Solar Pool Facts: Drain Your System When It Shuts Down

Solar Pool FactsGoing solar provides a great way to heat your pool and save on energy costs. You need to understand how solar operation works, however, to have the cleanest water when your system shuts off.

Solar pool heaters include a series of pipes called a collector. A pump forces water from the pool into a filter and then into the collector pipes, which heat the water. A flow control valve shuts off the water flow at the desired temperature.

When the heating system shuts off, either manually or automatically, the remaining water in the collector will sit in the pipes. Eventually, the temperature will drop and the system will reactivate. When that happens, the water that’s been standing in the system for some time will drain back into the pool. The water may not be filtered. In effect, the pool can get a sudden flow of dirty water from the collector.

It’s important to note that when this happens, the solar operation works as designed. The back flow of water is an unintentional consequence of being able to turn off the energy efficient system for a long period.

You can avoid that by draining the system when you know it won’t be used for a period of time. You may want to drain before shutting the pool down for the winter, or if you expect a period of hot weather that will keep the pool water temperature high.

To drain the pool, you’ll want to remove the water at various collection sites in the system. Check your owner’s manual to see how this should be done, or contact a pool cleaning service.

Clean and Clear Pools, Inc., provides full cleaning and chemical pool service in the Danville, California area. We also offer weekly chemical and basket services. To learn more or make an appointment, contact us.

 

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