Solar power has many uses and benefits these days and it is not just limited to the big industry.

No not at all, Solar is now affordable and easily obtainable for your home or office and going in the Solar direction most often comes with a few perks in many states.

When you searched for Solar Power For The Home Owner or Facts About Solar Power or The Benefits Of Solar Power you may have been trying to address one of the following concerns:

* The ever increasing electric bill
* Concern over the depletion of fossil fuel reserves
* Environmental awareness i.e. global warming, the hole in the
ozone layer, etc.).

Three major concerns that can be addressed by simply making the shift to solar power.

When you use solar power, you can benefit in many ways. The key is to start out with a simple kit and use it in conjunction with your traditional energy source.

By using solar power, you will save money in the long run after you’re initial investment. You will immediately notice a substantial decrease in the electric bill in the coming months especially if you’re using solar power indoor and outdoor.

Plus you can take advantage of all the special programs, grants, and loans offered by the federal government that are now allowed for people who want to try solar power. Rebates are also in place for individuals who are able to consume a certain amount of solar power.

So what holds you back from buying your family a simple solar kit for Christmas?

Just think of what a statement it will make to all of your family and friends to give such a unique gift.

You don’t have to buy a solar panel kit if that doesn’t trip your trigger. Now you can find solar powered generators, cookers, lights, garden fountains, etc.

In my opinion though, for starting out and getting a little more comfortable and familiar with solar power for the home, I’d suggest buying a Solar How To Guide that is presented in video and gives you a solid step-by-step approach to building your own Solar Panels for cheap!

You can easily build your own solar panels with simply instruction
through these DIY videos, Click Here! By doing it this way you can cut that cost of a panel more than half building it yourself for around $200. Once you’ve assembled the solar panels, you can then say you have renewable energy!

The benefits of such a system is these power systems are easy to build and understand plus once built require little to zero maintenance.

So solar panels aren’t your thing and you think they’re bulky and ugly to look at especially if you place them on the rooftop?

Check out the availability of different photovoltaic cells and shingles. The ‘size’ problems have been effectively addressed. You no longer need to install a solar panel to obtain solar power. Photovoltaic shingles may be perfect for your home.

These shingles are sometimes called photovoltaic tiles. The energy produced can be used for heating the house and water. You can even heat the water of your pool using solar power. Click Here!

The energy created by the photovoltaic cells and shingles is just like conventional electricity.

How about solar water pumps? In remote places, water pumps have to be powered by sunlight. Windmills have always been quite popular when it comes to powering water pumps but now, solar power has become a viable alternative as well.

As you can see Solar power has many uses and many ways we can all go about utilizing the power of the sun.

Discover other ways to use solar power as we bring you information here at Solar How To.

Use the above information now to help address the three concerns mentioned earlier and before long you may be living off the grid!

Believe it or not…

…it’s swimming season even though in some parts of the country it doesn’t seem like it due to cooler weather and in our neck of the woods, many rainy days!

My daughter just loves the water and it seems at a young age you don’t really care how cold it is!

I for one do care and if the pool is even slightly cool, I find reasons to avoid it until I’m really hot.

So I started thinking about ways I might be able to use my interest in solar to “take the chill off” and possible enjoy the pool of a morning or late at night.

In my quest, I came across this interesting “how to” and I wanted to pass on this information.

How to Use Solar Energy to Heat a Pool

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit

The success of heating your pool with sunlight will vary depending on how much sun you get, how big and cold the pool is, and how much dark-colored hose you are prepared to buy – but some increase in temperature is feasible for most people.

