DIY Solar Heater Lily Pads
Learn how to make a DIY solar pool heater with supplies from the dollar store. Heat your pool by harnessing the power of the sun with this easy tutorial using a pool noodle, hula hoop and a trash bag.
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Supplies needed to make a DIY pool heater
Hula hoop
Pool noodle
Black trash bag
Serrated knife
Duct tape
More DIY Pool Noodle Ideas
Place the hula hoop in the bag
Place the hula hoop inside the bag and tie it up. Use duct tape to secure it if necessary. You need to use a black bag because black will absorb the heat from the sun and warm up the water underneath the bag. You will use one hoop and one trash bag per heater.
Cut the noodle
Cut the pool noodle into three equal pieces. Cut a slit down the side of each of the pieces. You will use one pool noodle for every solar heater that you make.
Attach the noodles to the hoop
Slide the noodles over the edge of the hoop and use duct tape to secure it in place. Place them evenly around the hoop.
Place the lily pads in the pool
Place the lily pads in the pool. The more you put in the water the better it will work. The sunnier the day is, the better it will work as well. Remove the solar heaters before you go swimming.
Never let children swim without adult supervision.
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I read that you must cover 1/3 of the surface area with passive solar heaters to be effective. Fabulous idea!
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Great, inexpensive idea. We've a large above ground (30-ft) round & spent fortunes on bubble pool covers. They do extend our swimming time by up to a month on each end of the season. However, they are costly, heavy, gather dirt on top that usually ends up getting dumped into the pool when you try to roll them back in order to swim. Once, too, b/c we unknowingly allowed some of it to hang over the top rail of the pool.....it built up condensation over the winter (even in So. CA we DO have 50-degree pool temps part of the year) and rusted out parts of the top rail. NO MORE bubble pool covers for us!!! I don't care what those lily pads look like when I'm not in the pool....just that it works. They are easily made and handled, easily removed and stacked on the deck, and might actually work to serve my much-needed purpose.
Frequently asked questions
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Will this work for inground pools?
This is simply too unsightly to consider. With the current nationwide heat wave, where do you live that your pool water is too cold to swim in?
Could you put the pool noodles on the hula hoop before placing it in the bag?