One thing Australia has plenty of is sunshine, and as a new pool owner it is time to consider how you can extend your swimming season well past the end of summer. Solar pool heating takes advantage of all those sunny days and heats your pool to a temperature that means you can keep swimming well into autumn. The collector is the heart of keeping a solar pool heating system running, and these are the two main things you need to know about them.
What Is A Solar Pool Heating Collector?
Solar pool heating collectors are the panels that heat up the water you want to pump into your pool. They contain tubes that the pool water moves through. These tubes are then heated up by the sun, and a pump then pushes the water back into your pool.
The collector panels are similar to the large, dark-coloured panels you see on houses that use solar energy for electricity. However, a pool panel cannot be used for heating house water as it is designed to raise the temperature of the large volume of water in your pool by a few degrees, whereas a house has a smaller amount of water that needs to be raised to a higher temperature than this.
The amount of water that flows through the collector depends on what temperature you have set on your pool thermostat. If the pool temperature falls below the set temperature, warm water from the collector will be pumped into the pool to bring the temperature back up. If the pool gets too hot naturally because it is being heated by the ambient temperature of the day, no water will be released from the collector.
Where Will The Heating Collector Be Located?
Solar pool heating collectors should be located on a roof that is as close to the pool as possible, but there are a number of factors that determine the best location:
- The part of the roof that sees the most amount of sun during the course of the day is the ideal location.
- With Australia being in the Southern Hempisphere, the sun hits your home from the north, so the collector panels should be on a roof facing north.
- An angled roof collects more sun than a flat roof, and it is estimated the perfect roof pitch for solar heat collection is 30 degrees. If your home does not have this pitch, it does not mean you won't get enough heated water; it just means you may need extra collection panels to compensate.
Solar pool heating collectors will help make your dream of swimming in the autumn months a reality. Speak to a solar pool heating specialist or pool contractor, like those at Pool Solar & Spa, now so that you can get your collectors installed well before the leaves begin to turn brown again.
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