Suddenly, a frigid rush of icy daggers shoots up your
leg and into your brain. Frustrated, you leap back and
throw your towel on the ground and stomp back into the
house mumbling some barely audible expletive under your
breath. Of the estimated 60,000 swimming pools in the Las Vegas
Valley, only about 20 percent are heated, says John Fleming
of Mr. Solar, a Las Vegas-based company that installs
solar swimming pool heaters. And most of these, he adds,
never get over 80 degrees. That's why Gene Cattaneo decided to open a solar-energy
business 20 years ago. He invented a header device, which
is manufactured in Las Vegas, to fit into rubberized tubes
for placement on a homeowner's roof. A special valve attached
to the existing swimming pool filter pumps water from
the pool into the tubes on the roof, which are exposed
to the sun, and then pumps it back into the pool. The
solar heater raises the temperature of a swimming pool,
Cattaneo says, an average of 16 degrees. People feel most comfortable swimming in pools that are
between 88 and 90 degrees, Cattaneo says. Unfortunately,
he points out, most pools in Southern Nevada are well
below these temperatures and as a result, homeowners don't
swim most of the year. "We have installed over 10,000 systems out there
in the 20 years that we have been in business," Cattaneo
says. "People call us because they see their neighbors
swimming. We sold 500 systems last year and did over $1
million last year." Fleming says a solar heater usually extends the swimming
season about two months. The company states in its literature
that an unheated pool from Sept. 16-Oct. 15 will be between
60 and 70 degrees. A solar heater will raise the temperature
to as much as 80 degrees. Cattaneo says a solar heating system costs from $2,000
to $3,000, which includes installation. The rubber tubes,
formed in a mat and glued to the roof, have a life expectancy
of 30 years. Mr. Solar guarantees them for 15 years. For homeowners worried that their homeowners associations
won't allow the installation of solar heating devices
on their roofs, Cattaneo says that can't happen. He was
instrumental in getting Senate Bill 504 passed in 1995,
which allows by law the use of solar energy devices. For more information, contact: Mr. Solar, 1934 Western
Ave, Las Vegas, NV. 89102. Phone: (702) 739-9880.
Fax: (702) 386-6981. Website: www.888mrsolar.com |
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