Intex Eco-Friendly Solar Heating Mat for Swimming Pools #28685

I bought this as a budget option for heating the kids pool last summer. I paid just over £20 a few months before the summer (timing is everything with these!) and found it easy to install after the pump/filter and I then connected it to a waterfall device which cascades the water into the pool. The mat has a two way tap which means you can direct the flow through the long and winding hose (sounds like a Beatles song) or short cut it through the shorter channel. This means that you can keep the filter running, but, leave some water in the long hose to heat up for a longer period before turning the tap and unleashing the lovely, sun heated water into the pool. This can be gloriously warm if left for a while. It definitely takes the edge off the water temperature. I’ve bought 2 more (waited for the price to drop again) for next summer as this will give the water more time to heat up as it’s travels through 3 times the length of hose…

These things are surprisingly effective. I measure our pool temperature daily with a cooking thermometer (a Thermapen). We have the 3x2m Intex pool and the 1000gph pump. Six of these pads in series on a hot day will easily give a 5C boost to the pool temperature. In a recent bout of good weather, at around 25C, we were sat in the pool hovering around 30C. On a hot day if you wait for the pads to heat up, the inlet water will be almost too hot to touch (if you've tried a solar shower in a hot country, you'll know what I mean). I've found that the most effective way to set the vale is to direct water down both the coils and the bypass at the same time. The problem is if your pump is too powerful, it will buckle the pad and kinks will form near the inlet stopping water from going into the coiled section. With six pads in this configuration, there was no flow. Changing to half/half bypass/coil we have a good flow rate, and the entire pad is cool to the touch indicating that the water is getting everywhere. There are two downsides. Firstly, they're relatively large, they will kill your grass and they're awkward to move so that you get sunlight underneath. Secondly, the plastic clamps are garbage. They don't do up tightly enough to get a good seal - half our pads were ok, but half of them are dripping slowly. You can try double clamping, but really you should probably get some proper jubilee clamps instead. Setup is easy - if you have a pump, you already have enough tubing. Each additional pad comes with enough extra piping to combine it into the loop. Make sure you check the prices. These are absolutely not worth £50 each. We bought ours for around £15 each.

These do work but like all Intex products they are not really built to last. My first one lasted seasons but with a lots of glue and patches. They certainly take the chill off these pools and make a difference but they leak but just a shame (like everything) you have to buy a new one every 2-3 years which is ecologically and morally bad.

I got mine in January sales at 45% off it's notably better quality than the smaller Intex one and double the size. How well does it heat I can't say yet but I put it on my bike shed roof at chest hight on a cold sunny day ice cold rain water in with mini 12v solar pump so low flow and not painfully cold water out the other end so promising potential the instructions say put on ground I presume this is so that the pump attached is not over stressed and the pressure in the product remains sufficiently low for it to heat without bursting if you do as I did do not use your filter pump use something smaller and much lower flow rated and and one way valves into the heat loop. Is it worth full price I'm not sure but if I remember I will review it again in the summer

I have an intex 2x3 4000L pool with an Intex Krystal 1000 GPH Pump Flow, which is quite powerful for the pool size and delivers a strong stream - I've always been vey happy with it. Strong enough to easily push your hand away. I set up 2 of these solar mats today and I could not believe the impact they had on the filtering system. The flow entering the pool is ridiculously weak, a trickle not strong enough to move a tennis ball floating next to it. All set up is correct, no leaks, new filter installed; when the valve mats are closed, and hence bypassing the circuit, the stream gets stronger but also noticeably weaker than without them. One mat alone also significantly reduced the stream. I don't quite understand how others have not reported a similar problem? The mat circuit puts so much resistance to the water flow that the pump is not strong enough to move the water through - hence the pool will never get warm... Very disappointed, I just wanted to get a couple more degrees on sunny days, but without getting an even more powerful pump (risk of ripping the mat included) is not going to happen. I think I wasted my money.

