The cheapest way to heat the water in your pool is by using a solar pool heater. You can harness the power of the sun and save costs to warm up your pool’s water. Solar pool heating is the process of pumping the pool’s water in a series of solar absorber or collector tubes to circulate warm water in your pool.

The solar absorber or collector is mounted on the ground or the roof of a building. These tubes collect the heat from the sun to elevate the water temperature flowing in the pool. So, what are the benefits of solar pool heater installation?

How Do Solar Pool Heater Works?

A solar pool heater typically consists of 4 elements:

• Filter to remove debris or dirt before the water enters the solar collector;
• A solar collector is a device with a series of tubes absorbing the heat from the sun;
• A flow control valve that redirects the pool water to the solar collector;
• Pump powers the water movement to circulate in the filter, solar collector, and pool.

The pool water is first pumped to the filters. They enter the solar collector tubes after passing through these water filters. These tubes trap the heat of the sun to elevate the water temperature going to the pool. Whenever the water in the pool cools down, the flow control valve then redirects them to the filter and solar collector. The water in the pool circulates through the use of pump powers.

The solar collectors of solar pool heaters are made of different materials. They are either glazed or unglazed. Glazed collectors are made of copper tubes with aluminium plates. They are covered with iron-tempered glass to retain trapped heat more efficiently.

Unglazed solar collectors are made of heavy-duty rubber or UV-treated plastic. They don’t have a glass cover and are less inexpensive than glazed solar collectors. Both types of solar collectors include anti-freeze protection. The glazed type can be used all-year-round while you can opt for the unglazed type if you’re only using your pool heater during freezing temperatures.

Benefits of Solar Pool Heater Installation

Among the three types of pool heating systems, solar pool heating is the cheapest and most popular.

• The initial cost of an electric pool heater ranges from $1,000 to $2,800.
• The initial cost of a gas pool heater ranges from $1,700 to $4,000.
• The initial cost of a solar pool heater ranges from $2,000 to $4,000.

But let’s compare the operational cost.

• The monthly average cost of an electric pool heater is around $100.
• The monthly average cost of a gas pool heater is between $300 to $500 depending on the fuel prices.
• The yearly average cost of a solar pool heater is around $250. This translates to only $20.83 monthly.

As you can see, you can save a lot from using solar pool heaters on your operational cost.

Solar pool heaters have a longer lifespan than electric and gas pool heaters.

• The average lifespan of an electric pool heater is roughly 10 years.
• The average lifespan of a gas pool heater ranges from 5 to 10 years.
• The average lifespan of a solar pool heater ranges from 15 to 20 years.

Besides the cost and durability, solar pool heaters are environment-friendly. They greatly reduced the use of fossil fuels that deplete the ozone level. They don’t emit CO2 which is hazardous to health and which pollute the environment. You’ll also have an endless amount of energy free of charge from the sun.