Pool and Spa Heating

Solar energy is used for pool and spa heating all over the world. Depending on climate and application, different types of collectors are used. Seasonal pools typically utilize unglazed, un-insulated plastic collectors, while year-round pools in colder climates utilize glazed, insulated collectors.

Solar pool and spa heating is so popular because it is very cost-effective for a number of reasons. Since pools and spas need to be heated to a low temperature relative to domestic hot water and space heating, pool and spa heating allow for collectors to operate at a high efficiency.

In homes that have solar radiant floor heating, pools and spas provide a useful heat sink in summer, when the floors do not require heat. This allows a single well-designed system to provide heat to different heating loads throughout the year, maximizing system economy.

Types of Solar Pool and Spa Heating

Cedar Mountain Solar offers both seasonal and year-round pool and spa heating systems.

In a seasonal pool heating system, pool water is typically circulated through un-insulated plastic collectors by either the pool filtration pump or a “booster pump” whenever the pool is cooler than the collectors and still requires heat. Such a system is susceptible to freezing and must be drained in winter.

A year-round pool or spa heating system uses glazed, insulated collectors such as those used for domestic hot water and space-heating systems. In some systems, a glycol solution is circulated by a solar-electric pump from the solar collectors to a tube-and-shell heat exchanger typically located in the pool equipment area. The pool filtration pump, or a dedicated booster pump, circulates pool water through the heat exchanger when the glycol solution is hot and the pool requires heating.

Cedar Mountain Solar, together with high-quality pool contractors, has pioneered the use of radiant floor tubing embedded in the floors or walls of the pool or spa. In such systems, the solar collectors are connected to the radiant tubing, allowing for pool heating independent of the pool filtration system.

In some systems, cooling fins are installed to protect the solar collectors from overheating when the pool or spa does not require heat.