Quote:
Originally Posted by GaryGary
Hi,
I've seen those advertised and wondered if they did anywhere near as well as the ads claim.
Could you provide a bit more detail on yours?
- How big is the pool?
- What would a typical day temperature gain be?
- What kind of radiator and how big? Is it the type with the fan built in?
- What kind of pump did you use? Any idea what the flow rate is?
- Were you able to provide some sort of leak protection if there was a leak at the radiator?
Thanks -- Gary
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-The pool was the Intek. Its 18' round x 4' high. 5455 gallons.
Amazon.com: 18' x 48" Intex Easy Set Pool Package: Toys & Games
-We started the pump after the temperatures were above 90 degrees in the attic, usually around 11am. We had dark brown roof shingles and at one point, I covered the vents to build up more heat. It was 10 years ago, so I don't remember all the details.
-We used a 4 core car radiator with a standard box fan blowing on high. The pool got the pool up to about 80 (from around 55-60).
-After about 2 weeks, I found a larger 24" x 24" x 6" heat exchanger and a stronger fan. Those additions increased the heat exchange much faster. One reason why I had to cover the vents to build more heat.
-We used the filtration pump (approx. 1500 gph) supplied with the pool and a Harbor Freight water pump. I don't remember the size, but it was around $100. The second pump was needed to get the water up to the attic about 15' approx. from the ground through the exchanger and back to the pool. There is no way to use only the pools supplied filtration pump. I tried.
-I did learn that the speed of the flow with my setup was very important. Too fast and the heat exchange wasn't as effective.
-The leak protection consisted of a large plastic catch basin under the unit with a 4 inch drain to the outdoors. I put a water alarm in the catch basin to warn me of a problem.
Water Alarm from Basement Watchdog | The Home Depot - Model#: BWD-HWA Of coarse the system was drained in the colder time of the year.
- I think that there was some condensation on the coil, for some reason, but its been about 10 years ago. Another reason for the catch basin.
-We were able to set the pool up in April and heat it with some success, but in the summer months, it would get too hot if I didn't monitor the temps. From what I remember, around 90 to 95 was very comfortable.
-The circulating water pipes were all wrapped in a foam pipe wrap and taped.
-I had to cover the pool with a bubble wrap insulation when not in use to keep the pool heated.
-The hot incoming water was just like you would find at a hot springs spa. I measured the temps at one time, but forgot how hot the water came out. It was warm enough to get me in the pool!
-More than once I forgot to turn it off and it began cooling the pool. I added a couple of timers after that.
-We used this set up for at least three years. I don't recall how much the electric fan and pumps added to the utility bill, but I don't believe it was that much.
-If we had a pool now, I would hack an A/C unit and exchange the heat that way. There would be protection in place for a automatic pump shut off in case of a leak in the system. Also, I would put in adjustable vent dampers to open and close off the vents.
-A drawback with this type of pool heating is that when you have a cloudy, lower temperature day, you would have to rely on some other type of heating to get the pool up to a friendly tempeture. Talk about spoiling the kids when the pool is now a heated pool and now they have to wait....
-We noticed that the house was more comfortable in the summers.
-Even for those folks that don't have a pool, just think about all of that usable heat we could use to heat our hot water tanks.
Gary, I hope this answered a few of your questions.....
-Geo-