SOLAR TODAY - May 2009

get started with solar water heating
“If something goes wrong with the installation, you could
burn up the motor or do a lot worse damage to the pool.”

— Thomas Babb, Heliocol Green Energy in Tempe, Ariz.

solar panels, affix them to the roof, put the piping into them, hook it all up to the pool system, and it would probably work. However, there was a long pause after each one told me this, followed by pleas to urge people not to do it. “Regardless of the skills a homeowner has, he or she just won’t have the experience or the knowledge that comes with doing this all the time to ensure that they do it right,” accord-

Steven C. SpenCer, FlorIda Solar energy Center

it’s usually easy to spot a homemade system before I even climb onto the roof,” Zrallack said. “For example, I’ve often found the wrong size pump that someone used, adding a load to the pool system that cut down on water flow and led to filtration and other problems. Also, we know what size pipe works best, but I’ve seen handyman projects where the piping was too small for the water flow that was needed. And what often

Click On: Find Solar
Pool Options

Incentives: Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency, dsireusa.org

Local Solar Professionals: Search by zip code and request information at FindSolar.com. Or search the Solar Energy Industries Association’s member directory, seia.org

Steven C. SpenCer, FlorIda Solar energy Center

It’s important that a solar pool heater be built and installed by a professional with the experience, training and knowledge of the system operation, code regulations, required permitting and all the nuances of these systems.

ing to Bob Zrallack, president of Solar Energy Systems ( solarenergysystems.com), a solar contracting company in Central Florida. Zrallack has been designing and installing solar pool heaters for 30 years, and many of the systems he built 20 or more years ago are still working.

“I’ve been called out to many homes over the years to find out why a system isn’t working, and

leads to the biggest problem of all is when I see solar pool collectors improperly attached to the roof with sealants that damage the shingles and lead to water leaks.”