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A. Determine the pool surface area in Square Feet:
Measure the overall length and width of the pool. Refer to Table 1 for Shape Multipliers.
Overall Length _____Ft
X
Overall Width _____Ft
X
Shape Multiplier _____
=
(A). _____ SqFt
(Alternate method: Pool Gallons / 7.48 / Average Depth = Pool SqFt)
 |
Table 1
|
| Shape |
Mult. |
| Rectangle |
1.00 |
| Kidney/Freeform |
0.85 |
| Oval |
0.90 |
| Round |
0.79 |
B. Where will the panels be installed?
Check the orientation of the roof area with a compass, refer to Table 2 and select an Orientation Multiplier. Solar panels can face up to 30° East or West of True South for optimum efficiency. Panels can not face in a northerly direction, unless supported by a rack to elevate the system towards south. See the Solar Pool Heater Installation Manual for precautions on installing on a flat roof.
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Table 2
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|
Orientation
|
Mult.
|
|
South Facing
|
1.00
|
|
East or West Facing
|
1.25
|
|
Flat
|
1.10
|
(B). _______
C. Is the pool shaded?
Determine the percentage of shade on the entire pool during the Solar Day (9 am - 5 pm), refer to Table 3 and select a Shade Multiplier. If only a portion of the pool is shaded for part of the solar day, then a Shade Multiplier should be extrapolated from the table (i.e. 50% of the pool shaded for 50% (4 hours) of the solar day equals 25% or a multiplier of 1.10). Indoor pools should use 100% shade multiplier.
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Table 3
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|
Orientation
|
Mult.
|
|
No Shade from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
|
1.00
|
|
25% Shade
|
1.10
|
|
50% Shade
|
1.25
|
|
75% Shade
|
1.50
|
|
100% Shade
|
1.75
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(C). _______
D. Does the pool have a screen enclosure?
If the pool has a screen enclosure, use a Screen Multiplier of 1.25
If the pool does not have a screen enclosure, use a Multiplier of 1.0
(D). _______
E. Determine the Sizing Factor for your Region and Pool Season desired, from the Table 4 below. For areas other than Florida, refer to the Solar Insolation Map for the correct Sizing Factor.
(E). _______
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Table 4
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|
Region
|
9 - 10 Month
|
11 - 12 Month
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North Florida
|
0.64
|
0.80
|
|
Central Florida
|
0.56
|
0.68
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South Florida
|
0.48
|
0.56
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F. Multiply (A) X (B) X (C) X (D) X (E) to get the required square footage of solar panels. Measure the area where the panels will be installed to determine which size panel will fit. Determine the number of panels required below (round to nearest whole number):
(F). _______
Sq. footage (F) from above: _______
div. by 32 = ___ 4Ft X 8Ft Panels
or div. by 40 = ___ 4Ft X 10Ft Panels
or div. by 48 = ___ 4Ft X 12Ft Panels
Some roof configurations may require combining several sizes of panels to achieve the total square footage. See the Solar Pool Heater
Installation Manual for details.
Sizing guidelines assume use of a pool cover when night time temperatures are below 60 degrees. If a cover is not used during these conditions, the system must be over-sized by 75 to 100%. For
assistance with proper sizing or design, please contact us.
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