Advice for solar heating on unusually high roof

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alan_k
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Advice for solar heating on unusually high roof

Postby alan_k » Sun 30 May, 2021 00:45

Hello All! I'm new to pools, I have 2 little girls (3 and 6) and had high hopes to add an above-ground pool to our backyard to deal with these hot summers. I bought a 12' round above-ground pool but now realize I have a problem: My backyard has a giant tree which keeps the whole area in complete shade. I literally have nowhere in the yard which gets any sun. I could just heat the thing electrically but I'm deeply (my wife would say obsessively) concerned with climate change so the natural answer would be a solar pool heater (of the Fafco type) on the roof and a good thermal blanket over the pool when not being used. My roof slopes 45 degrees and faces WSW. The problem is, my roof is ~30 feet above the pool, and this would require tremendous energy to push the water up only to let it fall back down. As I understand it, I can't use siphon action to get all that lifting energy back because it would collapse the tubes on the panel. I thought maybe I could use a heat exchanger on the roof to get the heat from the panels into the pool water. That is, run ABS pipes from the pool up to the roof and into the shell side of a tube-and-shell heat exchanger then back down so that siphon action would require minimal energy to get my pool water up to the roof and back. Then have a separate low-volume pump on the roof itself which pumps the warm panel water through the heat exchanger tubes. The question would be, are heat exchangers effective enough at getting the heat from the panel loop into the pool water loop? Or is there some better way I can create a low-energy method of heating the pool given my unfortunate limitations? Thanks so much!


DaveC426913
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Re: Advice for solar heating on unusually high roof

Postby DaveC426913 » Wed 02 Jun, 2021 13:38

I had the same problem as you - 12 ft round with heavy tree cover. I tried solar panels - I had to put them on the roof of a (willing) neighbor's shed.

I was never happy with them. Too much trouble for little gain. Have to bypass them if it's not daytime and sunny (otherwise they cool the water). Raccoons love to poop on them and they stop being effective, etc. I gave up on them. But YMMV.

The reason I joined this forum today is because I am finally installing an electric heater.

alan_k wrote:As I understand it, I can't use siphon action to get all that lifting energy back because it would collapse the tubes on the panel.

Where did you hear this? I suppose it could be true, I'd just never encountered it.
alan_k
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My Pool: 12' round above ground

Re: Advice for solar heating on unusually high roof

Postby alan_k » Thu 03 Jun, 2021 13:53

Thanks for the reply Dave. Good to hear your experiences. Do you remember what size solar panels you used? Raccoons can get to my roof so at least that's good! I imagine I'll have to supplement with electric heat too unless I really oversize my panels. I read about the collapsing of the tubes on some forum - that's why they recommend the pressure release valve at the top of your system, from what I understand. Did you have a pressure release valve and how high above your pool were the panels?
Thanks.
caezar
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Re: Advice for solar heating on unusually high roof

Postby caezar » Fri 01 Apr, 2022 07:19

Hello.

I have different situation, i need to connect 2pannels on north and 2 panels south. Can be a problem when one side won’t have sun? Parallel connection.
Teapot1
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Re: Advice for solar heating on unusually high roof

Postby Teapot1 » Fri 01 Apr, 2022 14:46

Valve off the side without sun or youll probably be using the heated water to warm the cold panel?
I may not give you the answer you want to hear, but I will give an honest opinion of your situation as you decribe it.

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