If you are an FPL customer with solar electric panels, you might be asking how do you read your FPL Netmetering bill? It’s extremely confusing, but once you understand some of the basics of how netmetering works, it all comes together – if you know where to look. Check out this fuzzy math from our friends at FPL: Clearly that …
Inside Enphase Enlighten Solar Monitoring
Enphase microinverters took the solar energy industry by storm when they introduced the M190 microinverter back in 2009. Since then we have sold thousands of microinverters for solar electric systems including newer M215 and M250 models, and every one of them is individually monitored, providing module-level production and diagnostic data. The consumer oriented MyEnlighten portal provides system overview data in …
Pool Valves With Solar Pool Heating Explained
How Swimming Pool Valves Work With so many people moving to Florida and owning their first pool, it’s not surprising that a majority of pool owners are baffled by their swimming pool plumbing system. When we endeavor to add solar pool heating, the plumbing at the pool equipment pad becomes a bit more complex, but it’s not too hard to …
How Does a Solar Pool Heater Work?
This simple animation shows how solar pool heating systems work by redirecting pool water to roof mounted solar collectors where the pool water heats up. This uses your existing pool circulation pump to send water to the solar panels and back.
Solar Electric Systems in Fort Myers, FL
As pools get warm and solar pool heating season winds down, electricity use in the home increases from air conditioning and solar electric systems in Fort Myers, FL become a popular topic in the homes of our clients. Solar electricity offsets the utility electric usage in a home or business to which it is connected. The panels connect into the …
Solar Pool Panels Sliding Off Roof
Why solar pool heating panels slide off a roof is usually due to poor installation hardware or practices. Solar panels should be securely affixed to your roof surface for the lifetime of the system with hardware made to withstand the elements. Sometimes we find solar panels hanging off a roof or falling down when a homeowner reports something doesn’t look …
Colored Solar Pool Heating Panels
One solar pool heating panel manufacturer makes a big deal about their solar pool heating panels that come in three colors: black, gray, and terra cotta. The idea is that some consumers want to match their roof color, especially on terra cotta or multi-color tile roofs and gray shingle roofs. There is one big problem with these colored solar panels — …
Cool Your Pool With A Solar Pool Heater
Did you know you could cool your swimming pool with a solar pool heater? You can! It’s called nocturnal cooling, and this feature can be activated on many solar controllers and existing pool automation systems. In Southwest Florida, pools can get unpleasantly warm in the heart of summer, and people that swim for exercise or competitive purposes often prefer to …
Solar Pool Pump
If you are considering a solar powered pool pump, this article is for you. A solar pool pump is simply a pump with an electric motor that runs on DC power produced by solar panels to circulate water in your pool. It seems like a fantastic way to save money on what is often the second biggest energy hog in …
Compare Variable Speed Pool Pumps
Variable Speed Pumps Explained There is no question that variable speed pool pumps will save you money and cut down your pump noise, but how do you compare pumps when you have a solar pool heating system? Choosing a pump based on cost, horsepower, or brand alone will result in poor performance or savings at best, and disastrous results at worst. …
Repair or Replace Solar Pool Heater
Whether you have a Fafco, Heliocol, or Aquatherm brand solar pool heater, there will come a come when you need a repair, and eventually it will come time to replace the system. But how do you determine whether it is time to repair or replace it? Solar pool heaters from major brands, including the iSwim brand we offer, are warranted …
Leaving Your Solar Pool Heater for Summer: What To Do
It’s May, and that means our beloved snowbirds are heading north for the summer, leaving behind their solar pool heating systems at their Southwest Florida homes. Whether you stay here year-round or follow the flock to a milder climate, it is important to understand what to do when leaving your solar pool heater for the summer. While every system is …
Loose Tube Solar Panels Trap Leaves and Pine Needles
Loose tube solar pool heating panels, also called separated tube or split tube panels, are poor options anywhere that pine needles and other tree debris can get trapped in panels. The debris tends to get stuck between tubes and gets impacted so tight that it is impractical to remove them. Other than the way it looks, it will rot and …
Solar Heater For Spas
Most people that have a spa in combination with a swimming pool have an electric or gas heater installed in Southwest Florida. However, some spas are installed without any heat source, and we get lots of questions about whether a spa can be heated with solar panels. In a traditional pool/spa combination, water spills over from the elevated spa into …
Solar Pool Heat Plumbing on Challenging Roofs
Sometimes a pool owner wants a solar pool heater, but their roof is less than ideal. When solar pool heating panels need to be placed on multiple roofs, it often presents a plumbing challenge. When you add obstructions and varying eave heights, the plumbing can become quite complex. Understanding the dynamics of flow and the requirements to make all of …
Manual Drain for Solar Pool Heater
When Do I Need a Manual Drain for a Solar Pool Heater? The purpose of a manual drain is to allow a system owner to drain all water out of the system when the system is not plumbed to drain automatically by gravity. It is always ideal to install plumbing for a solar pool heater in a way that water …
Vacuum Relief Valve for Solar Pool Heaters
What is a vacuum relief valve, and why is it required in a solar pool heating system? A valve must be installed in every solar pool heating system to allow air into the system when pool water drains out of the panels. This relieves the vacuum that would be created by falling water inside the solar panels and plumbing on …
FAFCO Solar Panels Leaking
FAFCO Solar Pool Heating Panels Leaking If you find your FAFCO brand solar pool heating panels leaking, it may be time to upgrade to a newer solar panel design. We service a lot of solar panels from FAFCO that have tube weld leaks in Southwest Florida. These leaks occur frequently on tile roofs where the weld is compromised by …
Roof Leaks with Solar Pool Heaters
We are asked frequently about the potential for roof leaks by prospective solar pool heating buyers, and understandably so. The roof over your head, and the house under it, are precious. The headache of a leak can by frustrating and expensive. So how do we address this major concern? First, it is important to note that the solar pool heating industry …
Black or White Pipe for Solar Pool Heaters?
When it comes to selecting black or white PVC pipe for plumbing your solar pool heating system, there are some important factors to consider, both generally and locally. While black PVC pipe is available, there are some important reasons you should avoid it if possible. Some Homeowner’s Associations require the use of black pipe on the roof in a shortsighted …