Solar panel pool heaters are one of the most cost-effective uses of solar energy today. You can easily add a solar pool heater to a pool with or without an existing heater. By replacing gas or electric, you cut down on the operating cost of the pool. When you install a solar heating system to a currently unheated pool, you have only the upfront cost.

Most solar pool heating systems consist of two additions to the pool’s existing pump and filter system. One is the solar collector through which pool water circulates to be heated by the sun. The other is a flow-control valve to divert the pool water to the solar collector. This effectively heats the pool by pumping the water through the filter and then through the solar collector before being returned to the pool.

The flow-control valve acts as a basic thermostat for your solar-heated swimming pool. If you want to heat it, use the flow-control valve to divert through the solar collector during the day. When the temperature is comfortable, divert the water through the solar collector for a shorter time or shut the valve completely so the water does not go through the solar collector at all. In the warmer climates, some cool their pools by using their solar collector to reverse effect. They open the valve to divert the water through the collector during the coolest hours at night, cooling the pool just as they heated it a few months before.

Depending on your location, climate, usage, and the size of your pool, you may want to have an actual solar panel pool heater that uses solar collector panels in a more traditional sense. You would mount the solar panels on the roof of your house or pool house, connect them to an AC/DC converter, and then connect it to your electric pool heater. You are basically changing the source of the electric running to your heater. With this arrangement, you can’t use the cooling effect described above, but you could also use the solar power to run all of the electric in your pool house, including your pool’s pump. This would cut your electrical bill even more.

Solar panel pool heaters of any kind can be a good investment. With a pool heater that uses a solar collector, you get to extend your enjoyment of your pool by at least a month earlier and later than you usually would. If you get a solar panel pool heater, you get the additional benefit of cutting your pool costs off of your electric bill. If you want to heat your pool for the first time or replace a broken heater, give serious consideration to solar power. For pool heating, solar power may be the best deal out there.