SOLAR...
it's very mention conjures up visions of exotic and complex technologies...
sprawling fields of tracking collectors... huge solar powered satellites
beaming electricity by laser to huge generators on earth. In reality,
solar today is anything but exotic. It's simple, reliable, and proven,
especially in the field of pool heating. But, misconceptions persist.
Some stem from early solar mishaps, some from distorted and manipulative
sales presentations, others from sheer lack of information. The purpose
of this article is to dispel some of the myths and to shed some light on
an often misunderstood technology.
ANSWERING THE MYTHS
m
MYTH
#1: SOLAR POOL HEATING IS A NECESSITY. FACT:
No, of course not. But neither is your pool. Your swimming pool represents
a sizable investment in your home. Moreover, the
pool costs money to maintain, so
you may as well use and enjoy it. Otherwise, your investment becomes
just an expensive piece of landscape.
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Heating your pool increases it's
use. In this sense, utilizing solar
power represents sound financial
planning. By harnessing the
sun's energy
to heat the pool, you maximize your investment by using it more frequently.
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..MYTH
#2: SOLAR IS AN UNTESTED NOVELTY AND DOESN'T WORK...FACT:
Solar heating isn't new,
..it's
been used throughout history. Solar pool heating works well, is extremely
cost effective, and
..represents
the most widely used application of solar worldwide today.
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..All
reputable solar pool heating panels have been rated and certified.
The two most important
..certification
agencies are the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation (SRCC) and
the Florida Solar
..Energy
Center (FSEC).
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..More
important, in Southern California, thousands of solar pool heating systems,
sparred by the tax
..credits
of the late 1970's, have
been "field tested" on homes over the last 10-15 years.
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..Indeed,
some horror stories do exist. Like any young industry, solar went
through it's learning curve.
..Many
systems were oversold, undersized, and poorly installed. But the
industry has evolved, mistakes
..have
been corrected, and numerous improvements have been achieved.
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..Additionally,
as government and utility support waned and oil prices plummeted during
the mid-1980's,
..the
weaker, less qualified firms went out of business.
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..Today's
"second generation" solar companies survived the industry shakeout, and
learned from their
..mistakes
and those of their moribund competitors. The vast majority of today's
pool heating systems
..are
durable, reliable, and low maintenance, with numerous solar pool collectors
backed by a full 10-year
..warranty –
a claim most other industries would be hard pressed to match.
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..MYTH
#3: ANYONE CAN INSTALL A SOLAR HEATER...FACT:
Most people wouldn't have their
..gardener
pull their tooth, or their lawyer repair their air conditioner, and the
same should apply to solar.
..The
key to an efficiently functioning solar pool heater is simple, solid design
and proper installation.
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..MYTH
#4: SOLAR WILL HEAT YOUR POOL YEAR AROUND...FACT:
Your solar panels can provide
..heat
to a pool on a sunny winter day. In this sense, they heat year around.
But, because of shorter
..days,
weaker sun, dramatic night heat losses and a tendency toward overcast and
rain, solar will not
..generally
bring the pool to what most people would perceive to be swimmable temperatures
during the
..deep
of winter.
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..In
Southern California, a properly sized solar pool heater will keep the pool
in the high-70, low-80 degree
..range
from Easter through Halloween. Sometimes higher, sometimes lower,
depending on a multitude of
..factors
including the type and number of panels, panel orientation, and the vagaries
of weather in general
..and
micro-climates
in particular.
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..Once
nighttime October temperatures start dipping into the 40 and 50 degree
range, a cover is necessary
..to
mitigate heat loss, thereby squeezing additional swimming and saving out
of your solar system.
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..As
a rule of thumb, glazed and unglazed solar panels heat with just about
equal efficiency from spring
..through
fall, unless there are high winds or other special circumstances.
But once days start getting
..chillier,
glazed panels work better.
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..MYTH
#5: PERFORMANCE OF INDIVIDUAL UNGLAZED SOLAR PANELS VARIES DRAMATICALLY...
..FACT:
No, most unglazed panels from the several remaining solar panel manufacturers
perform pretty
..much
the same in our moderate Southern California climate.
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..Test
results from SRCC and FSEC testing labs fall pretty much in the same efficiency
range with small
..variances
often resulting from vagaries of flow and weather conditions. So,
despite the assurances of
..some
overzealous salesman, recognize that BTU ratings, though important, tell
only half the story. Buying
..a
solar panel only on the basis of BTU ratings is like buying a car on the basis of an EPA mileage rating alone,
a good start, but not the final word.
