No Pool Heater? No Problem! You Can Now Make DIY Solar Panels Using Hula Hoops
May 7, 2021
source: Make
If you have a swimming pool, you don’t need me to tell you how expensive they are to install. Plus, after you’ve installed a pool, you’re then left paying the hefty monthly price of running a pool heater all summer long. But if you don’t get a pool heater hooked up, you’re jumping into frigid waters, even when the summer sun is working overtime. So, what’s the solution?
The creative geniuses over at Make came up with the idea to make DIY solar panels to heat a swimming pool using hula hoops, plus a few other basic supplies. Pretty much all you have to do is cut two hula hoop-sized circles out of black plastic sheeting, fasten them to either side of the hula hoop using electrical tape, and plop them in the pool. The black plastic sheeting attracts and absorbs the sun’s heat, warming the pool water in the process. Check out 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 isn’t going to necessarily keep your pool warm for hours on end when it’s overcast or rainy (but, those UV rays will still reach the black sheeting or garbage bag!). However, this DIY method is a cheap and effective way to warm your pool on hot, sunny days without spending a fortune running the pool heater for months at a time. We don’t have a pool – yet – but I’ll definitely be storing this hack in my memory bank for that day in the future when we do have a pool installed!