"Greg Cooper" wrote in message
news:6YAhe.55460$vN2.43371@clgrps13...
Ok I know that "Spring has sprung" and all - but my pond does get a lot of
shade and warms up slow.
I have wondered about the idea of a using solar heat from a roof top
collector to warm the pond to a better temp and extend the active season
for my finned friends. Not that I have actually done more than thinking
about it - living is coastal BC is about the worst place next to
Washington state for hours of sun shine anyway. But I thought if nothing
else maybe it would be an interesting thought experiment and who knows
maybe someone out there has tried it. I am thinking that one would need a
water/water heat exchanger because circulating pond water up through a
collector would grow algae and clog I am sure.
Crazy idea? what do people think?

Cheers.

I've often toyed with that very idea myself. The water in the solar panels
would have to be a closed system. Circulating pond water through the solar
panels would just clog up the collectors with muck and algae, so the bottom
of the pond would need some kind of radiator/heat exchanger.

You didn't say how large your pond is, in a small pond you'd have to be
careful, it's fairly easy to turn a small pond into a hot tub if you run the
solar heater in the summer. I suspect that by the time you add in the cost
of a pump that can raise water a good 20 feet into the air, the solar
panels, the plumbing etc probably cheaper to just add a pond heater.

-S