PV Gap

Lillie Said:

What heater is more safe and efficient for a swimming pool?

We Answered:

Solar is always going to be safest, in terms of possible fire or shock.Depending on where you live though, it may not be efficient as a primary heat source. For example, here in Ontario, most will use it as supplemental heat during the summer season only. It's pretty useless during spring and fall. It's a passive source, so the only cost after initial installation is powering the control box, which is minimal. Enersol is my favorite in this category. Parts are easy to get in all of North America, the material is durable and a good install makes winterizing easy. The unit is geared towards a consumer installation and comes with easy to understand documentation. They also include the automatic control valve made by Jandy. In my opinion, one of the best automatic valves in existence.
Gas delivers more BTU per buck and is a quick way of heating a pool from scratch or maintaining heat during spring and fall. But, there's also a risk of fire or explosion, however slight. In 15 years I've only seen 2 Cabana fires directly related to a gas heater and these were ultimately the home owner's fault by placing combustible material on top of the heater and by doing their own gas hook up. For that size pool you're looking at a 250,000 BTU heater. Hayward, Ray Pak and Teledyne Laars all make reliable gas heaters that are high efficiency. Personally, steer clear of the Pent Airs heaters if it's offered. Nothing but trouble with heat fusible links, poor pilot checking design and doors that are just a pain to open.
Electric, well, it's expensive to run. Watching the hydro meter when it's on will make you dizzy. For that size pool, you're looking at a 50 kW heater. I've never heard of anyone getting zapped by one, but it's always possible with a bad installation. No favorite here, they're all pretty much the same.

Clara Said:

Want to combine my 1st and 2nd mortgage. Problem: the 2nd is $60,000 I spend on solar panels; no appraise val?

We Answered:

According to the Appraisal Institute, solar increases the value of your home. A study suggested that the selling price of homes increased by $20.73 for every $1 decrease in annual utility bills (Appraisal Journal, October 1999).

If you cannot find the original article from 10 years ago, one of the pages that referenced it is below.

But your local appraisers should know what local people will pay. Maybe your market doesn't attribute value to solar panels.

Harold Said:

How can I make a system to heatmy swimming pool?

We Answered:

Reroute your return water from your pump through a Black Pipe that is mounted on the roof top... The sun will warm the pipe.. as the water pass through the warm pipe.. the water will warm up.. this will be returned into the pool.. over 12 hours the pool will drop 15 degrees to 20 degrees.... Be sure and put a flow adjustment in the return pipe.. that way you can limit how much water gets warmed... this will allow you to adjust the pool temperature...

Paul Said:

How can I make a system to heat my swimming pool?

We Answered:

black pvc curled up on your roof it heats the water then circulates it back to the pool

Regina Said:

Can one influence the average temperature of the water in a swimming pool by pool design?

We Answered:

I doubt the design it self would make much difference. If we assume that the outside temperature is constant with no other heater or whatever changing it, then I think if you have dark tiles (black ones), then it might increase the pools temperature, but only VERY slightly. It would hardly be noticeable. Shape wise, I'm guessing it's got to be quite thin, narrow and deep rather that wide, flat and shallow to try and keep some heat in, but again, it probably wouldn't be enough heat to make you feel the difference.