If you have solar pool heating installed at your Brisbane, Melbourne, or Sydney home, you should be enjoying more time in your swimming pool. While majority of decent solar pool heating options require little maintenance and last a long time because they are robust and durable, as time goes on the rubber strips are subject to general wear and tear. This means that it is not uncommon for the solar panels to spring a leak. It is important that you repair any leaks of your solar pool heating in Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne to prevent any damage to your roof from the chlorinated or salt water. If you are worried about the cost, stress less. They are very quick, easy and inexpensive to fix with a few spare parts such as manifolds, grommets, and barbs. Here are our top tips for repairing your solar pool heating system in Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney.
How to tell if your solar pool heating needs repairs
There are some simple ways to tell if your solar pool heating in Sydney, Brisbane, or Melbourne may need repairing. If you have noticed lower than normal water levels, lower water temperatures or that your pool is not as warm or cool as it should be, these are signs that there could be damage to your absorbers. There may also be more visible signs of leaking or damage to your strip collectors, and this damage may come from birds, hail, strong winds, blockages, or general wear from direct sunlight.
How to repair a leak in your solar pool heating absorbers
Solar pool heating absorbers are the rubber tubes on your roof where the water flows through, being heated by the sun before it flows back into your pool. Though the tubes are all joined together, a hole or tear in one tube doesn’t mean that you have to replace the whole section. Simply find where the hole is or the water is leaking, keep the water pumping so that you know where the leak is coming from and this will also tell you that the leak has been properly repaired. Using a Stanley knife, cut down the middle of the ridge in order to separate the tube with the hole from the rest of the solar absorbers. You then need to slice the tubing where the hole or damage is. Spray the hole with silicone spray or PVC glue. You then take the connector or the barb, and plug it into one end of the hose, and then plug the other end to the other side. Once you connect the two ends, pull them tight so they don’t separate, ensuring there is no further leakage.
What to do if the hole is in the manifolds
If the leak or hole isn’t in the solar pool heating absorbers, the hole may be in the manifolds (the part that connects to the rubber tubes). Depending on the brand, these may break if they are of the cheap, imported variety. You can purchase replacement manifolds, or replace the barbs that stick out from the manifolds and connect to the solar tubing. You can replace a barb by drilling the manifold and inserting a grommet and barb in order to repair the damage. You should use pliers to take out the broken barb as using a Stanley knife could damage it further.
If you need further advice on repairing your solar pool heating in Brisbane, Melbourne, or Sydney, give our team here at Sunlover Heating a call on 1800 815 913.