Rhino Rigid Solar Pool Heating Panels

Rigid solar pool heating uses hard plastic panels fixed to your roof to heat pool water with the sun. Your pool pump pushes water through the panels, the sun warms it, and it flows back to the pool. Rigid panels cost more than strip solar but stand up better to cockatoos, hail and UV.

Rigid suits roofs that cop cockatoos, hail or salt air, and large simple roof planes. Strip suits curved or broken-up roofs and tighter budgets. Both heat your pool for free once they’re up. If birds have damaged anything on your street before, start with rigid.

Installed, Rhino rigid solar starts from about $5,600 in Melbourne and $5,750 in Sydney. Your price depends on pool size, roof layout, pipe runs and whether you choose Rhino Pro or Rhino Platinum. Send us your address and we’ll measure your roof by satellite and come back with a recommendation.

Between $0 and $300 a year for most homes. The sun does the heating, so the only cost is pump time. Where your plumbing lets your existing pool pump run the panels during its normal filter hours, it costs nothing extra. Where it doesn’t, you pay for the extra time the pump runs. That’s why solar costs less to run than a heat pump or gas heater, as long as you have the roof space.

No solar panel is fully cockatoo proof, but Rhino comes close. Hard panels give a beak little to grip, and both Rhino warranties include cockatoo damage cover. Strip matting is softer and easier to chew.

Rhino Platinum carries a 25 year warranty and Rhino Pro 15 years. Keep the roof clear of leaves and get the system checked if you notice a drop in performance, and your panels will keep doing their job for a long time.

It depends on your pool’s surface area, which way your roof faces and how warm you want the water. We size every system from a satellite image of your roof before you commit.

Yes. Tile roof brackets fix around two battens with no drilling, and roof mounts suit metal roofs including Colorbond. Your installer uses fixings that suit your roof material, which matters for your roof warranty.

Yes. For cyclone-prone regions we supply aluminium profiles that spread the roof fixings over a longer distance. Your installer confirms the wind rating needed for your address.

Yes. Rhino plumbs into a hybrid pool heating system with a pool heat pump. Solar covers the warm months for free and the heat pump tops up the rest. Plan the pipework with your installer now and the upgrade is simple later.

Most Rhino systems go in through our partner installers, who handle roof fixing and plumbing. If you’re handy, our Ready To Go DIY solar kits are designed for self-install.