This e-book will show you how to harness the power of the sun and make your very own solar heating system for your pool! Read thru and get the idea, then check out your garage for supplies!

You will need..

Some hose pipe, (we used about 40’, but this is variable, the more the better)

Slow flo pump like a fish tank pump or sml fountain pump (I used a 430lph model)

Loads of 2” nails and a few screws

Chipboard or similar about 3’ x 2’

Timber to make sides of your box, each side of your chipboard. About 3” x 1” (not critical)

Matt black paint

Perspex or Heavy duty plastic to cover box

2/4 old fence posts or similar to mount box

Optional timer to improve efficiency

Paint your chipboard matt black. When it’s dry, form your hosepipe around this base using nails to hold it in place. Make sure you have enough hose hanging out of your box to reach pool and pump respectively. I used a rigid piece of pipe to join 2 hoses in my box. I should add here that I have now spray painted my hose matt black as well.

Paint the sides of your box black as well and attach them to the base, making holes just large enough for the hose to come through.

Screw Perspex (or staple plastic) to top of box and you are ready to site your box. Height of solar box is fairly critical. Your fish tank pump probably only has an ability to pump thru about 75cm or so. Your box height must be no higher than 75cm (or whatever your working head of water is) above the pump position in the pool.

Ours is sited at approximately the same height as the pool, a fraction higher. This may be worth playing around with for a bit, since the height of the panel adjusts the flow rate of the water. The slower the water flow, the higher the temperature.

Then connect up your pump in the pool water to the hose in the box and make sure you have enough hose coming out of the box to reach your pool at the other end of the hose!

Just to get the most out of our panel, I have now installed a mechanical segment timer at the plug and it comes on every 15 mins and then goes off for 15 mins, making most of electricity and sun. It also turns it off and on in the morning when the sun has been up for 20mins or so and off in the eve.

Ours is sited out of the way behind the pool and supported against a wall, however 4 strong posts would be fine. The final position is slightly tilted towards the sun, and if I did this again, I would tilt it a little further, angle of 30° or so. (my posts need lowering slightly).

The hose clips on the side are to prevent the hoses dropping down too far and stopping the flow of water. Again, you can see I have a join in my pump pipe because it wasn’t long enough!

Whatever the temperature of your water coming out of the system, if it is hotter than the pool water then you’re winning!!

You will be surprised at the temperature the water will get too, too hot to hold your hand under if you leave the pump off for a few minutes, hence my use of the timer.

We have taken our pool water from 15° when it was filled to 25° and this is ongoing so I think it will go higher than this. (Latest temperature – 28°!)

To help things, you can lay your pool on polystyrene and use a bubble cover to conserve the heat you do make.

	Water return hose
Hose leading to pump

Be sure of the width of Perspex you can buy before you construct your box, our sheet of Perspex was only just wide enough!!!

GOOD LUCK!

UPDATE – height of box may be important depending on strength of pump, play with this before fixing permanently. Also air locks, you may have to prime your system with hose pipe (ie mains pressure) and then change back to your pump in a bucket of water to avoid introducing more air!

Also, I have added another hose to this system now, in between the original hose – twice as good! I have also spray painted it all black.

www.catralspain.com