In order to maintain a "healthy" pool, there are 3 aspects which need to be controlled.
1. The physical cleanliness of the pool i.e. the removal of leaves, dust, etc. by vacuuming.
2. Maintenance of correct acidity/alkalinity – the pH level.
3. Correct sanitization of the water by the use of a Salt Chlorinator or addition of chlorine.
Heated Swimming Pools
You can heat your swimming pool in a range of ways:
You could use a gas or oil boiler with a heat exchanger. We recommend the Bowman Heat Exchanger as it runs smoothly with the salt water purification system, being made with corrosion resistant cupronickel tubes and bronze end covers. The units are very easy to maintain as both the end covers and tube stack can be removed easily for cleaning, this is unique to the Bowman design. Details of the Bowman Heat Exchanger are available in our attached pdf document.
Alternatively you can use Economy 7 – off peak electricity with a direct electric heater for use with the smaller pools. For more information, see the web-sites for www.thermalec.co.uk and www.elecro.co.uk.
Or you can use an electric heat pump which extracts free heat from the atmosphere. It’s an economical method of heating pool water and conveniently for the British climate it doesn’t rely on the sun just the air! We recommend the Certikin Outdoor Heat Pump. Details of the Certikin Outdoor Heat Pump are available in our attached pdf document.
Or you may choose solar heating...
Why Choose Solar Heating?
Solar heating is ideal for swimming pools as it is an economic and effective solution. The advantages are plain to see:
• The energy source is FREE so the panels pay for themselves in no time.
• It’s friendly to the environment with no emissions destroying the ozone layer.
• It’s silent.
• It’s pollution free.
• It’s easy to install in one day.
• It requires no on-going maintenance.
Solar Heating - The Difference
If you didn’t heat a swimming pool at all in the UK the water would rarely exceed 21°C (70°F). However with solar heating temperatures can be up in the mid to high 20’s°C and sometimes reach over 30°C, though we cannot guarantee any temperatures as the heat source is beyond our control.
Do We Have Enough Sunshine in the UK?
Despite the good old British weather solar panels still manage to operate successfully in the UK, although they work best on a bright sunny day, they will still collect heat on bright overcast days. During an average UK summer solar panels can typically heat a pool from around mid May to the end of September.
The temperature achieved with solar panels is often satisfactory for many people but if you should want higher temperatures you can use a conventional heating system in conjunction with the panels to give it that extra boost.
In fact, pools used all year round will certainly require a back-up heating system as there won’t be enough sunshine to sustain the heating during the winter months.
How Many Panels Do I Need?
The number of panels partly depends on the positioning of them, with an ideal location being a sunny south facing spot not too exposed and not in the shade. The panels want to be inclined to catch the most sun, so either fixed at ground level or on a convenient roof is ideal.
Then roughly speaking the area of solar panels should equate to 50% of the pool surface area for an indoor pool and 70% for an outdoor pool. A bubble cover is also recommended to insulate the surface of your pool when not in use and Sundance are happy to supply one.
How Does Solar Heating Work?
As you can see from the below diagram, the water is pumped out of the pool through the solar panels where it absorbs heat from the sun’s rays to warm the water.
A simple control ensures that the water is only diverted via the panels when weather conditions offer a worthwhile heat gain.
Solar Panel Specification
Rigid Riser: 7mm Polyethylene tube with carbon black Header: 50mm Polyvinyl chloride Grommet: 10mm Santoprene black Strip: 18mm x 2.5mm Comb strip polyethylene pre-punched Panel Connector: Polyvinyl chloride straight coupling End caps: Polyvinyl chloride stop end Size: 3050mm high x 1200mm wide Weight: 7kg
Test Procedures
Operating pressure – 1 bar (100kpa) Burst pressure – 17 bar (1700kpa)
Accelerated Aging Process – Xenon arc weatherometer
Life of Solar Panels
All Sundance Pool solar panels come with a 10 year warranty.
Price of Solar Panels
Sundance solar panels are £169 per panel including VAT.
