How much of a PSI increase with solar panel?

[mas985]

The more flow through the panel the more pressure rise you will see and flow through solar panels is a good thing. Panels transfer more heat to the water, the faster the water moves through the panels.

So if you are bypassing too much water around the panels, they will not work very well. With solar panels, if the flow drops too low, your efficiency will drop and you won't be heating the pool as quickly. There is usually a minimum flow spec depending on the types of panels. My spec is 10 GPM/sq-ft of panel which means that I should not drop the flow rate below 48 GPM.

So while a high PSI does mean you are increasing the time to turn over the pool, it may be a bad idea to try and reduce that too much. My PSI rise is about 7 PSI although I too have a bypass so I can lower it to 4 PSI but I have done the head calcs to make sure I do not drop the flow rates below optimum.

[tphaggerty]

Totally agree, MAS985! 8 to 10 psi seems to be a reasonable target for most (though I'm not sure if there is a difference between "permanent" and the more flexible "above ground" panels) solar installations. Maximum flow through the panels without exceeding there designed pressure limits is best.

What I was trying to make clear, but maybe didn't, is that you can use the diverter to hit that sweet spot - and then no more - even if your pump is capable of over driving your panels. If the pressure drops immediately when you start to open the diverter, your pump isn't "overdriving" the panels at all (sounds like this is happening in your case) and you can just leave the diverter completely closed.

Maybe a better way is to start with the diverter fully open and close it down until you see a 7 to 10 psi increase (or until the diverter is fully closed). Closing it any further at that point would lead to more pressure, but no real flow increase.