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While all of our installers do great work, I can often tell which installer did a job by the plumbing. Sometimes it’s the valve manifold at the pool equipment pad and sometimes it’s the roof work. While he likely trained the person doing the actual work on the roof, I’d call this a “Danny job,” recently installed in Cape Coral, FL. Because two lengths of solar pool heating panel were combined in this system, it required that a “common high” be installed. This entails making sure that the water leaving the shorter panels reaches the common high point in the system, which equalizes pressure andRead More →

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There are lots of Spanish tile roofs in Southwest Florida. There are lots of hip roofs and broken up roof surfaces, too. These present some challenges, but as this picture shows, pretty much anything is possible. With three different panel lengths in two banks of panels, there is complex plumbing, but it gets the job done – the pool is warm!

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Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) describes solar panels that are integrated with a roof. The solar panels replace roofing tiles, and create a seamless appearance with the roof, other than the color, which is typically dark blue or black. The benefit of BIPV is the appearance. That’s generally where the benefits end. The downsides are numerous: In most cases, it’s more expensive to integrate BIPV, even though the solar panels replace roof tiles. The energy produced is about one-fourth what is attainable using traditional solar modules (crystalline-silicon) in the given area. The return on investment is typically far lower. The 2010 Florida Building Code that goesRead More →

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In Southwest Florida’s upscale communities, you find homes with lots of small, broken up, hip roof surfaces. Roof layouts can be very challenging for solar energy systems, especially because we are targeting the south facing roofs to maximize performance. Solar water heating systems come in various sizes, but are all generally rectangular in shape. On almost any roof we can find a suitable location for a solar water heating (SDHW) system. Some roofs are simply not suitable for larger solar pool heating panels, but can accommodate solar water heating or solar photovoltaic systems. While installation can be more challenging on smaller roofs, it’s absolutely possibleRead More →

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Mediterranean style roofing is very popular in Naples, Bonita Springs, Southwest Cape Coral, and other areas throughout Southwest Florida. Solar Pool Heating Systems can easily be mounted on barrel tile roofs, sometimes known as Spanish tile or clay tile. Methods depend on the type of panel being installed. The procedure is the same for flat tiles and is generally the same for all profiles of rounded tile roofs. This installation method provides a secure and long lasting solar pool heat system on a barrel tile roof!