Solar Heating Options For Swimming Pools - Free Heating Energy For Your Pool

With today's economic worries and environmental concerns, energy and cost savings are paramount. While owning a private swimming pool can be a source of luxurious fun, many pool owners are becoming more and more concerned with the financial and environmental impact of keeping their pool heated. Fortunately, however, for those who are dealing with such concerns, there are a variety of solar heating options for swimming pools that will provide free heating energy for your pool while minimizing your pool's impact on the health and sustainability of the planet. These swimming pool solar heating options include solar panels, solar blankets, solar sun rings, sun domes and solar pills.

Solar panels and solar heating systems are great options for raising pool temperatures with no utility bills. Systems that feature safe and lightweight solar panels can easily be installed and winterized so you can enjoy amazing heating results with minimal hassles. Solar heating systems are available for both above ground and in-ground swimming pools and will increase pool temperatures by up to 15 degrees, thereby greatly increasing your comfort and extending your swimming season.

Swimming pool heating systems that utilize solar panels work by circulating pool water through the solar panels with the help of the pool's pump. The panels are heated by the sun and transfer that heat into the circulating water, which is then returned to the swimming pool. The innovative design of solar panel systems allows for automatic and extremely effective swimming pool heating.

For above ground swimming pools, another related and high-quality option is the Aquaquick above ground solar pool heater. With its special dome design, this solar heater provides exceptional heat transfer and yet is incredibly easy to use. This solar pool heater is effective for swimming pools up to 15,000 gallons and its small size makes it ideal for small yards and properties where setting up conventional solar panels is not possible.

Solar blankets also provide an effective and affordable way to keep above ground and in-ground swimming pools warm. Constructed from a highly durable polymer material featuring thousands of air bubbles similar to those found in bubble wrap, pool solar blankets are impressive insulators. These blankets allow solar energy to pass through the polymer material and then trap the heat created by solar energy in the pool's water. Solar swimming pool blankets can increase the temperature of pool water by 10 to 15 degrees and will reduce evaporation by up to 95 per cent. In some climates, a solar blanket will be the only form of heating necessary for swimming pools, resulting in zero utility costs.

While pool solar blankets offer many attractive benefits, some people may feel that they are too cumbersome to deal with. However, that really does not have to be the case. Many solar blankets are actually very lightweight, despite their strength and durability. Also, solar blanket reels are available from most retailers that sell solar blankets. Solar blanket reels make it exceptionally easy and convenient to cover and uncover your swimming pool with a solar blanket, allowing you to enjoy the many benefits offered by this form of solar heating without any unnecessary frustrations or burdens.

Solar sun rings are another great solar heating option for swimming pools. Relatively new on the market, these devices are very innovative and exceptionally efficient. Solar sun rings are floating discs made from durable, heavyweight and UV-resistant vinyl. The upper layer of each disc is clear while the bottom layer is blue, and each layer has its own function. The clear layer retains insulating air and also serves to focus sunlight on the bottom layer of the disc. The blue layer then absorbs the sunlight and converts it to heat.

Several solar sun rings are used in a single pool and are connected together with magnets. For the best results, solar sun rings should only cover between 70 to 80 per cent of your swimming pool so that your pool water will still receive some direct sunlight, which will keep your water healthy by reducing algae growth. Swimming pool solar sun rings can also be used as an insulating cover at night and provide even more effective heating than typical solar blankets.

Another way to keep your swimming pool warm simply by using free heating energy from the sun is to use a sun dome pool enclosure. Sun domes are available for both above ground and in-ground swimming pools and are typically constructed from vinyl and aluminum. By enclosing your swimming pool in one of these insulating domes, you can increase the temperature of your pool water by up to 20 degrees and significantly extend your swimming season. At the same time, you will be protecting your pool from rain, debris, bugs and evaporation. Sun domes are available in a variety of different sizes, shapes and models so they will fit many different in-ground and above ground swimming pools.

In addition to solar panels, solar blankets, solar sun rings and sun domes, solar pills also provide efficient and effective solar heating for swimming pools. When added to your pool, solar pills release a non-toxic compound that forms an invisible and biodegradable film or shield on the surface of the pool's water. This shield serves to reduce evaporation, which is one of the major sources of heat loss from swimming pools. Solar pills work 24 hours per day, even while the pool is in use, and each pill lasts for up to 30 days. Solar pills are approximately 60 per cent as effective as traditional solar blankets but work continuously and don't need to be rolled and unrolled.

Whether you would prefer to use solar panels, solar blankets, solar sun rings, sun domes or solar pills to heat your swimming pool, every option will provide you with warmer water temperatures without any utility costs. With the realities and concerns of today's world, free solar heating energy is an attractive and smart choice for keeping pools warm, and solar heating options will likely only become more and more popular with every swimming season.