sun exposure. If you get a cover that yellows over time you are, in essence, filtering or reducing the degree of solar power. Devising your own DIY solar pool heater will extend the enjoyment of your pool season by at least three months as you can still enjoy the sunshine.