solar powered pool pump

[jonc]

Cost was about 5200EUR inc IVA at 23%, installed and commissioned. I have not calculated the payback although I know our old 3-phase pump consumed about 0.7kW when running.

At this time of year, the system runs from about 7:30am until 8:30pm. The speed depends on the amount of light so it is slow first/last thing.

When the house is unoccupied, we used to alter the time for the pool to circulate overnight only on cheap electricity for the minimum number of hours needed to keep the pool clean. Now we don't have to bother - the circulation runs every day of the year and keeps the pool nice and clean. We also have some solar water panels for the pool which look like black radiators so free heating too.

The system was plumbed in with our existing pump still in place and can be switched on and valves opened/closed to use it. We never have needed to in the past year.

[John Burgess]

Jonc

Thank you that is very helpfull I have a very simila pool and solar pannels I estmate about 9 year pay back

John

[maccasa]

I get very twitchy when people start talking more than 5-6 yr payback on anything. With any pool pump their life is generally 6-7 yrs before needing at least a new impellor or shaft seal due to the sand load in the recirculating pool water - mine went last year after 7+ years as it started to cavitate. I had it serviced for €135. Running costs have been the usual 0.5-0.7 kw/hr to run using 7-8hrs in summer and 3-4 in winter- a total of approx. €2500 over the period.

[saint]

Another option would to have installed 4x p.v. panels (1kw approx) at a cost of €2,000 +/- to feed into the electric supply,which would reduce the amount of electricity used from the edp...effectively pool pump would run for free and when the pump wasn't being used the panels could run the beer fridge also for free.Payback less than five years.

[maccasa]

Yep that seems reasonable, but mine has only cost that over 7 years.