Solar Pool Heating: Debunking Myths about Heating an Outdoor Pool

A lot of information about pool heating is either incorrect or portrays a negative view of the industry. One popular myth is that, when using solar pool heating, you only need 60% collector coverage to efficiently heat the water to a comfortable temperature. The total area of the solar collectors should be at least 80%, if not 100%, of your pool’s surface area. Anything less than 80% will mean that your pool will be inadequately heated. Many factors influence the design of a solar pool heating system. These include location of house and pool, trees and other structures causing shade over the collectors and pool, climate. All of these factors influence the size of the collector system required to sufficiently heat your swimming pool.

Some people argue that pool heating is unnecessary as people will swim regardless of whether the pool is heated or not. In fact, people much prefer to swim in a heated pool than in an unheated one. For the majority of people, water needs to be a minimum of 25°C to swim. Most pools will reach this temperature during the summer months of December – February, before and after summer the temperature will drop. This is where a solar pool heating system can extend your swimming season by a couple of months prior and after the swimming season with a relatively low operating cost. This will provide a much better return on investment giving you double the amount of use of your swimming pool.

Another popular myth regarding pool heating is that large heaters are necessary. There are many different types of pool heating systems available today – solar, gas and electric. Obviously many factors will influence the size of pool heater required to heat your swimming pool as well as what people actually want out of their pool. Do they need it for exercise or therapeutic benefits? Pools today provide much more than just a play area for families with children.

Some companies claim that heating a pool can be done for as little as $2 a day. This is also untrue and ultimately leads to customers being hit with a hefty and unexpected utility bill at the end of the month. Of course, running costs directly reflect the size of the pool, the volume of water needed to be heated and the choice of heater itself, and it is true that under certain conditions, running costs can indeed be very low. Running costs will depend on all of the factors illustrated above and again will revolve around what people actually want to achieve with their swimming pool.