Solar Swimming Pool Heater

It's easy to make your own solar pool heater.

Solar Swimming Pool Heater DIY ideas. It's as simple as it is inexpensive. Make your own solar pool heater in a few hours and save money on energy bills.

Solar Pool Heaters

Build your own passive solar swimming pool heater in a day and recover the costs in less than a year.

solar pool heater

Here's a list of materials and directions to build a solar pool heater and get more use out of your pool.

This is a simple system that circulates pool water through warm black coils of PVC pipe and can be added to your existing filtration system.

The coils of pipe are set to bake in the sun on an adjacent rooftop or flat area.

This is a great supplement to your existing system, extending the days - and the times of day - the pool can be used, or it can work alone during the hot summer season.

Make as many as you need to bring the pool temperature to where you like it.

~ Here's How ~

Assemble your Solar Swimming Pool Heater Materials

Spool of Black, UV resistant, flexible hose, the same size (or close) as the inside diameter of your pool water lines.
Hose clamps, and lots of soft ties or zipties.
Spray paint, flat black (we like BBQ paint for it's heat resistance).
1/4 inch plywood if you'll be mounting on a solid flat surface. 1/2 inch (or thicker) if not. At least 4 feet by 4 feet, 6X6 is not too big.
Tools and Hardware ~ Drill and screws, hammer and nails, various pliers, wire cutter, etc...
Insulation ~ Insulating the back of the structure prevents the loss of heat. Styrofoam, fiberglass, expanding spray foam, even straw or crumpled newspaper can be used to insulate solar pool heaters and prevent heat from being drawn into the ground or concrete.

Assembling your Solar Swimming Pool Heater

Spray paint one side of the plywood with the flat black paint, let dry.

Make a circle in the center of the black side of the board with the hose as tightly as you can without the hose kinking or pinching and secure in place. Continue winding the hose snugly around itself in ever widening circles keeping the hose flat against the black board and each circle touching the last. Secure as needed. Both ends of the hose must remain visible and accessible for fittings to be applied.

Once you have your solar pool heater secured to the board allow glue to dry for 24 hrs and incorporate it into your pool water flow system after the filtration system or immediately before the water is discharged into the pool. Because water filters are not designed to work at high heat levels, filtration always takes place before the water is heated.

Here's a great video. The simplest homemade solar water heater we've seen yet. It will help to clarify the instructions above.

Some Considerations

Space for solar collector ~ You'll need an area where the collector can be exposed to Southern sun (or close to it) for 5 or 6 hours per day, preferably mid day sun. Sometimes the roof works for the purpose and sometimes it doesn't. Possibly you can build a platform at the best angle for summer sun. By enclosing the area beneath the platform you can turn it into a pool storage shed. This works particularly well in the north or south where the panels will be angled more sharply.
Cover the pool ~ Swimming pools lose heat rapidly once the temperatures drop. Because heat rises heat loss is rapid when night time temperatures drop, 95% of heat loss occurs through evaporation at night. If you want to get the most for your dollar the pool should be covered when it's not being used.
When filled with water the heater coils will be very heavy. Ensure that your unit is established on a secure surface that can tolerate the weight.
Your finished solar pool heater will be fairly large and... well... not real pretty. Give some thought to where you can establish it where it'll get the sun it needs, be close to the pool and as out of sight as you can manage.
This solar swimming pool heater will work most efficiently on hot sunny days and those are the very days that the swimming pool will be most used.
The longer the water stays in the warm black hose the warmer it'll be at the discharge end (up to a point). Ensure that you have enough length of hose and an adequately sized pump for the job.

For detailed, step-by-step instructions with photos and diagrams, all in one place, click here. Not only does this e-guide include a Solar Swimming Pool Heater Project but more than a dozen eco projects for the do-it-yourselfer including make your own solar panels, build a solar generator, build a chicken coop, even a DIY solar hot tub! Check it out to find out just how easy being green really is.