Steps

1. You’ll need dark colored hose pipe – black rubber hose is ideal and is relatively inexpensive. Alternately, use black garden irrigation pipe. It is thin-walled to allow quick heat transfer, inexpensive, but will kink easily. It is readily found in most home supply stores.
2. The more hose pipe you use, the more the water will be heated as it flows through to the pool. How much you will need will depend on how much you want to heat the pool, the size and regular temperature of the pool etc.
3. Consider setting many pipes in parallel to increase solar gain. If you use one long hose, the water temperature near the end may be to high to allow for further collection, and may in less efficient in gaining heat. The greater the difference in temperature between the water and the potential gain, the more efficient the system.
4. Most in-ground pools will have a hose bib that may be used to drain water from the pool. If you have something like this you can use it instead to send water through the hose and back to the pool. If not you will need a small pump, which will pump the water at slow speeds.
5. You can start with 50 or 100 feet of hose and add more if necessary.
6. Attach the hose so it circulates the water from your swimming pool through the pipe.
7. Let the water circulate for a few minutes so that the water coming out is not what was left in the pipe (which may already be quite hot).
8. To determine how much pipe you need or what kind of temperature rise you will get you need to start taking some measurements. You will need to know how fast the pipe fills a 1 gallon milk carton or bucket, how many gallons your pool contains, and a measurement of the difference between the pool temperature and the temperature of the water coming out of the hose (subtract the pool temperature from the temperature after it leaves the hose).
9. You can get an approximation of the impact of this method by dividing the temperature difference by the number of gallons in the pool. This will tell you roughly how much the temperature of the pool will rise when one gallon is circulated through the hose. For example, if the temperature difference is 10 degrees, and your pool is 5000 gallons, then the temperature of the pool will rise approximately 10/5000 = 1/500th or 0.002 of a degree for each gallon going through the pipe.
10. To find out how long it will take to warm the pool by one degree you divide the number of seconds it takes to pump one gallon by the degree rise from the last calculation. For example, if it takes 20 seconds to pump one gallon, it will take 20/0.002 = 10,000 seconds to heat the water by one degree.
11. Divide the number of seconds by 60 to get the number of minutes, and then by 60 again to get the number of hours – for example 10000 / 60 = 167 minutes. 167 / 60 = about 2.8 hours.
12. Slowing down the water will make the water warmer in the pipe but it will take longer to heat the pool. To increase the speed of heating the pool you can add more pipe.
13. If installing a parallel pipe system above the pool such as on a roof, be sure to install a vacuum break at the highest point of the pipes, otherwise the system can easily get vacuum trapped, and will not cycle water through all the pipes.

Tips

• In most cases this is not even worth considering unless you have some kind of thermal cover for the pool. The rate of warming is typically too slow to compensate for overnight cooling that will occur if the pool is not covered.
• An alternative to hose are vinyl solar panels that add some heating efficiency to this system and cost less than $150 per 2′x20′ panel. Solar panels equal to the area of the pool might be ideal, but vinyl solar panels are easy to add so the DIY installer can test the effects of a few panels on pool temperature and pump power before investing in more panels.
• Do not expect major increases in temperature – this is unlikely to help make the pool usable in the winter months but may extend the swimming season – most people should be able to get 5-10 degrees Fahrenheit increases using this method with enough hose.
• Remember that if you cover the pipe with plastic bottles or a glass sheet, the covering will reflect sunlight, reducing the amount of solar energy gained.
• If your system is working correctly, your pipes should be cool to the touch, as this means the solar heat is being harvested and transferred to the water, instead of being released to your hand.
• 80-81 degrees Fahrenheit is what most people consider a comfortable pool temperature for activity in the pool although some can swim in 70 degrees. 84-85 degrees Fahrenheit is good for most people for relaxing pool usage.
• Above-ground pools will lose more heat overnight than in-ground pools (when overnight temperatures drop below the pool water temperature).
• The calculations do not cover all factors and are very approximate. They also assume the availability of constant warming sunlight. You may need to adjust for the hours of daylight that fall on the hose.
• You may want to mount the hose on a board that can be angled to point more directly towards the sun or leave space between your hoses so they do not cast shadows onto each other, thus allowing a greater angles for the moving sun to strike the hose.

Warnings

• Be careful not to let water drain from the hosepipe so that the pump is running ‘dry’ as this will damage the pump. Once water is flowing keep the end of the hose in the pool to prevent this. You might need to fill the pipe with water by connecting it to a tap and then closing off the ends initially before connecting to the pump.
• In some cases you may want to mount the hose on a board and attach it to a sun-facing roof. This is not recommended unless you have a suitable low roof (e.g. shed) and/or are skilled at working at roof height.
• If you want to use this method for warming water for other purposes note that most garden hoses are not suitable for use with drinking water. You will need to set up a ‘heat exchange’ system or use food-quality hoses.

Related wikiHows

• How to Heat Water Using Solar Energy
• How to Properly Maintain Swimming Pool Water Chemistry
• How to Lower Chlorine in a Pool
• How to Diagnose and Clear Cloudy Swimming Pool Water
• How to Use Your Roof As a Space Heater
• How to Apply Sunscreen
• How to Make Sunscreen

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Use Solar Energy to Heat a Pool. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Other related and informative information:

Our friends over at Our Backyard Oasis made a nice post about cleaning your above ground swimming pool which is a nice addition to this article.

Spend little and receive the fun and satisfaction of building your own home made solar panels and other “Living Off The Grid products.”

This concept really is a better choice.  We know you can do it, and we will help in any way we can!

If you’ve always wondered …

• How much will solar panels cost?

• How much will it cost to build a wind generator?

• Can we get reliable, easy to follow solar panel and wind generator plans?

• How long will it take to build a solar panel or a wind generator?

• Are homemade solar panels or wind generators comparable to store bought models?

• Are the parts to build a solar panel or wind generator easy to find?

You are at the right place and this IS your perfect choice for a guide!

Set up your own home energy system and save thousands of dollar$ per year!

• Why pay up to $12,000 for new solar panels when you can build one for under $200?

