Budget Solar Pool Heating

Budget Solar Pool Heating kits

The low-cost alternative for people wanting to effectively heat their swimming pools and spas, without breaking the bank.

Very simple to install, and can often be installed adjacent to where the filter pump is located, alleviating the need to run a separate pump.

The tubing is 13mm large-diameter, highly stabilised, flexible polyethylene, with an estimated life of in excess of 25 years.

Install on a nearby corrugated iron roof, and connect it directly to the return pipe of the existing filter pump, so long as the roof is not too high, or located too far away.

Tubing manifold made to suit your roof

The polypipe tubing is the same top quality UV-stabilised tubing that is used for our other solar heating, but the tubes lie protected from the wind in each corrugation, and tend to pick up more heat per tube. The solar collector is mounted only by clamping the top manifold pipe, which makes for a very easy installation.

Install with the polypipes running down the corrugations to within 150 mm of the roof gutter. This allows for expansion and contraction, and occasional cleaning of the roof and gutters. Use a leaf-free roof, or one with reasonable slope, to avoid the problems of leaf build-up, and possible roof corrosion due to debris build-up.

Solazone poly solar tubes are spaced to neatly run down the trough of each corrugation, heating the water from direct and reflected solar radiation.
So simple to assemble – and you can add additional panels at any time to increase the size of your solar system.

This solar collector is supplied with sets of 1.5 metre long manifolds and 200 metre coils of solar tubing. The manifolds are clamped at the top of the roof, and the tubing is left to hang down the corrugated roof. The tubing is protected from wind losses by the profile of the corrugations. Each collector tube picks up more heat because of this, but a larger collector area is actually required because of the larger distance between the tubes.

Overall, the cost of this solar collector is greatly reduced, with similar heating performance, compared with all other types.

Assembling the Solar collector
This solar collector is supplied with sets of 1.5 metre, or 3 metre long manifolds, and 200 metre coils of solar tubing. The manifolds are clamped along the top of the roof at 800 mm centres, and the tubing is left to hang down the corrugated roof.

The manifolds may need to be trimmed at the ends before joining on to the next, so that the solar tubes all neatly run down the centre of a roof corrugation. The tubing is protected from wind losses by the profile of the corrugated roof. Each collector tube picks up more heat because of this, but a larger collector area is actually required because of the larger centre distance between the tubes.

Usually, the correct amount of tubing will cover a roof area of twice to three times the pool surface area, depending on the amount of heating required.

Do not fix down the lower manifold. You will find that it will move up and down the roof, depending upon expansion and contraction of the poly tubing. The entire solar collector is only fixed to the roof by the top manifold clamps. For steeper roofs, use more top manifold clamps, spaced closer together.

Once the collector is assembled, it is ready to be connected to the pool plumbing. Cold water enters in at the bottom manifold, with the heated water leaving from the diagonally opposite side at the top. Follow the plumbing instructions contained in the kits for correct installation of check, 3-way control and vacuum relief valves.

We can help you size a solar heating kit to suit your pool.
Just advise us pool length & width, type of roof, roof dimensions, and height of roof above pool water surface.

Do-it-yourself kits – Calculate what you need with this table

One or two tubing rolls is generally sufficient for most above-ground pools

DIY kits available now – you will be surprised how well it works.