Hi Flowergirl,
We are in Orange County, NY, only 20 minutes from Vernon/Sussex. We are having a pool install done this spring and have decided to go with solar for our heat source. I have done a few hours worth of research time into solar panels and the best panels are made by Solar Industries (that is the panel manuf). We are using a company out of Netcong, find them at.... capturethesun"dot"com. The owners name is Rich. He provided me with references around my area and all the owners could not be more pleased. With the cost of gas and propane, our solar system will pay for itself over 3 1/2 years.

There is also someone out of Warwick that installs the same panels for the same cost, but we went with Rich b/c I think the guy out of Warwick subs the install out and has only been in business 3-4 years. Rich, or at least his partner in business, is the one who actually gets up on the roof to do the install and they have been in business for quite a while.

HTH! GL!

Thanks so much. I actually was looking into this company yeasterday. So it is good to hear this about them. If you don't mind me asking, how big is your pool and approx. how much for the solar system? Our pool is 18 x 36 free form.

Thx,
Flowergirl

Our pool will be 18X40 grecian-l. We will be having seven 4x14 solar panels installed for a cost of $4500.

Our backyard is completely open..surrounding trees approx 300ft away from the house, so we get great westerly sun exposure..hence the need for a pool.

Our house does have a walk-out basement and our roof pitch is fairly steep, so this may have played a bit into some extra labor cost(not 100% sure though).

Considering the pb wanted $2100 for a 265k BTU heater, + install of approx $500. We are paying $1,900 more at start-up for solar. But when you add in the cost of propane, which I have quotes for $1.90/gal from the fall(I don't even know what propane cost is today) + the cost of electric to run the heater...the payoff is roughly 3.5-4 years.

Any more ?'s let me know.

GL!

Solar energy is an excellent way to cut electrical costs. Besides heat for your pool, there are a variety of fun outdoor solar lighting ideas that can create a fun and personalized backyard.

Here is a link that might be useful: Save electical costs with solar lighting

Thanks so much for the info. I have an appointment with Solar living this weekend. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Hi Flowergirl,

If you want to mention that Donna from Goshen who is having a pool installed soon (hopefully April), I think I can earn $100. At least that is what it says on their website for "refer a person".

Again, Rich is a great guy and his partner Mike is very nice as well.

GL!

"Our pool will be 18X40 grecian-l. We will be having seven 4x14 solar panels installed for a cost of $4500."

I think you should talk to another solar company, and do some more research.

I own a solar company in South Texas. Based on the numbers that you have provided, you do not have enough square feet of panel to do you much good.

When I quote a residential pool with out conventional heat for backup, I won't quote less than 80% of solar panel area with respect to pool area.

In other words, you have a total pool area of 720 sq. ft. The solar panel area that you have been quoted is 392 sq. ft. That is not nearly enough panel area to sufficiently heat your pool unless you like to swim in really cold water.

I wouldn't quote less than 10 panels, and if it were for me, I would install 12 panels.

The 7 panels that you were quoted will not be able to provide nearly enough heat for the size of your pool, especially in a northern climate.

I would ask your solar company to quote at least two more panels.

I agree with pilot20. That is extremely weak amount of panels to heat a 18x40 pool. Go with someone else that has more sense. What a ripoff.

Pilot20, I'm going the owner/builder route and I'm pretty good with the DIY construction, what brand of panels should I go with and how many for a 800 sq' pool in central California? I have a 400K heater that can be valved into the pool, but it is mainly for the spa. This could be programmed,(via the Intellitouch) to supplement the pool heat.

Hey Guys,

I understand your concern, but I did a huge amount of research on solar panels. Of course more is definitely always better, but we don't need to oversize it either. It seems the avg recommendation for sf of solar panels is btwn 50-75% of the total pool surface area. Do a "google" search on total sf of solar panels or whatever search term you want to input.

We also do not have a total surface area of 720sf, we are installing a grecian-lazy-l so it has some cut corners and one large cut side.

I also have called his customers and inquired to their sf of solar panels and the size of their pools. Most of them are roughly 50% of their pool surface and some have trees in their yards that block the panels at times. Our yard is wide-open. I also asked them what their swim season is...mid-May to early-Oct. That is a long enough season for us here...maybe too long.

Here is a GREAT link. Even though it is from the state of Florida, it has adjustments for anywhere in the country. Keep in mind, that when it does calculate how many panels you need, it calculates at the higher %, anywhere from 70-85%.

I am comfortable with the number of panels, but he did give us a quote with one additional panel, may consider the one add'l but not going to increase it anymore than that.

I can only say to flowergirl, call his customers and inquire how big their pool is, how big are the panels and # of panels, ask them the avg temperature of the pool water, what is the hottest temp they have ever gotten the pool water, how long is their swim season, etc....ASK, ASK ASK.