..Other
important factors that should enter into the decision when selecting a
solar pool heater include
..appearance,
engineering, and length of warranty, as well as the credibility of the
manufacturing and
..installation
companies.
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..MYTH
#6: SOLAR PANELS CAN'T HEAT THE SPA PROPERLY...FACT:
It is worth defining and
..distinguishing
the difference between glazed and unglazed panels.
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..Unglazed
panels, the standard for most pool owners who merely want to extend the
pool season from
..spring
through fall, are large, bare heat exchangers through which pool water
is circulated and heated.
..They
can be made of metal, plastic, or rubber, and pretty much perform with
equal efficiency.
Glazed panels have the same "guts"
as copper unglazed panels, but the absorber is placed in a metal box enclosed
in glass and insulation to provide a greenhouse effect. This gives
the glazed panel an efficiency advantage over the unglazed type when you
are trying to achieve heating in a cooler and windier micro-climate, or
to temperatures over
90 degrees.
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Enough glazed panels can provide
year around performance for spa heating, while unglazed panels can normally
heat the spa to the 95 or |
 mmmmmmmmmmmmmm
|
.100
degree range for six months with preheat capabilities in the colder months.
The unglazed panels
..can
work well on a spa, despite their decreased efficiency at the higher
temperatures, because they are
..servicing
a much smaller body of water than that of a pool.
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..MYTH
#7: SINCE MOST UNGLAZED SOLAR PANELS HAVE THE SAME PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS,
..WHY
NOT JUST USE UNGLAZED GARDEN HOSE?..FACT:
You can try, but the hose won't work well or
..last
very long. Solar pool panels have been designed to optimize flow,
heat transfer, aesthetic appeal,
..and
resistance to ultraviolet degradation.
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..MYTH
#8: IF YOU HAVE SOLAR ON YOUR POOL, YOUR ELECTRIC BILL WILL SOAR...Fact:
..Normal
operation for solar is generally from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. If you
are accustom to running
..your
pool pump fewer hours, then solar will increase your electric bill slightly.
Perhaps several
..dollars
a month.
..If
the system has a standard electronic control, valve, and sensor system,
you can add another
..10
or 15 cents a month since the control system uses about the same amount
of energy as a doorbell.
..The
slight increase in electrical cost is offset by a marked reduction in natural
gas expenses.
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..MYTH
#9: SOLAR IS NOT AESTHETICALLY PLEASING...FACT:
Like TV antennas, air conditioning
..units,
and .roof
vents, solar pool heaters are built with function, not form, in mind.
Some solar panels,
..especially
those first -generation
panels installed by the inexperienced or unqualified, do stick out.
But,
..today's
installations are generally
better designed and integrated with a wide variety of solar applications
..for
the consumer.
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..MYTH
#10: SOLAR IS SUBSIDIZED AND YOU CAN GET TAX CREDITS...FACT:
Fond remembrances
..of
things past! There has been no assistance for the purchase of solar
pool heating for over twenty years,
..since
the California tax credit expired in 1985.
..Interestingly
enough, pool heating systems installed today cost just about the same as
those sold five
..or
ten years ago. The difference is that today's systems are generally
larger and better installed than
..their
tax-driven predecessors.
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MYTH
#11: SOLAR IS TOO EXPENSIVE, DOESN'T PAY FOR ITSELF, AND
WILL EVENTUALLY
COME DOWN IN PRICE...FACT:
Most solar pool systems
which run
in the $3,000 to $6,000 range pay for themselves by displaced fuel
costs within
two to five years. Glazed panels take a little longer.
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..With
growing concern over the environmental and social costs of fossil fuels,
you will probably find
..solar
increasingly cost competitive.
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..For
example, recently introduced energy efficient gas pool heaters now cost
two or three times the
..cost
of older conventional pool heaters. For the first time in history,
this puts solar on an equal first
..time
cost with gas heaters. In the past, gas heaters were often selected
over solar because of lower
..initial
cost. Today they should cost about the same, despite sizable operating
costs and a shorter
..warranty.
Eventually, concern over clean air and the environment, which spurred the
development
..of
more efficient and cleaner burning gas heaters, will probably increase
the demand for solar. But
..don't
expect the costs for solar pool heating to plummet like what happened to
pocket calculators.
..Solar
pool heating is both material and labor intensive, so a dramatic drop in
price is unlikely. At
..best,
prices will continue to hold steady as prices of traditional methods of
pool heating continue
..to
rise.
Bob Ellis is president
of Environmental
Solar Design, Inc.,
North Hollywood
based contractor which
has installed several thousand solar pool and hot water systems since
its inception in
1979. |
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