I have the pool pump on a separate circuit, since I believe from reading these reviews that the filter pump's flow rate is too fast for these panels and is likely to damage them Since early April, I've had two of these solar panels, slightly raised above the pool (due to the layout of garden), and a 12v Whale (caravan) pump powered by a rotating/tilting solar panel. It's only an 8ft pool as my patio won't take any bigger. I have a floater thermometer for the pool, and a probe thermometer in the solar panel outlet (both Inkbird - I recommend, can view remotely on phone app). On a sunny day, the flow is like a kitchen tap on 70-80%, and the output is 5 degrees higher than the pool. With sun all day, it can raise the pool temp by 7-9 degrees C (bearing in mind it only really works from 11am to 6pm). Depending on the overnight temp, it drops 3-5%, so I spend a lot of time praying for 2+ days of consistent sun. This week, the pool is up to 27 degrees (C), which is lovely. I didn't use the tubes provided since I purchased heavy duty reinforced PVC hose a while ago to replace the Intex corrugated tubes that crack after one summer. I have gym mats underneath the panels, and I've just brought garden staples and tent pegs to try and prevent the warping mentioned by another reviewer. Photos taken 6:17pm 26/06/24 Edit May 2025: Upgraded since last year. Since the solar pads destroyed the grass in 2024, I built a raised platform approximately 1.5m above the top water level of the pool; 2.4x2.4m, big enough to take 4 of these panels. Used 2"x2" timber and polycarbonate sheets to place the pads on. I'm using two 12v pumps (Comet VIP-Plus) and an upgraded 50W PV solar panel (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Yusat-Efficiency-Monocrystalline-Charger-Charging/dp/B0DCDRTNB7) to power each one, in order to deal with the pressure required to pump that high. Having been blessed with an unusually sunny Welsh spring for once, the pool's already been above 32 degrees on several occasions. Oh and I used decent non-kink hose (https://www.amazon.co.uk/DEWENWILS-SwivelGrip-Flexible-Lightweight-Hosepipes/dp/B0BTP3NCXB) for the whole system. I'm not going to say it's an easy or cheap setup, but if you or your kids enjoy spending time in water (my daughter lives for it!) then it's a worthwhile investment.

The good: Integrated bypass valve (variable too) Flat & neat Adds a nice amount of heat when flowing well The bad: Flaky flow - the way the mat deforms once there is pressure causes creases which in turn reduces flow. You can’t completely remove the creases easily as they are different on each side (top and bottom) fix one side, the other side becomes an issue. Imagine gluing balloons to paper then inflating them - that’s what happens to the mat. Even when you get it “good” the flow is much lower. We tend to set the bypass valve to mostly send water down the bypass with a small amount taking the heated side to try to preserve the flow.

Fast delivery as described works wicked in the sun may order more

Aunque parezca mentira, calienta y funciona. Hay que comprar los necesarios según el volumen de la piscina. Para una piscina redonda de 3 metros en pocos días más de 4 grados con 3 unidades

Très satisfait de ce tapis solaire Intex ! L’installation est simple et il commence rapidement à réchauffer l’eau lorsque le soleil est au rendez-vous. La différence de température est bien perceptible après quelques heures d’exposition, ce qui rend la baignade beaucoup plus agréable. Le système est économique puisqu’il fonctionne uniquement grâce à l’énergie solaire, sans consommation d’électricité. Les raccords sont faciles à installer et le produit semble robuste. Un excellent rapport qualité-prix pour prolonger la saison de baignade. Je recommande sans hésiter ! ☀️🏊

Piękna sprawa gdy świeci słońce, naprawdę fajnie podgrzewa wodę. Polecam

After three times circulating water through it the mat sprung a huge hole and drained 6" of water from our pool. Our filter/pump fit under the recommendations for the 2000 gph. Very cheap!! Then when wanting to return it the "flat rate" to get it back to the UK then China was $94!! It's a $20 item! So now stuck with a piece of junk. My husband will make a heating system for the pool. Don't waste your money on this mat.

Nella sua semplicità, un prodotto efficace. Facile da posizionare e dotato di tutti gli accessori per un rapido montaggio, questo accessorio consente di estendere i tempi di utilizzo delle piscine da giardino. Si monta senza problemi e non richiede l'ausilio di strumenti per la corretta installazione. Un pratico rubinetto consente di aprire o chiudere il passaggio dell'acqua nella serpentina di riscaldamento, anche se poi lo si lascia sempre aperto. Un modulo si adatta bene a piscine da 7-8 metri cubi. Per volumi che sfiorano i 20 metri cubi ne occorrono almeno due. L'acqua in uscita è poco più calda di quella in entrata, ma, con una buona esposizione al sole, e lasciando accesa la pompa almeno otto ore, si apprezza un incremento della temperatura. Ovviamente, non parliamo di un fotovoltaico, bensì di un sistema economico e discreto per recuperare la giusta temperatura dopo una giornata di pioggia. Dopo averne provato uno, ho acquistato anche un secondo modulo da collegare al primo. Aggiornamento: ho installato anche il secondo modulo in serie al primo, ottenendo un buon incremento di temperatura. La pompa in dotazione alla piscina (standard con filtro) non ha manifestato problemi.