This guy and his company have been in business for over 30 years now. I think he has enough "sense". How many years do you guys have??

Here is a link that might be useful: Solar Pool Heat System Sizing

Hi all,

Thanks for all of the info. Rich from Solar Living came out on Saturday and here is the estimate. We have a 18 x 36 Lagoon style pool. I have no idea the actual SF of the pool but he is quoting me 348 SF of panels. Because of our roof lines and the position of our house, he would give us 3 - 3 x 12, 1 - 4 x 12 and 6 - 4 x 8 panels. The cost would be $ 4931 OUCH! I really didn't expect 5K. I was thinking $3500-4000. I have put a couple of calls in to other companies to get some more quotes. Does the amount of SF seem right? I would hate to spend so much money and not actually have my pool heated enough.

Ours is an 18' x 32' lagoon style pool and is a little over 400 s.f. Yours is a bit bigger, probably 450 s.f. or so, maybe more depending on the shape of course. The quoted size is roughly 78% of your pool area. From my research into solar I don't think it's worth doing if you're not looking at 75% or more. Reading through this thread it's obvious that everyone has their own opinion on what adequate coverage is, so in the end you'll have to decide for yourself. As far as the price goes, that sounds very high. You're on the right track seeking out more bids.

Okay, so I got my second estimate from Solar Swim out of Somerset, NJ. He sized the system a little bigger, 400SF, and priced it at $4800. Does anyone have any experience with this company? I liked the looks of this system better than Solar Living. There are no unsighly parts and it just seems better built. They use Heliocoil panels which are more flexible and require less space because they can go around things like vent pipes etc.

Flowergirl232

"Pilot20, I'm going the owner/builder route and I'm pretty good with the DIY construction, what brand of panels should I go with and how many for a 800 sq' pool in central California? I have a 400K heater that can be valved into the pool, but it is mainly for the spa. This could be programmed,(via the Intellitouch) to supplement the pool heat."

I don't recommend DIY for solar installation unless you have some background in hydraulics. Not just because I sell/install solar systems, but I have been called to fix numerous DIY jobs.

First, if you are attaching the panels to your roof, you need to know what you are doing to avoid damage/leaks to your roof. You will need to make numerous penetrations to your roof, and making sure that the penetrations are sealed is obviously crucial.

Second, you need to be able to calculate the head pressure and water flow for the panels to work properly. An undersized pump will not work properly, and an oversized pump will waste energy.

To size the pump properly, you need to calculate your pipe runs and lift. If you are placing your panels on a second story roof, the head pressure required may be greater than what your existing pump can handle. When your pool builder sized your pump, he was not anticipating a solar system. Therefore, you may need to add a booster pump to the system. Wiring in a booster pump can be tricky.

Third, you need to determine how many panels are required for your pool. For an 800 sq. ft. pool, I would quote a minimum of 640 sq. ft of panel area. That would be 13 - 4 x 12' panels. Each panel requires 5 gpm of flow to function properly, so you would need 65 gpm.

Can your pump handle that flow rate? To handle that much water, you would also need a minimum of 2" pvc. Anything less will not be adequate.

Last, but not least, you cannot connect more than 400 sq. ft of panels together in one bank, as water will seek the path of least resistance, and if you have a panel bank larger than 400 sq. ft., water will not flow through all of the tubes in the panel, reducing the heat absorption. When I install larger solar systems such as yours, I always plumb separate panel banks. In your case, assuming 13 panels, I would separate the panels into two banks of 6 and 7 panels each.

Dividing your panels into more than one bank requires some plumbing expertise that the average homeowner doesn't have.

I often get requests to supply components as a DIY kit. For the reasons stated, I always decline because 99% of the DIYs are not happy with the results, and then they blame the panels/equipment.

As far as my recommendation for a panel manufacturer, I highly recommend Heliocol. That is what I supply because they make a high quality product and they stand behind it. Heliocol has been in business for over 30 years and they know what they are doing when it comes to solar systems for swimming pools. I have very few problems with the Heliocol panels and that is...

Pilot20,

Does the price seem right to you? 400sf for $4800? Thanks for all of the great information.

"Does the price seem right to you? 400sf for $4800? Thanks for all of the great information."

That price seems very reasonable and is very close to what I would quote.

Most solar systems sell for between $12 and $15 per square foot of panel. So, you are on the low end.

Keep in mind that a properly installed solar system should last 20 years or more, so you are only paying $240/year to heat your pool. That is a great value.

Also, solar sytems add value to your home. If you ever want to sell your home, adversising a solar heated pool will attract more buyers and you should be able to get most of your original investment back with the sale.