March marks the time when swimming pool heating becomes most desirable in Southwest Florida, and what better way to heat your pool than with a solar swimming pool heater? Pool temperatures tend to lag the daily outdoor air temperature. We are experiencing days in the upper 70’s and lower 80’s, but swimming pools are still in the lower 70’s if …
Solar Pool Heating Installation Photo from Northwest Cape Coral, FL
We take installation photos of every solar pool heater we install, but not for the reason you may think. Sure, it’s nice to put pretty pictures on our website so our prospective customers can see them. But in addition to the glamour shots, we get all of the not-so-pretty details of the installation, too. This is important for a few reasons: …
How Variable Speed Pumps Affect Solar Pool Heaters
Solar pool heating systems use the existing pool filtration pump to circulate water, so the selection of a pump can have a profound impact on solar pool heating performance. The concept of a variable speed pump is pretty simple — when a centrifugal pool pump runs at a slower speed, the resulting energy use reduction is the cube of the speed …
Large Solar Pool Heating System Installed in Fort Myers, FL
This large solar pool heater was designed and installed by Florida Solar Design Group in Fort Myers, FL for a family with a recently remodeled pool. Situated on a perfectly oriented south roof with an ideal pitch for winter performance, this solar pool heater will be a top performer, drastically extending the family’s swim season, providing heated pool water throughout …
Roof Mounted Solar Pool Heater in Cape Coral, FL
This installation of a solar pool heater was just completed by Florida Solar Design Group in Cape Coral, FL. It features a total of nine solar panels (five pictured). What you see in the upper left is the vacuum relief, which allows air into the system when the pump turns off, ensuring the system can drain properly without creating negative …
Cape Coral Solar Pool Heater Installation on a Tile Roof
Here are some pictures of our latest installation on a tile roof in Cape Coral, FL. This solar pool heater is actually 10 panels, with 8 on the pictured roof and two around the corner. This south and west panel configuration is absolutely ideal, and is sure to please the new owner. In the background you can see another solar …
10 Reasons We Recommend the SolarTouch Solar Pool Heating Controller
If you have an existing pool automation system, it’s usually not necessary to add a solar controller when installing solar pool heating. If your pool does not already have an automation system, you may benefit from a solar controller, which allows you to set a desired pool temperature and optimizes the operation of your solar pool heating panels. The Pentair …
Solar Pool Heating Panel Designs, February 2016
Here are some of our solar pool heating designs from around Southwest Florida completed in February 2016. Contact us for a free solar panel evaluation for your roof!
Naples Home Gets Solar Pool Heater
A family of four recently contacted us about solar pool heating for their Naples, FL swimming pool. Their home’s orientation on the lot wasn’t ideal for solar energy, and the two story house to the east casts morning shade on their most suitable tile roof surface. However, we were still able to make it work. In difficult situations like this, …
Solar Pool Heater With Hurricane Straps in Cape Coral
One of the most frequent questions we are asked about solar pool heaters is about wind and hurricanes. All of our systems are engineered to meet the current building code, which specifies an ultimate design wind speed of up to 172 mph in Southwest Florida. Most areas require a 160 mph figure. Regardless, the way we achieve amazing resistance to …
Solar Pool Heating – Get a Permit!
Can you believe that there are still contractors out there that don’t pull a permit for solar panels? For solar electric systems, this has been virtually eliminated because utility companies can detect electric meters operating in reverse, and to obtain the most benefit from solar electric systems you have to cooperate with the utility company by entering into an agreement (and get …
Cape Coral Solar Pool Heater Installation Completed
We just finished an iSwim solar pool heating system in Cape Coral. The owner had been using a pool cover, but while that keeps the heat in a pool, it does little to actually heat the pool. Using solar pool heating panels, pools are heated throughout the day and the pool cover retains the heat at night. The cumulative effect …
Day 12: Meet the Owners: Dominick & Jason
This article is part of a series: The 12 Days of Solar Pool Heating. Regardless of how long a company has been around, isn’t it nice to meet the owner(s) to see for yourself with whom you are doing business? Wouldn’t it be nice if you had the personal cell phone number of the people responsible for your major purchase, so …
Day 11: Best Solar Pool Heating System Performance
This article is part of a series: The 12 Days of Solar Pool Heating. Solar pool heating performance is about so much more than just the panel. While panel performance is important, and iSwim Solar Pool Heating Panels are among the top rated panels in terms of BTU heating output, the system performance is what’s key to a warm pool. On Day …
Day 10: Standard Building Dimensions
This article is part of a series: The 12 Days of Solar Pool Heating. iSwim Solar Pool Heating Panels are 48 inches wide. Other brands claim to be 4′ wide panels, but their header is actually longer, measuring 50-52 inches. That’s important because most residential wood truss roof construction is done with 24 inch spacing between structural roof trusses. Having …
Day 9: Made in Florida
This article is part of a series: The 12 Days of Solar Pool Heating. iSwim Solar Pool Heating Panels are not only Made in the USA, but are Made in Florida! Why ship or truck panels across the country, wasting fuel and increasing cost when we have the capability of making a world-class solar pool heating panel just up the …
Day 8: Flexible Expansion Joints
This article is part of a series: The 12 Days of Solar Pool Heating. iSwim Solar Pool Heating Panels feature industry-exclusive Flexible Expansion Joints at six inch intervals on each panel. These “zip joints” allow lateral and shear movement as panel expand, contract, and bend over roof surfaces. The result is a more reliable panel with drastically reduced occurrence of panel …
Day 7: Factory Trained Installers
This article is part of a series: The 12 Days of Solar Pool Heating. We have factory trained technicians to install iSwim Solar Pool Heating Systems. Florida Solar Design Group has the distinct advantage of being a short car ride away from the factory located in Florida, so we can send all full-time installers to the factory for training and education that includes classroom …
Day 6: Premium Valves & Components
This article is part of a series: The 12 Days of Solar Pool Heating. When installing an iSwim Solar Pool Heating Systems, Florida Solar Design Group installs Premium Valves & Components. It doesn’t make sense to install a premium solar pool panel and then install cheap ball valves and other plumbing components that are likely to fail during the life of the system. …
Day 5: Roof Protection
This article is part of a series: The 12 Days of Solar Pool Heating. Florida Solar Design Group installs the iSwim Solar Pool Heating panels using proper roof flashings to protect your roof. Roof flashings are pieces of metal that sheet water away from a roof penetration, protecting the attachment point from water intrusion. The type of flashing and the requirement …