03/27/2023
Tip of the Week - Solar
The term "Solar" gets used a lot around swimming pools, but what can the Sun do for my pool ? Today I am going to talk about 3 things to think about related to the sun, and how it effects your pool.
First, I am often asked about solar heating. Solar heating is a process that typically lets water flow through Black pipes on a roof of a shed or house, in direct exposure to sunlight. The sunlight heats the black panels or pipe, warming the water inside. There are a lot of pros and cons; But in my opinion, the cons tend to outweigh the pros when it comes to Solar heating. Although there is no Hydro or gas needed, the system will use up a lot of space on the roof. The size of the your pool will determine the amount of panels or pipe needed. For a small pool this system may be a good option, however for most inground pools solar heating is used to augment an eclectic or gas heater and not meant to be the main source of heating. The system is good at maintaining temperature in the summer months, however they do not tend to do as well in spring and fall months when the heating is wanted. Solar heating typically is prone to leaking after a few seasons, Winterization or repair of a solar system on a roof may require working at heights training and can be a headache to repair.
Second, Let's talk about Solar blankets, there are some misconceptions about them and what they do. In todays market solar blankets come in two forms. A Chemical that is added daily to your pool or a blanket you cover the pool with that resembles bubble wrap. In both cases a solar blanket will prevent evaporation from the pool. Evaporation is usually the main source of heat loss in a pool. A solar blanket will not heat a pool, instead it will help keep the pool from cooling. Typically I suggest you use solar blankets in Spring and Fall or when using a heater. Using the blanket will help keep the water from cooling when the water and air temperature have large differences. Avoid leaving a solar blanket on the pool through the daytime unless there are large temperature differences as the lifespan of the "bubble wrap" style of solar blanket can be reduced by UV/ and excess pool chemicals. When buying a solar blanket keep in mind that they typically will not last much more than 3 seasons. You may notice that the blanket will have a rating on them in "years". Although there may be some thickness differences they do not tend to last much longer - Check to see if the warranty will replace the blanket if it decays before the number or years it is rated for. For the chemical version of a solar blanket, we are typically adding a solution to the pool that prevents evaporation. The chemical systems do not work as well as an old school blanket when there are large temperature differences, however they are still effective. The bonus with the chemical system is that you don't have a cumbersome blanket to move around.
Third, we need to consider how the sun will effect our water chemistry. Today I am going to focus mostly on one aspect, UV. there are other ways the sun may effect chemistry but UV is the main one. The sun's ultraviolet rays can cut down the chlorine concentration by 90% in as little as two hours. To combat this effect, we add chlorine stabilizer to our water chemistry. Stabilizer, most commonly cyanuric acid or CYA will be on most water testing solutions or strips. The Acid will bond to the chlorine in the water making the chlorine more resistant to UV. When using chlorine pucks, they are often stabilized meaning they include some stabilizer by default. NEVER directly mix stabilized and non stabilized chlorine, this will cause a chemical reaction that produces dangerous fumes. This reaction will not happen inside the pool do to the dilution in the water. When adding any chemical to your pool read the label or ask a profession to find out how it should be added. A lot of people have started using salt systems and perhaps a sales person told them they wouldn't have to worry about chemicals ever again. This is very wrong, as salt pool only produce chlorine, we should be monitoring PH, Alkalinity and stabilizer as well . One of the benefits of a salt system is that you can maintain a lower level of chlorine in the pool, however when Stabilizer is not used and the chlorine is lost to UV. With out Stabilizer Salt systems don't last as long as they should, because they are working overtime to try to keep chlorine levels up. When the sun is out, we want to use the pool more. The chlorine is also getting used up keeping the water clean from increase number of bathers. Pools green when we get a lot of sunshine, and that is typically because the chlorine solution is not effective. Remember the sun is not constant, as we may have a few cloudy days, or a tree may provide more shade later in the season. To Much stabilizer can cause a problem too. Be sure to check your water chemistry regularly and be ready adjust as needed.
Rob's Pools Is an expert in the pool industry. We offer hands off maintenance packages and Pool School solutions tailored to you,
Check out Robspools.com or Call 289-208-5144 to find out how Rob's Pools Can help you !
