antonywardle Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 (edited) The solar bladders on the roof started leaking and we got some high numbered quotes to replace them, and while, like most of you, I'm completely loaded, we wondered if there was a cheaper way to have a go at heating the pool. I did a bit of research and we'd decided to have a go with some black 13 mm irrigation hose. It came in 50 metre rolls, so we went down to the local HW shop and purchased four rolls and some PVC pipe to make a frame, along with some cable ties and hose clamps. The basic idea is to make a sort of cross shape and then cable tie the hose to it This worked quite well, but it was taking a long time and then we ran out of hose and still had a heap more space to use on the cross, so back to the shop and bought some more hose, and then we continued on cabling the hose on. (When I said we, it was my wife that did it) All up we ended up with 400 metres of pipe. A bit of calculation means that when it was full of water, it would be around 80 Kgs spread over a 3 metre square. Didn't test it for leaks before putting it up as it would have then been too heavy to lift. As it was, some of the glue int he frame came apart lifting it up, but we got there in the end. So I got it all connected up using some garden hose and we fired it up, and it actually worked pretty well. The return pipe is about 4 degrees warmer than the water going up so the pool is heating up. I've noticed that its warmer. All up I think we got this done for less than $200, which is about 30 times cheaper than the quote to replace it. We already had the previous bits up on the roof so basically we were just replacing the bladders. No leaks, and we cable tied it down to the existing support. Use black ties, they are UV stabilized. Thanks for reading! Edited January 30, 2018 by antonywardle 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fab1 Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 47 minutes ago, antonywardle said: N The solar bladders on the roof started leaking and we got some high numbered quotes to replace them, and while, like most of you, I'm completely loaded, we wondered if there was a cheaper way to have a go at heating the pool. I did a bit of research and we'd decided to have a go with some black 13 mm irrigation hose. It came in 50 metre rolls, so we went down to the local HW shop and purchased four rolls and some PVC pipe to make a frame, along with some cable ties and hose clamps. The basic idea is to make a sort of cross shape and then cable tie the hose to it This worked quite well, but it was taking a long time and then we ran out of hose and still had a heap more space to use on the cross, so back to the shop and bought some more hose, and then we continued on cabling the hose on. (When I said we, it was my wife that did it) All up we ended up with 400 metres of pipe. A bit of calculation means that when it was full of water, it would be around 80 Kgs spread over a 3 metre square. Didn't test it for leaks before putting it up as it would have then been too heavy to lift. As it was, some of the glue int he frame came apart lifting it up, but we got there in the end. So I got it all connected up using some garden hose and we fired it up, and it actually worked pretty well. The return pipe is about 4 degrees warmer than the water going up so the pool is heating up. I've noticed that its warmer. All up I think we got this done for less than $200, which is about 30 times cheaper than the quote to replace it. We already had the previous bits up on the roof so basically we were just replacing the bladders. No leaks, and we cable tied it down to the existing support. Use black ties, they are UV stabilized. Thanks for reading! Solar?Man,toughen up.Im looking for a way to bring a slice of Antartica to make mine colder even though I do have the provisions for solar.Mine turns into a warm bath on its own after a few days in the sun. Good job on saving yourself a few bob though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antonywardle Posted January 30, 2018 Author Share Posted January 30, 2018 Thanks @Fab1 Looks like you got a couple of Dogfish in the pool! My pool is above ground so the temperature changes a lot More money for fishing toys now ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fab1 Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 3 minutes ago, antonywardle said: Thanks @Fab1 Looks like you got a couple of Dogfish in the pool! My pool is above ground so the temperature changes a lot More money for fishing toys now ;-) Yeah,I like them dogfish more than humans.lol.You guys did a good job on that install mate.Enjoy your shopping splurge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickmarlin62 Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 GENIUS 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratchie Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 Amazing what you can do when you have a crack! Nice ? cheers scratchie!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zmk1962 Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 Well done @antonywardle !! Brilliant. It’s got me thinking. Cheers Zoran 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishop Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 Awesome. I have a hot tub with solar heating so when it dies ill probably do this too!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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