Solar pool heater

Abstract

An automated wirelessly-controlled solar pool heater including a floating water reservoir with active (DC electric) heating, an internal pump assembly, a first temperature sensor for sensing temperature in the water reservoir, a second temperature sensor for sensing ambient pool water, a microcontroller module with wireless transceiver for remote monitoring and operation, and a solar-charging battery. In operation, the pump assembly self-primes and automatically fills the entire water reservoir with pool water. Immersion heating elements inside the reservoir are activated and water in the reservoir begins to heat. Once fully heated to a preset max temperature the microcontroller activates the pump assembly to intermittently expel the heated water back into the pool, simultaneously refilling the water reservoir with unheated pool water. The recirculation program continues until the water temperature of the entire pool reaches its desired temperature.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of heating pool water, comprising the steps of:
 inducting a pre-determined volume of water into a chamber;   measuring a temperature of the pool water;   measuring a temperature of the inducted water;   heating the inducted water;   expelling the heated water back into the pool;   repeating the foregoing steps intermittently until the measured temperature of the pool water equals a pre-determined temperature.   
     
     
         2 . A solar pool heater, comprising:
 a floatation vessel;   a water reservoir arrayed on the floatation vessel;   one or more heating elements arrayed inside said flotation vessel;   a pump for intermittently pumping water through the water reservoir;   a first temperature sensor for sensing temperature in the water reservoir;   a second temperature sensor for sensing ambient pool water temperature;   a microcontroller in communication with said pump assembly and said temperature sensor for activating said pump assembly to intermittently expel heated water from said water reservoir while inducting unheated water into said water reservoir.