Not necessarily. A west or east facing roof can work just as well with only a moderate increase in system size over the recommended size for a south roof. Flat roofs work well also.

Good news! Solar has no operating cost. That’s right, zero. A common misconception is that there is a small operating cost to provide electricity to the pump that circulates water through the solar panels, but this is not the case. The same pump that circulates water through your pool filtration system also circulates pool water through the solar panels, using no extra electricity to do so. As an added benefit, there is virtually no maintenance cost since solar heating uses a non-mechanical system to operate, unlike electric heat pumps and gas heaters, which have a relatively high long term maintenance cost.

A properly sized and installed system can add 16 degrees to your pool temperature at any time of the year. With regular use of a solar blanket, which slows evaporative heat loss, the temperature increase can be as high as 25 degrees. Here’s how to relate to those numbers; in early spring when your pool is 62 degrees, solar heating can raise it to 78 to 87 degrees, very comfortable. In the late fall, the same numbers apply. Put another way, if the air temperature is warm enough to allow you to go outside, comfortably, in only a swim suit, then your solar pool heater will have your pool warm enough to swim in.

In most cases, no. Modern pools are being designed with 1 or 1.5 horse power pumps, enough power to run all of your pool equipment and water features with plenty of reserve to circulate through the solar panels.

No, solar panels may also be mounted directly on the ground on a rack. However, roof mounting is generally preferred for several reasons. It is usually easier to find an unobstructed area on the roof large enough to accommodate a solar panel array. There is less potential for shading on the roof. There is less risk of damage to a roof mounted system.