To help our customers, we’ve prepared the following site-evaluation information:
1. Consider all the possible locations for mounting heater units: a. You can use any sloped roof, flat roof or patio cover that does not face to the north. (The most effective facing is southwest, but the unique, large ribbing of the Suntrek collectors still allows plenty of heat generation when facing other directions.
b. You can put units on more than one roof area to gain the desired total size. (For example, on one roof that faces toward your backyard and one that faces to the side of the house. Just branch and plumb.)
c. A new structure can be built specifically to accommodate the solar heater as long as it is raised and near the pool (The new, shaded area can be an attractive landscape asset.)
NOTE: The heater unit must be positioned higher than the pool equipment, so that it can gravity-drain when it is not in use. (For example, a shed roof on a downslope below the pool equipment would be a poor location.)
2. Check for shading of the heater location. Direct sunshine on the heater unit is what produces heat for the pool. Even on very hot days, a solar heater won’t warm the water if it is shaded. Trees may need to be trimmed or cut to allow the sun its surface area.
3. Consider the routing for two 2″ PVC pipes. There is usually more than one way to accomplish this. If the pool equipment is not right next to the structure where the solar heater will be installed, the feed and return pipes are typically put underground.
For more detailed site evaluation instructions,
