Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The present invention relates to swimming pool
heaters and more particularly, relates to a passive solar
swimming pool heater.
The use of solar heaters for swimming pools is well
known in the art and many different types are commercially
available. Most of these commercially available swimming
pool heaters comprise a panel which is adapted to be a
mounted on a roof of an adjacent building such as a house or
outbuilding.
While these structures are well known and serve
their purpose, in many instances a building structure is not
available and/or damage to the roof structure constitutes a
problem. This is particularly the case in more northern
climates. Furthermore, the esthetics of the roof mounted
solar heating system are not always pleasing to some people.
It is an object of the present invention to provide
a passive solar heating system for swimming pools, which
system is relatively inexpensive and easy to manufacture.
It is a further object of the present invention to
provide a passive solar heating system for a swimming pool
which is portable and can be moved to a number of different
locations.
It is a further object of the present invention to
provide a passive solar heating system for a swimming pool
which is portable and can be readily oriented in different
directions.
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According to one aspect of the present invention,
there is provided a passive solar heating system for a
swimming pool, the system comprising a frame, a plurality of
interchangeable panels adapted to be releaseably secured to
the frame, a first type of panel being of a transparent
material, a second type of panel being opaque and having one
surface thereof of a material adapted to reflect solar rays,
a plurality of interconnected sections within the frame,
each section having a coil of dark tubing arranged therein,
each coil having an inlet and an outlet, and a supply line
connected to the inlets and a return line connected to the
outlets.
In greater detail, the present invention provides a
relatively inexpensive passive solar heating system for
swimming pools which can be easily transported and set up in
many different situations. The system is arranged in
sections such that one could manufacture the heating system
to have as many sections as are required for a given pool
size .
The frame of the solar heating system may be formed
of any suitable material since the structural weight is not
significant. The frame can be of metal, plastic or wood.
The system includes a plurality of panels which are
securable to the frame in a detachable fashion. Thus, the
system has different types of panels which can be placed in
different orientations depending upon the location of the
system and the time of day. Many different means may be
2 1 ~ ~ 7 ~ ()
used to detachably secure the panels to the frame; the use
of channels into which the panels may be slid provides a
convenient method of so doing.
A first type of a panel is a substantially
transparent one formed of a suitable plastic material or
glass. The panel would generally be placed on those sides
- of the system which are oriented in the direction of the sun
-i.e. at least the top and south facing walls. Depending
upon the exact orientation of the system, a transparent
panel may also be used on it for both of the east and west
facing walls.
A second type of a panel would be dimensioned
exactly the same as the other wall panel, but would be of an
opaque nature having a solar reflective surface on the
interior thereof to maximize heating of the interior.
As aforementioned, preferably the system is designed
to have a plurality of sections such that the system can be
engineered to the size of the pool to be heated. Within
each section, there is provided a coil of tubing or conduit.
The tubing or conduit is preferably coiled about a support
structure and may be formed of any suitable material. A
preferred material would be commercially available
polyethylene tubing in either a 3/4 or 1/2 inch diameter
depending on the particular requirements.
The sections would be interconnected together with
the arrangement being generally each section being connected
in parallel -i.e. there being a supply conduit having
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`~- 21S07~
connections to each of the coils of tubing and an output or
a return line connected to the output to each of the coiled
sections.
Having thus generally described the invention,
reference will be made to the accompanying drawings
illustrating an embodiment thereof, in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a system according
to the present invention;
Figure 2 is a side elevational view thereof;
Figure 3 is an end view thereof;
Figure 4 is a top plan view thereof; and
Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along the
lines 5-5 of Figure 2.
Referring to the drawings in greater detail and by
reference characters thereto, there is illustrated a solar
heating system which is generally designated by reference
numeral 10 and which includes a plurality of sections which
are generally designated by reference numerals 12, 14, 16,
and 18.
The system includes a plurality of horizontal frame
members 20 and a plurality of vertical frame members 22.
The arrangement is such so as to provide a generally
rectangularly shaped enclosure.
Each of sections 12, 14, 16 and 18 includes a coil
28 of tubing. The tubing is wrapped around a support
structure which includes a pair of horizontal support
members 24 arranged in a cross or X shaped pattern and a
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plurality of vertical support members 26. A water supply
line 30 extends along the bottom of one side of the
enclosure while an outlet or return line 32 extends along
the upper portion of the enclosure. A plurality of inlets
34 extend from supply line 30 to each of the coils 28.
Similarly, outlets 36 are in fluid communication with outlet
or return line 32.
Extending longitudinally along horizontal frame
members are a plurality of panel support elements having a
groove formed therein. At either end of the enclosure,
there is provided an upper end wall 44 which in turn
supports a longitudinally extending panel support member 46
having a pair of grooves on either side thereof.
There are provided a plurality of panels which are
adapted to fit along the sides, ends, and top of the frame
structure. In this respect there are provided a plurality
of transparent top panels 50 which are slidable within the
grooves of support elements of 40 and 46 respectively.
Similarly, a plurality of transparent side panels 52 are
vertically oriented and supported by panel support elements
40 and in particular, are mounted within grooves thereof.
In a larger type structure such as illustrated in the
drawings, there may be provided a plurality of center
supports 38. End panels 42 also slidable within a groove in
a manner similar to the side panels.
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The invention also includes the use of opaque panel
56 which have a coating 58 thereon. Coating 58 is formed to
be of a solar reflective material.
In operation, as may be seen, the solar heating
system 10 is easily transportable and can be moved to
various different orientations. In any given orientation,
the various opaque and transparent panels are
interchangeable and can be used in a desired manner. Thus,
in a normal maximized heating mode, the transparent panels
are placed on the top and south facing walls. Depending on
the particular orientation of the sun at any moment, the
transparent panels may be used on one or both of the east
and west facing walls. However, later in the day, the
transparent panel may be removed from the east facing wall
and an opaque panel having a reflective surface thereon may
be inserted.
It will be understood that the above described
embodiments are for purposes of illustration only and that
changes and modifications may be made thereto without
departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
