GAME4721-BB SolarPRO Curve Solar Pool Heater, Made for Intex & Bestway Above-Ground and Inground Pools, Includes Intex Adapters, 2 Hoses & Clamps

UPDATED REVIEW 6/17/2025:I have upgraded my original review from 4 to 5 stars. Now that we are looking ahead to a full season of using this product, we are so glad we added this item to our pool.Eleven days ago we had to replace our above ground pool liner and have a water delivery to refill it. The water thermometer reading was 63 degrees.In the 10 days since then, we've had overcast days, partly sunny days and cool nighttime temps (mid-50s).We set up the solar collector and move it where it could receive maximum sun on it. Today the water temp was 81 degrees and it was wonderful! First time my husband was in the pool this early in the season....seriously! He does not swim when water temps are in the 70's.All the improvements listed below are actually working as we had dreamed.Yes, we keep the solar cover on each and every night to minimize evaporation and keep the warm temps.This really will extend our (Midwest) swim season and regulate temps during the heavy summer swim months.ORIGINAL REVIEW:FIRST OF ALL, I want to thank all of the reviewers who posted their positive and (many) negative experiences. We seriously took their input into account and adjusted our installation and expectations accordingly.Ultimately, we chose to add 1 of these solar panels to assist in improving the temp of our 18' dia. above-ground pool. We're not looking to consistently hit 84 degrees in our Midwest location. We want to eke out a few more days of swimming in early/late season and keep consistent comfortable swimming temps.We always keep a bubble solar cover on the pool when not in use.The panel itself was well packed and is a solid piece of equipment. We think this panel system has a lot of merit and that is why we chose to undertake this "grand experiment".We hope you find some of our suggestions helpful.WHAT WE CONSIDERED FOR OUR LOCATION:--Slower water movement through the solar panel should result in warmer temps coming from the output back into the pool...and it does appear to be working in theory.--We wanted to eliminate usage of our pool pump which would move too much water through the panel at a high speed. Also adding to higher utility bills.-We wanted to maximize our sun exposure on the panel due to tree cover and our pool's orientation, which led us to a moveable panel/utility pump installation.IMPROVEMENT #1:To alleviate the failed/broken legs issue many reported, we securely bungy-corded the panel to a sturdy (wheeled) hand truck which can be moved short distances to maximize the sun exposure. (The panel's legs are folded back and not used at all.)We then have the hand cart handle secured to our railing (bungy cord) which keeps the unit on an upright angle to take up less space on the pool decking while having maximum sun on it.IMPROVEMENT #2:We acquired a separate 1/4 HP utility pump (approx. 1200 GPH at 5' height) which sits at the bottom of the pool. In the process of plumbing the intake and output connections (lots of trial and error to step down to the panel's fitting) we also included a SHUT-OFF valve where we can control the speed/amount of water going into the panel.This pump is on an outdoor timer and currently runs 6 hrs. during the day with maximum sun exposure.RESULTS AFTER 1 WEEK:--I have been tracking pool temps at start and end times of the pump/solar panel and I see about a 1 degree rise each day (if lots of sunshine). It is July, so it is expected to start the pump day at somewhere near 76 degrees and end around 80 degrees. The real proof is when we open the pool at the end of May when there are more temp fluctuations. I will update this review next spring.--What does surprise me is that the water temp stays very consistent (77-80 degrees) even after inches of rainfall, cooler overnight temps and overcast days with little to no sunshine.ADDITIONAL NOTES:--The panel came with 2 bags of mostly useless, black plastic plumbing connectors. Depending on how you hook the panel(s) up, you may use some, or none of these pieces.--The 2 3 ft. long hoses are a joke. Trash them and get 1 longer length of hose to fit your installation/location.--The utility pump (water INTAKE to panel) we purchased is connected to a hose (13FT x 1" Suction Hose Kit) that is found on Amazon. This gives us plenty of flexibility to move the panel/cart short distances to access full sun.--We UNPLUG THE PUMP from the electrical timer when someone is in the pool.--Once we made a couple of trips to the hardware store to finalize our necessary connections, everything went together well and NO leaks were experienced.

For the price I paid, it's a piece of crap. It leaks, doesn't heat up the water, the hardware was faulty and doesn't fit, the legs are weak, it's not mountable - short of modifying, and I can't find a pump with right fittings and torque to adequately pump two feet elevation, short of modifying.After 1 year, I still can't get this thing to work right and I'm just trying to save a few bucks on heating water for a hot tub.You're better off going to local hardware store and buying copper pipes and making your own set up.

these work great if you have a simple understanding of how heat transfer works. there are many variables that go into making these work properly. first being pool size i would suggest having 1 panel for every 2000 gallons these things can only attract so much heat. the second would be placement. just because its a warm day these need to have direct sunlight . third would be to slow the flow through the panels i have a valve going back into the pool that i have turned to slow the flow if your pushing water though the panel too fast then there isn't enough time for heat to transfer from the panel to the water. i upgraded pumps awhile ago i use a 1500 gph to run my skimmer at full power and i use it for the vacuum. then i use my old 1000 gph pump to run 2 panels that i have regulated to run slower to get good heat transfer. the third would be to adjust your expectations this will keep the pool up a couple degrees at best may spike up on warm days. these arent magic. with that being siad they do what i expect them to do. my pool always dropped to around 60 degrees when i put it up and stayed there (sandiego) after a week it is at 64 i only get warm water out of it for about 4 hours of the day due to placement. if i wanted more i would add panels not leave a bad review. i had a small sealing problem not at threads but hose wouldnt seal going from the nipple from panel to panel but i luckily had a hose with a slighty smaller diameter that sealed it up for me without the clamp. if your not getting warm water out of it you either dont have air out of the system or you have flow to high. one you detect barley slightly warmer water coming out that is all your gonna get. it will take days to notice anything

We have a 27’ round, above ground pool so we purchased 3. Works great a boosting the temperature about 5 degrees. Some of the fittings were not effective and leaked, defeating the boost in temperature as we had to keep adding more water. My husband was able to buy some different fittings and repaired the issue.