
If you have a pool and want to use it throughout the year, I know that there is SOLAR THERMAL COLLECTORS TO HEAT SWIMMING POOLS.
Can you imagine being able to enjoy your pool practically every month of the year? Having a pool of your own requires an important investment, being able to bathe in it only in summer does not have to be a constant.
SOLAR THERMAL COLLECTORS TO HEAT SWIMMING POOLS
The most advanced solar technology is put at our service with suitable products so that you can heat the water in a sustainable way and without the expenses involved in obtaining electrical energy with conventional methods.
The collectors or solar thermal collectors are the best option to extend the pool season, as they offer high performance without causing any harmful effect to the environment and are quickly amortized.
Acclimating your pool will become such a simple process that you will only have to recreate yourself in your bathrooms with your family and guests.
What is a solar thermal collector?
The solar thermal collector, also known as solar thermal panel or solar thermal collector , is used to capture solar thermal energy through the sun’s radiation and heat the water.
There are thermal solar panels of different types : polypropylene, flat and vacuum tubes. Next we will explain how each of them works and for what uses are the most indicated.
The first one we will talk about, as it can not be otherwise, is the ideal solar thermal collector for swimming pools.
Polypropylene solar thermal collector for swimming pools
This option turns out to be the most efficient for heating the water in outdoor pools in order to extend the bathing season. It must be taken into account that the outdoor or outdoor pool can only be heated in the months when the ambient temperature exceeds 15ºC.
Therefore, the period in which the highest values of solar radiation originate is from April to October, which coincides with the season in which we can enjoy our outdoor pool heated with solar energy.
The greater the volume of water to be heated, the greater the area needed in solar panels to achieve optimum performance of the installation.
This installation must allow to work with good performance at low temperature and a direct circulation of the water of the pool without the panels suffering a deterioration due to the use of chlorine and other chemical components in the sanitary water treatment.
The black polypropylene solar thermal collector meets all these conditions and adds another one, that of having special additives that protect it from ultraviolet radiation.
Its operation is similar to that of the flat solar collectors that we explain below, being the polypropylene solar collectors the most economical in the market and, in addition, the only ones that allow the passage of water from the pool directly through its interior.
Other type of solar thermal collectors
In indoor pools or covered with air-conditioned environment, the design of the installation will be completely different due to the period of use of the collectors and pool in this case, since it can be used throughout the year even in the winter months.
In this case, solar collectors or collectors that are thermally insulated against low ambient temperatures must be used. It can be used both flat solar collectors as collectors vacuum tubes.
Although that yes, we must bear in mind that these are not prepared for the direct passage of the water of the pool by his interior and, therefore, will have to realize the installation with two independent circuits: a primary for the water of the circuit of panels and a secondary one for the water in the pool, joined together by a heat exchanger for swimming pools.
Flat solar thermal collector
This collector is the most common to heat water at not very high temperatures , are for domestic or commercial use.
How does it work? The key is the greenhouse effect that is generated within the panel itself, the sun strikes the panel glass, which is transparent to the wavelength of the visible radiation, and lets most of the energy pass.
It is heated then, the solar panel, which in turn holds up very well the heat inside.
The flat solar thermal collector is provided with ducts through which heat transfer fluid circulates, this is heated and serves as a conductive medium to transfer the captured thermal energy to where it is needed (pool heat exchanger, DHW tank, inertia tank or …)
Vacuum tube solar collector
The solar panel of vacuum tubes consists of linear collectors (“heat pippe” or “heat pipe”) that perform the solar collection and are housed inside two-layer glass tubes between which the vacuum is made , which allows to reduce thermal leaks far below what is usual in other types of collectors or solar panels.
This type of sensor offers better performance than the flat collector in conditions of very low ambient temperature, since the thermal insulation of the collectors is much better.
The vacuum tube solar collector with Heat Pipe technology (makes it more efficient), is the most suitable to capture solar energy in the months of lower radiation and, in addition, has fewer thermal leaks which makes it more efficient in the times of colder than other solutions.
As you have seen, heating the water in your pool as well as the one you use daily at home (both for ACS and for heating) is possible with solar energy and besides contributing to protect the ecosystem, you can benefit from a considerable reduction in your invoices of electric consumption, diesel, gas or any other system that you currently use to heat the water.