If you have a pool, you don’t need me to tell you how expensive it is to install. Besides, after installing a pool, you have to pay the high monthly price of pool heating all summer long. But if you don’t install a pool heater, you will end up with cold water, even when the summer sun is working overtime. What’s the solution?
The creative geniuses at Make came up with the idea of making solar panels to heat a swimming pool using hula hoops and some other basic materials. All you have to do is cut two hula hoop-sized circles out of black plastic sheeting, glue them to each side of the hula hoop and place them in the pool. The black plastic sheet attracts and absorbs the sun’s heat, warming the pool water. Watch the video below to see this DIY in action.
Facebook user Jenn Hamilton shared another great variation on this idea. You can also stuff your hula hoop inside a black garbage bag. Cut a pool noodle in half, then make a slit along one side. Attach each half of the pool noodle to the sides of your hula hoop, and voila! You’ve got yourself some instant pool solar panels.
Of course, this method won’t necessarily keep your pool warm for hours on cloudy or rainy days (but the UV rays will still hit the black tarp or trash bag!) However, this DIY method is a cheap and effective way to heat your pool on warm, sunny days without spending a fortune running the pool heater for months. We don’t have a pool yet, but I’ll definitely keep this tip in my memory bank for the day we have a pool installed.