• Why pay $2500 for a wind generator when you can build your own for under $150?

Find out just how easy it really is.

Yes you can do it!

It’s a great family project!

Check out the ‘Going Green Value Pack’

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Solar panels will create excess Energy which can and will be reintroduced to the power companies grid.

This is also known as Net Metering.

Net metering works in a Grid-connected system.

The way it works is that the solar array, (the panels,) are connected to the main power supply of the home.

Any surplus power is sold to the electricity company.

Power is only bought back from them when it is needed.

In a Stand-alone system, however, this is not possible.

In this type of system the usual choice for energy storage is the lead-acid battery.

We featured this information via video in the previous post, called Solar Battery Banks.

The number and type of batteries that you will need will vary. i.e. is dependent on the amount of energy storage needed.

Don’t worry though, this is explained very well and you will be guided in the right direction on how to do it correctly.

In this Solar Power Design Manual everything is explained in simple to understand terms.

Have fun with it as you journey toward living off the grid!

Solar Energy Battery Banks For Your Home Explained

Watch this video to better understand Solar Battery Banks.

These will be used in conjunction with the Solar Panels you will soon be able to build yourself!

Get the latest Flash Player to see this player.

Thanks for watching. We hope this helps you understand the basic principles behind Solar Battery Banks.

I’m currently in search for the very best resource for you to get Battery Banks for your home solar systems.

Please check back soon!

How to build a solar panel is becoming something of growing interest these days.

Energy prices are on the rise and will continue to rise.

Don’t be fooled into thinking they’re going to get lower anytime soon.

This little flirt with  cheap fuel and electricity isn’t going to last.

Because of this fact, Learning how to build a solar panel should be top priority right now for even the least technical of  home owner.

Therefore if you are a homeowner staring at the reality of increased energy cost and you’ve landed here because of your quest…

…it would definitely be of interest to you to learn how to build a solar panel  for your property.

Right?

If so than you are at the right place!

Allow us to guide you in the right direction right now.

First let’s clear the air about the biggest myth that get’s circulated about solar power for your home.

Many people would believe building a solar panel for your home is a complex process that costs more than it’s worth.

Absolutely false.

Now make no mistake, there are technical issues involved. However it is not so technical that anyone should feel that they cannot build and install solar panels on their home all by themselves.

As far as the cost involved with solar power,  it’s perceived to be far too expensive to be worthwhile.

This is simply not the case.

Keep in mind that there are very expensive commercial solar systems available and quite frequently when you hear about solar it’s talked about in this way.

And yes if you hired it out in a residential application and had it done all at once you could spend some cash really quick.

Usually when the cost of  going solar is brought up it’s perceived in a way that can have a negative effect on seriously considering it further.

The fact is that with the right guidance on how to build a solar panel, even the least experienced consumer can easily learn what to do and how to do it.

By going in this direction, you are  guaranteed to cut the expenses to a fraction of their original cost!

By learning how to build a solar panels for your home by yourself, you will quickly learn how to eventually live off of the grid.

Think about what that would mean and imagine the possibilities with us here at HowToSolarGuide.Com

If you’re ready to get a jump start on your energy independence…

…here is a direct link to a product that is actually much more than that.

It will get you moving in the right direction in no time flat!

You will soon be impressing your friends and family with your new found knowledge and possible hobby of sorts.

Eventually, you will find that your approach to solar leads you to living off the grid and if the thought of that doesn’t get your juices flowing than I don’t know what would.

Just remember, the day you start to do it even in the  smallest and simplest way, you will be bettering your situation in so many beneficial ways.

Each of which will generate values in its own right.  At the same time not to mention reduce your energy cost and consumption.

In summary, one has to wonder where all this information is coming from.

We realize the Internet is full of half-baked harebrained schemes about cheap and free energy.

We are here to guide consumers to only reliable sources for information about how to go solar, how to build a solar panel and other ways to go solar with all kinds of gadgets and products.

If you wish to take the topic seriously and in the long run not waste your money, then consider sticking with us.

Even if you don’t decide today to take a look at this solar guide, you can easily subscribe to our feed and set up exactly what you’d like us to guide you on and how you’d like to hear from us in the future.

By subscribing to our feed you will be able to stay informed customize a way that is fully customizable to your likes.

It’s absolutely the best way to read and revisit favorites as we hope you will find HowToSolarGuide.com to be.

The bottom line and the only thing that really matters is that solar power is the future and individual energy independence is most important.

There’s no better time than right now to learn how to do it!

Remember living off the grid and never having to pay another electricity bill again is the end goal or should be.

Living totally energy independent is an attainable goal and is very realistic.

Click Here To Find Out How To Build A Solar Panel

Note: For consumers who are new to the idea of building their own solar panels they should probably look for information that allows them to start small with a panel or two before building up to a large array that will cover their entire electric bill.