Solar heating-help

[Gerry Cullen]

Hi again,
I wonder if some of you guys could help me out on something. I'm doing a project for college here in Ireland on a solar heating installation. I,m picking the site as my own place in Armacao but because I'll be stuck here in Ireland for the foreseeable months it's going to be awkward to get facts. Sorry I'm going the long way around this so I'll cut to the chase. Is there anybody out there that may have installed any form of solar heating in their villa over the last year or two, it could be just hot water or space heating or both or even as a means of pool heating. If so would you be prepared to send me some or all of the details, I don't want your personal details but what would really help would be the size of your house/pool, the type of system you used or maybe didn,t use and why, how many panels, tube or flat and how happy you may be with system. This may apply even more so to any one who thought about putting in a system and decided against it, perhaps because the cost didn't justify it. The devil is in the detail with this as preferably I'd like facts on things like tilt, angle, south facing, beside the pool or on the roof, Kw h and price if possible.
I know this is a big ask and your probably wondering why I don't do it in Ireland, well the fact is that most of the companies connected with solar in this country either don't know the facts or lie and most of their clients aren't really interested in the detail, as long as it works it's grand.
So there we are, as I said I would be most great full for any help and if stuff needs to be posted I'd be more than willing to pay postage or reimburse with a few pints next time I,m over.

Many thanks,

Gerry Cullen.

[maccasa]

Hi Gerry - we installed flat mat type panels when we moved in in 2009 - purely for the pool heating. Cost was less than €1500, but I did obtain them myself from USA and shipped them to uk, then with the rest of the house stuff to PT.

Our pool is 60m2 and we were told to use 50% of the area as panels - 8 lengths of the available mats gave us 35M2 and our builder happily installed it and connected it to the pump. Since then absolutely no problems and we get 28C even in April and end Oct - in between the temp is always 30-35 (too hot sometimes!). We certainly get a "lift" of 6-10C from ambient - as long as the sun shines.

I really cant see why people use heat exchangers when this type of free heating is available and at lower cost - of course you have to put it somewhere and need a flat or sloping roof of the correct area.

[EMM]

There was a feature on BBC last night about the collapse in the UK solar PV market as the goverment has withdrawn the subsidies for commercial operations and is reducing those for domestic.
The claims from the companies selling solar that consumers will recover their capital costs are now being questioned.
One operator stated that without the subsidies large installations are no longer viable another accused the goverment of strangling the solar industry at birth.
Germany has also stopped the subsidies.
In 2009/10 new domestic solar water heating installations in Portugal also received a grant but this was not renewed in 2010/11

Not having an outside pool shower we bought one of those kits you connect to the garden hose.
Pressuring the hose and leaving it loosely coiled in the full sun for a short time produces a quick hot shower.
I use the same method to trickle feed hot water into the pool.

[laserblazer]

Get a load of old central heating radiators, paint them black and point them at the sun. Dirt cheap solar panels.

[aylesbury]

hi gerry. ray here in limerick we reconected a solar system in vilamoura if you want to give me a ring
might be able to help you in your project
ray on 087 9014432

[Sheila]

Hi Gerry - we installed flat mat type panels when we moved in in 2009 - purely for the pool heating. Cost was less than €1500, but I did obtain them myself from USA and shipped them to uk, then with the rest of the house stuff to PT.

Our pool is 60m2 and we were told to use 50% of the area as panels - 8 lengths of the available mats gave us 35M2 and our builder happily installed it and connected it to the pump. Since then absolutely no problems and we get 28C even in April and end Oct - in between the temp is always 30-35 (too hot sometimes!). We certainly get a "lift" of 6-10C from ambient - as long as the sun shines.

I really cant see why people use heat exchangers when this type of free heating is available and at lower cost - of course you have to put it somewhere and need a flat or sloping roof of the correct area.

Do you rent your place out at all? Almost no-one includes pool heating in rental rates and when we have paid extra for pool heating it has never been warm.

[EMM]

Pool heating wll only be effective if the cover i replaced whenever the pool is not in use otherwise all you are doing is heating the atmosphere.
Even in our unheated pool w can lose 3 degrees overnight if left uncovered.

[maccasa]

Hi Sheila - no we use it as our second home (along-with our family and some close friends!!!). EMM is absolutely right, you need to keep the cover on at night otherwise you lose a lot of heat. Just had 7 ladies (who were close friends of my daughter) stay for a long girlie weekend. The pool was 28-29 but they forgot the cover one night and it dropped to 25 - as they were only there for another day and the weather has not been good, it never warmed back up again.

When we there 1st week may I installed a new "eco-bubble cover" which I bought from UK and had shipped out. With the cover on at night and until we went in after lunch, we had 29-32C continuously.

The European guidelines for swimming pools are - competition swimming 27C, adult leisure 28/29, children's pools 30C.

[ditzy]

Crikey, 29º! I'm not one for freezing pools but that's a bit much isn't it?

[EMM]

25 is OK for me , 29 is a bit too warm.

memories of school trips when 20 degrees was the the norm.

[maccasa]

Crikey, 29º! I'm not one for freezing pools but that's a bit much isn't it?

Certainly would be if it was F, but as it's C that's wonderful.

[Sheila]

30 is perfect for me. We do intend to have it covered.

[ditzy]

Crikey, 29º! I'm not one for freezing pools but that's a bit much isn't it?

Certainly would be if it was F, but as it's C that's wonderful.

I meant it's too warm maccasa...

[EMM]

Having too high a temprature can encourage bugs which in turn means more chemicals which are used up faster in warmer water.
I would rather have it a few degrees cooler than start to pickle myself 28c is more than enough.