5 Best Solar Pool Heater For 2024

Installing a solar heater in your pool ensures that you will never have to dip into freezing cold waters. Solar pool heaters will heat up the water in your pool whilst remaining Eco-friendly. With zero harmful emissions and a great value, these pool heaters are the way to go.

These heaters act as a thermal collector, which means that the pool water circulates through the collector tubes of the heater where it is warmed. All you’ll have to do is set up the solar panels in a place with maximum sun exposure.

Comparison of the Best Solar Pool Heaters

Name	Rating	Price Check	Price Range	Type	Warranty
Fafco Solar Bear	4.0		$$$	In Ground Pool Heater	5 years
SunQuest Solar Pool Heater	3.8		$$$$	In Ground Pool Heater	10 years
Smart Pool WWS601P Sun Heater	3.5		$$$	In Ground Pool Heater	5 years
NewSunHeater S220P	3.3		$$	Above Ground Pool Heater	Not specified (Inquire with supplier)
GAME 4512 SolarPro XD1	3.3		$$	Above Ground Pool Heater	Not specified (Inquire with supplier)

The Best Solar Pool Heater For In Ground Pools

The entirety of solar heaters is mainly designed for in-ground pools. You can find solar panels of every shape and size to fit onto the ground, roof, inclined area or fence. Here are some of the best solar pool heaters for in ground pools.

Smart Pool WWS601P Sun Heater

Smartpool is one of the leading brands for all things swimming pools. This particular heater is listed for $188 on amazon with free shipping. The solar heater uses a polypropylene heat collector with 80 sq. feet of solar panels. This heater is perfect for heating larger swimming pools. But the best part is that although it requires you to purchase an installation kit, you can purchase the similar materials at your local hardware store and it’ll work just as perfectly.

Fafco Solar Bear

The Fafco solar heater might be more on the expensive side at $319, but this is a durable and more substantial heater. The large 2-inch headers are perfect for ensuring excellent solar heat transfers and the UV stabilized polypropylene body is durable enough to last you for years. This is the heavy duty panels that will definitely do the job effectively and efficiently.

SunQuest Solar Pool Heater

Another top contender for producing effective, durable and moderately priced solar pool heater is SunQuest. This particular heater is compatible with your existing pool pump and is one of the easiest pool heaters to install. At a price of $251, this heater is one of the best heaters you can find for the size and heating capacity that it has.

Solar Heater For Above Ground Pools

Solar heaters for in ground pools are applicable for above ground pools. But since the water circulating system isn’t as efficient in the above ground pools, you might want to look into a solar heating pool cover. This cover will act as an insulator and reduce evaporation from the surface of the pool. While this might be a great method to warm your pool without the need of an actual solar heater, this will ensure an effective warming of your pool if used with a solar heater.

The Best Solar Heaters For Above Ground Pools

NewSunHeater S220P

There are many other solar heaters that are specifically designed for above ground pools as well, The NewSunHeater S220P 2′ x 20′ (40 sq.) Solar Heating System for Above Ground Swimming Pools by SmartPool is listed for $148 on amazon.com with free shipping. It is definitely a great deal for a large and effective solar heater for above ground pools.

GAME 4512 SolarPro XD1

Solar Pool Heater Cost

You can have a solar pool heater set up at your home for a cost ranging between $100 to $300. These solar pool heaters are worth the cost because including installment and the actual heater; you don’t have to pay to have the water be heated. The heater will be using the free energy from the sun to heat up your pool every day, extending your pool season. If you purchase a reliable heater and install it properly, you don’t even have to worry about maintenance costs.

Why You Should Buy A Solar Pool Heater

You might think that investing in a solar pool heater, is not a necessity, but it is actually more useful than you think. With the rise of erratic weather patterns and rapidly changing seasons, you might never know when your pool season might be cut short. But if you have a solar pool heater installed, you’ll never have to worry about diving into ice cold water during the fall or spring season. You won’t have to only keep your pool open during the hot summer days but whenever you please because the pool water will always be warm.

Solar Pool Heater Buying Guide

There are many solar heaters out there in the market but should look for what fits within your budget and pool system. Here is a quick and easy Solar Pool Heater buying guide to using while purchasing a solar pool heater.

Pool Size

The bigger the pool size, the larger the pool heater should be. But this might not always be the case since technology has helped create efficient little machines as well. Regardless of the size, you should definitely check the amount of water the heater can heat and how many degrees it can heat the water till. Since both the factors require considering the size of the pool, you should always buy within the capacity of the heater.

Budget

As mentioned above, pool heaters can range from $100 to $300. But if that $100 is a bit of a splurge for you, you can definitely consider purchasing an insulating pool cover that costs around $20. On the other hand, if a substantial pool heater is within your budget, then you should definitely look into brands such as GAME, Kokido and Doheny for cheaper and durable pool heaters. But if you have the capacity to splurge on a pool heater then upscale brands such as Fafco, SunQuest and Smartpool will be right for you.

Size Of Panels

If you have a smaller property such as a smaller backyard or roof area, then you might want to consider purchasing smaller panels for the solar pool heater. They come in a variety of sizes but since they take up a substantial amount of space, you should see if they will fit into your outdoor area.

Solar Power Capacity

The area which you live in might not have the best solar power capacity. This can become an issue when trying to get the best output to heat your swimming pool. You might consider the best place to install the solar collectors and the

How Solar Pool Heaters Work

Solar pool heaters mostly include the following three components, a solar collector or solar panels, a filter and a pump. Firstly, the water in the pool is filtered and sent to the solar collectors. These solar collectors are attached to solar panels which use the heat from the sun to warm up the water.

Most systems have either an automatic or manual valve that diverts the water into the collector’s tube when the temperature of the tube is higher than the temperature of the pool’s water. This flow of heating the water continues unless the system is turned off or the automatically censored valves detect that the collector’s tube temperature is much less than the temperature of the pool.

Things To Consider While Installing The Solar Pool Heaters

Collectors can be mounted on roofs, ground, fences and other areas with a slight inclination. But with everything else in technology, there are many aspects that you should consider before installing something because there is always a way to get the most out of something. So here are things that you should consider before installing the collectors of your solar water heating system.

The Area

The roof is typically the best place to install the collectors because it has more exposure to the sun, compared to the ground. But if you have a large number of solar panels then you should also consider the space of the area you are installing the collectors in.

The Tilt

The collectors should be installed at such a tilt that it maximizes the exposure to the sun all year round or to a particular season. If you use your pool only during the summers then you should install the collector at an inclination of your latitude minus 10 to 15 degrees. But if you live in a place that has year round pool weather then the collectors should be installed at a tilt equal to your latitude.

Solar Heater Maintenance And Repair

Before you purchase a solar heater for your pool, agricultural and irrigation needs, you must understand the amount of work that is going to go into installing, repairing and maintaining your heater. Since the heater is a substantial investment, you should prioritize its proper working and smooth running mechanisms. Here are some things that you can do to maintain, repair and ensure that you are getting the most out of your solar heater.

Check The Collectors

Make sure that the collectors are at the perfect arch and inclination to ensure the maximum exposure of the panels to the sun. Also, make sure that nothing is shading the collectors and preventing sun exposure, which means that you must make sure that nothing covers the collectors and the collectors are free from dust and debris.

Condition Of Collectors, Pipes, Screws And Pumps

All the components of the heating system must be checked on a regular basis to ensure its smooth running. Make sure that no collectors are damaged, no pipes have burst, and no screws have loosened and that no pumps have lost their vigor. It is vital that you keep an eye of these components on a monthly basis because early reparations are much cheaper than complete restorations.