The solar pump itself should last between 10-20 years depending on use case and specific pump. Some customer are running the pump 24/7, 7 days a week which will shorten the observed lifetime of the system.
You need to ensure that there is sufficient wattage from the solar panels to get the maximum performance possible out of a pump. Single phase pumps will require more panels than what three phase pumps will require. Typically you will receive either 100 Watt Panels or 300 to 375 Watt panels for a system.
A solar pool pump installed on a small, 250-square-foot pool could cost as little as $1,500, while a large, high-end installation on an 800-square-foot pool can set you back as much as $16,000.
Using 4'x12′ panels, most solar pool heating systems require between six and ten panels with seven to eight panel systems by far the most popular.
Florida Solar Design Group says solar swimming pool heaters tend to increase unheated pool temperature by 8 to 12 degrees Fahrenheit (depending on the weather), reaching somewhere between 78 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit with minimal effort, even on somewhat cool days.
How Quickly Will a Solar Cover Heat my Swimming Pool? According to the experts, a fully covered pool will heat between 10-15 degrees in about 6 hours. There is mixed information out there. Some experts say that you will get 7-10 degrees with three consecutive days of sun.
(Pool capacity in gallons/desired turnover rate in hours)/60=Flow rate in GPM. Example: If you have a 20,000 gallon pool and a desired turnover rate of 5 hours, your desired flow rate would be: (20,000/5) = 4,000 gallons per hour/60 = 66.66 GPM, or approximately 67 GPM.
Simply install regular solar and set your pool pump timer to run as close to midday as possible. For example you may run it from 11am-1pm over winter and 10am-3pm over summer. No need to change your pool pump, or run wires from the panels to your pool pump. All your solar from your panels gets used.
Most of common DC water pumps can work directly connected to the solar panel, but their biggest problem is stuck. At dawn, the sunlight begins to change from weak to strong, when the output voltage of solar panel achieves the starting voltage, the pump will start to work.
The short answer is: yes you can run your pool pump from solar panels, but one single solar panel likely won't cut it. Your pool pump is likely something that you don't really think about, until something goes wrong with it. So you might not be aware of home much it's quietly adding to your electric bill each month.
You want a “solar battery” which is an all in one unit. You connect the solar panels to it, and there is a plug on it that you plug your pump into. A standard wall outlet. But you have to know what the wattage of the pump is, and how much current [amps] it draws to be sure that the solar battery has enough capacity.
As mentioned above, it's okay to run your pool pump whenever it works for you, so long as it is running long enough to turnover at least once during a 24-hour period. So yes, it is okay to turn off your pool at night, but there are several reasons you might not want to in order to make the most of this time.
While it's possible to run your pool pump all day, doing so may bring you a shock when you get your electric bill! Instead, it's possible to determine the right length of time to run the pump for your pool, and then only run it for those hours.
On average, you should run your pool pump around 6-8 hours per day during winter and 10-12 hours per day during summer.
For instance, if you pool is 20,000 gallons, you will add 4 pounds of shock. Green or Dark Green Pool Water: This means there's a medium amount of algae in your water and you'll need to triple shock your pool. Triple shocking requires 3 pounds for every 10,000 gallons of pool water.
To determine how long you need to run your pump this equation will help. So if you have a 20,000 gallon pool, 35 gpm flow rate, it will look like this ... 20,000/35/60= 9.52 hrs needed to turn the pools water over.
In general, add one pound of shock to your pool for every 10,000 gallons of water. But if you're experiencing an algae problem, you'll need to add double, triple, or quadruple the amount of shock.
Solar panels cannot store energy, but batteries can. Solar fountains are direct drive solar and so will come on when the sun comes up, but will not pump at night without a backup power source.
Total pump head is different that how far beneath the surface of the water a solar pump can be submerged, about 400 feet. If your well has a shallow static water level (how far down to the top of the water) but a deeper overall depth, you may have to consider placing the pump a bit further up in the well.
Solar covers will not cause an algal bloom in your pool. For existing algae growth in pools, having a cover can make the situation worse.
Resist the temptation, don't turn it on. The nights are still too long for the pool to retain much of the heat you gain. So, even if the pool gets to 65 you'll lose it overnight.
You can significantly reduce swimming pool heating costs by installing a solar pool heater. They're cost competitive with both gas and heat pump pool heaters, and they have very low annual operating costs. Actually, solar pool heating is one of the most cost-effective use of solar energy in some climates.