This solar pool heater, installed recently in Bonita Springs, FL, is located on a south roof and sized for a large 15′ x 30′ pool (450 sq ft). The owners will enjoy 10-12 months of swimming in comfortable pool temperatures, and will greatly increase their enjoyment of the pool in the spring and fall.
One thing you will notice from this picture is that the neighbor to the south, who’s house is under construction, is having the pool built with the pool equipment on the north side of the house. If they want to have a solar pool heater installed, the roof plumbing will need to go all along the back (west) side of the home. This adds slightly to the cost of a solar pool heater, and it also results in a long run of plumbing along the eave — not ideal for aesthetic reasons. If you are having a pool built, take this into consideration when you decide where the pool equipment will be located.
Solar pool heating in Bonita Springs is enormously popular, and we are doing a lot of work in the newer communities along Corkscrew Road as well as the older parts of the City west of I75. Bonita Springs is one of the few communities that charges a permit fee that is based on contract value. On top of other permit costs, there is a 1% charge. Fortunately, that still puts the solar pool heater permit cost lower than it is in Collier County, which has the highest permit fees in our area.
For owners of large pool like this one, the good news is that solar pool heaters are not substantially more expensive than for smaller pools. In other words, if your pool is twice as large, your solar pool heater will not cost twice as much due to fixed costs for each job. We have noticed that some new communities lean toward larger pools, where smaller pools are getting popular in other communities. Bonita Springs has a good mix of pool sizes, with most of the new roofs installed being tile. Tile roofs are our specialty – ask us why!
Even in a place like Florida you need a pool heater huh? Living in the midwest, it would make sense to me. I guess there are days when it is cooler, now that the climate is changing a bit. Good for your business!
I think, this is the first time I have seen the use of black plumbing for roof heating panels. I like it.
Does the paneling always need to go on the adjacent side of the home? My friend has a pool that is actually by the driveway and the other side of the roofing has the sky block windows in it so I am not sure how that would work. He mentioned he wanted to get them installed this summer.
Solar pool heating panels can be mounted on any suitable roof that is large enough and not facing north. Skylights and other obstructions are a constant concern in the industry, but we can work around them.