not a solar owner, but my in-laws have solar in Sarasota, FL and it only extends your season. the nights get too cold in Dec-March to keep the pool warm enough to swim. a cover to keep the heat in is a must when the temps start dipping at night...but still won't help in the winter. the only way to swim in the winter is to install a gas heater (via available natural gas or installing a propane tank in the yard).

We live in Melbourne almost due East of Orlando and have 7 panels 3X12 on the second story south facing roof and they heat our 17,000 gal pool to a minimum of 15 degrees above the air temp (on sunny days). My DH has been swimming several times and the entire family was in an 85 degree pool on January 6th, all without the use of a Solar blanket.

I am also curious about this. Since we haven't actually had a swimming season in our pool yet, we want to see how the first season goes, how hot our pool gets in the summer (dark finish/no screen/full sun from about 11:00 on) to determine if we should break down and get solar. I have heard mixed responses regarding the issue of "year long swimming" and that it is not usually possible with solar, yet if does "extend" your swimming season. I like an 82+degree pool (higher if I could get it) and that is the reason I have yet to swim in our 76 degree pool and DH and DD and friends already have (It has only been filled since Christmas). We've recently in the past weeks and this week have had 80 degree days and I just wonder, if we did have solar, if I would already be swimming despite the chillier evenings.

We are in Orlando, 9 panels - pool 16 x 32 w/7 ft. spa. Currently the water is in the mid 70s. Too cold for me to swim, but I like to keep the water as warm as possible so it takes less to heat up the spa. I typically need it 85 + to swim, especially if it is not very hot outside. I have tried to find a happy medium during the summer, but it always ends up too hot, so I think this year I will just turn it off mostly. We are screened, full sun in the morning until about 2:00. Hopefully we will be swimming by the end of March . . . We were still swimming in early November.

We are in Cocoa, between Orlando and Melbourne. Originally we were supposed to have 12 panels, 9 facing west and 3 east. The solar company's installers placed 6 west and 6 east. After discussing the situation with the owner, they installed 2 additional panels facing west at no additional charge.

It will be interesting to see how 14 4x12 panels with East-West exposure heats our 520 sq. ft. screened pool.

Ryan and Diana
Cocoa, FL

I am down in SW FL and I had solar, but it only extended the warm water for a few weeks and that was if you kept the blanket on. To me putting the blanket on and off every day was a pain for the amount of time you got. I had 8 panels up.

Our solar has been on about a week, pool has only been filled for two weeks. Got 10 degrees on the first day, pool went from 70 to 80. Had a couple of 82 degree days with overcast skys, 2 days at 85, 1 day at 78 when it rained. With 14 panels it immediately recovers from a cold/rainy day.

We didn't expect a year long swim season, but we have a gas heater so we expect to use the Spa year around.

Ryan and Diana
Cocoa, FL

We have an electric heater, so far it takes too long to heat the pool up, but the spa goes from 78 to 100 in about and hour and twenty minutes. We also have our pool only since December and have only been in it a couple of times... :( :(

We've just mailed in our application for solar to the architechtural review board. We're having 5 panels on the south roof, and another 2 on the east.

Our propane heater does a good job. But, up until this month we've been spending on average $500/month on propane. We want the solar to get it up to a higher base level, so we don't use the propane as long. We keep the propane heater set at 87. Right now, it runs for about an hour to get up to temp. The pool doesn't drop below 83 at night, now that it's warmer.

We're just north of Tampa, BTW.

For options other than gas or propane aux. heating. Use a ground source heatpump, in addition to solar. Advise solar to operate on isolated pump and not share the filtration pump circuit plumbing.

What about Hurricane force winds? Has anyone had their panels during strong winds? Does home owners insuarance charge more premium to cover damage? Does everyone that has solar use a blanket? I was told that if you put more panels, you do not need the blanket. I was quoted for 16 panels for a 40X20 and I have no shade, south side exposure, pool in sunlight from 9am to 7pm and live in Miami.

What temps do you have now?

The panels are bolted down and designed hurricane safe. We have 7 panels on a second story south facing roof and have had temps in the 80's since late February, got too lazy to use the blanket so we just wait till a sunny day and the temp goes to 85 then jump in. We do have a screen cage which helps block alot of the wind that cools off the swimmers but it also blocks the sun which heats the pool.
Good Luck

I think a lot depends on the screen enclosure, too-- at least, that's what I've heard from my neighbors who have them-- that screens take the temp down a few degrees. (I'm also in Orlando). We decided against a screen for that reason-- too expensive to do screen & solar all at once. But we're getting ours plumbed "solar-ready" so if we decide to add later, we can.

I know they bolt the panels down pretty well now, but I have heard horror stories about leaky roofs/invalidated roof warranties...