Wait a minute, you’re thinking. This project was listed in the ten best solar projects chapter!
Exactly. Solar pool heaters are very expensive, and you don’t get any return on investment from them. They don’t last that long because sunshine and chlorine eat them up. They’re hard to maintain because they’re on your roof, and they leak everywhere when they break (not if they break, when they break).
And you know what? A solar pool cover is about 2 percent of the cost and works better. Plus, if you’ve got any sort of respect for Mother Nature, you don’t mind freezing cold water because that’s exactly the way she serves it up most of the time. So what’s a little cold water? Instead of getting out of bed in the morning and flipping on your coffee pot, jump into your freezing pool. You’ll be awake in no time (and think of all the energy you’ll save).
