Panel life expectancy
Pool panels wear differently from solar electric panels. Here is what shortens their life and what stretches it. Questions? Call 866-412-4218.
Call 866-412-4218People often assume the panels heating their pool will last as long as the solar electric panels on a neighbor's roof. They are very different products. Solar electric panels are glass and silicon in a metal frame. Most pool collectors are dark plastic with many small tubes that carry pool water, and they sit in the Florida sun with no cover.
In our experience, a solar pool heating system is unlikely to last as long as a solar electric system. Individual components, or the whole array, may need to be replaced after one or two decades. That is a wide range, and where a given system lands depends a lot on how it was installed and how it has been cared for.
Many Florida pool solar systems are shut off years before their panels are worn out, usually after a leak and a missing installer. AllSolar Energy repairs and takes over pool heating from any brand and any installer, and has served more than 18,000 customers across 17 Florida counties since 1999.
Request ServiceAn aging system usually tells you before it quits. Watch for:
One leak on its own does not mean a panel is worn out. Many leaks are ordinary repairs. It is the pattern of repeated failures and brittle material that points toward replacement.
Many panel manufacturers offer their own warranties, and some are long. What a warranty covers, and whether it still applies, depends on the manufacturer and your paperwork, so it is worth finding those documents if you have them. A manufacturer warranty usually covers the panel, while labor and plumbing may be separate.
If your system is older and the installer is gone, do not assume it is finished. A lot of the shut off pool systems we see still have useful life in most of their panels. We can take the system over, tell you honestly what shape it is in and repair what is worth repairing.
It varies a lot with installation, care and conditions. In our experience, components or the whole system may need to be replaced after one or two decades, which is shorter than a typical solar electric system.
They heat and cool every day, carry chlorinated pool water, and sit in direct sun with no cover. Over years that wears the plastic and the joints between panels.
Repeated leaks, brittle or cracked plastic, warped tubes and weak heat on sunny days are the usual signs. A single leak is often a repair rather than a replacement.
A yearly inspection, prompt leak repairs, balanced pool chemistry and a clean filter all help. Careful removal and reinstall during a reroof matters too.
Often it is. Many old systems were shut off because of a small problem, not because every panel was worn out. We will tell you honestly after we look at it.
A service request from your Solar Home already carries your address, your equipment and your history, so you are not describing your system from memory on the phone. Free to create, and you never need a membership to request service.
Free to read first, no account needed: what you can safely check yourself before calling anyone, what a diagnostic visit involves, and what to have ready.
More from AllSolar Energy on solar pool heating:
AllSolar Energy holds Florida Solar Contractor license CVC056660 and Electrical Contractor license EC13005027. Call 866-412-4218 or fill out the form below and we will get back to you.
Call 866-412-4218AllSolar Energy has licensed local crews in 17 Florida counties. Find yours for local service details:
