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Solar pool mat vs solar panel

Updated: October 2026

You searched for a solar panel and the results are a square mat and a 3 m strip of black LDPE. Solar pool mat vs solar panel, in this set, is that choice. Both are unglazed collectors: pool water flows through plastic the sun has warmed. Neither is a photovoltaic panel. You should finish knowing when the cheap mat is enough and when the strip is the better area. The [solar pool heater comparison](/hub/swimming-pools/solar-pool-heater) holds the table. Products Compared used amazon.co.uk prices and fields from 16 October 2026. There is no lab test. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You searched for a solar panel and the results are a square mat and a 3 m strip of black LDPE. Solar pool mat vs solar panel, in this set, is that choice.

Our top picks

FANTASK FANTASK 6 m solar panel

Best overall

FANTASK FANTASK 6 m solar panel
8.0/10about £130.56
View offer
Steinbach Steinbach Speed Solar 3 m

Rank 2

Steinbach Steinbach Speed Solar 3 m
7.8/10about £70.48
View offer
Intex Intex 28685 mat

Preis-Tipp

Intex Intex 28685 mat
7.4/10about £17.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Two different collectors
  2. 2.When the mat is the right buy
  3. 3.When the strip is the right buy
  4. 4.The condition

Two different collectors

The square mat is the Intex 28685. The footprint is about 120 cm by 120 cm, about 1.44 square metres, and the about £24.49 listing describes the absorber as about 1 m by 1 m. Pools.shop, a retailer, also puts an Intex mat at about 1.44 square metres and calls the mat the cheaper option. That quality line is the shop’s view, not a lab grade. The long collector is the Steinbach LDPE strip, 0.7 m wide. Three metres is 2.1 square metres. Six metres is 4.2 square metres. The same retailer page quotes watt figures for its own model. Treat those watts as the shop’s calculator, not as a test of these listings. The FANTASK is a roll-up polyethylene sheet, 600 cm by 75 cm, at about £130.56. People call that a panel too. For a small above-ground pool the useful comparison is the Intex mat against the Steinbach strip, because those two have hose notes and UK review text you can check.

When the mat is the right buy

Choose the mat when you want the cheapest trial on a small pool and you can pack it away. The lower price is the Intex at about £17.99, with 3.7 from 11,021 reviews and a fixing kit. The about £24.49 listing is the same 28685 family with 32 mm fittings, 38 mm adapters, and a pump cap of about 7,570 litres per hour, at 3.8 from 5,364 reviews. The bullet claims about 3–5 degrees depending on the pool and the weather. UK reviews describe a sunny-day lift on small pools, and they mention kinks and clamps that drip. Salt water is not stated. One mat is a small share of a 12 ft pool, which UK Pool Store sizes at about 10.6 square metres of surface. Two mats are still only about 3 square metres, and you have doubled the joints. The above-ground pool page is that size check.
FANTASK FANTASK 6 m solar panel

Testsieger

FANTASK FANTASK 6 m solar panel
8.0/10about £130.56
View offer

When the strip is the right buy

Choose the strip when you can lay at least 3 m in the sun and you want salt water written on the listing. The Steinbach Speed Solar 3 m is about £70.48, about 2.1 square metres, with a ceiling of 12 cubic metres. Salt water, 32/38 mm fittings, and series connection are stated. Flow is 2,000–10,000 litres per hour, at 1 bar at 20°C. The extract shows 3.9 from 1,909 reviews, with UK text that includes a lift from two strips. Steinbach’s page says hoses are not included, and UK reviews say the pictured bypass is often extra. The 6 m Steinbach at about £108.49 is about 4.2 square metres, with a stated ceiling of 20 cubic metres. Salt water and hose diameter are not on that file, and 1,909 is not a separate 6 m sample. More length helps only if the whole run is in the sun. A 6 m strip behind a fence is a weaker heater than a 3 m strip in full sun.

The condition

Buy the strip if you can lay at least 3 m in the sun and you want salt water stated on the page you pay for. That is the Steinbach 3 m at about £70.48. Buy the mat if you want the cheapest trial on a small pool and you accept about a square metre of absorber. The about £17.99 listing is that trial. The about £24.49 listing is the same trial with the hose sizes printed. Leave both shapes if you need a set temperature on a dull week. SPATA’s factsheet says UK pools often need a second heat source for that. Mat and strip both sit after the filter, so the type choice does not change the pump position.

Common questions

When is the LDPE strip the right buy?
Choose it when you can lay at least 3 m in the sun. The Steinbach 3 m at about £70.48 states salt water and 32/38 mm on about 2.1 square metres, up to 12 cubic metres. Hose and a bypass are often extra. Choose 6 m for about 4.2 square metres only if you accept a shared review count and no salt line on that file.
How do the areas compare?
The Intex footprint is about 1.44 square metres. The 3 m strip is 2.1, and the 6 m strip is 4.2. Two mats are still around 3 square metres and add joints. A pools.shop article adds watt figures from its own model. Use the tape measure. No source here supports a degree rise per square metre.
Which one states salt water?
The 3 m Steinbach and the 049128 set at about £185.56 state it. The Intex mats, the 6 m Steinbach file, the FANTASK, and the SmartPool do not. The shorter collector’s manufacturer page does. If you want the words on the amazon.co.uk page, use a listing that prints them.
Which one is easier to store?
The Intex mat is about 2.4 kg and is described as a drain-and-store piece. The 3 m Steinbach is about 6 kg and 3 m long. A hard fold becomes the kink that stops flow in UK reviews. Dry it, and keep the fold gentle. The 6 m rolls need more space again.
Do both use the same pump position?
Both go after the filter, on the return, with the pump you already have. Intex’s printed cap is about 7,570 litres per hour. Steinbach wants 2,000–10,000 litres per hour and 1 bar at 20°C. A bypass is wise for both and is often extra on the Steinbach. A pump under the minimum will not be rescued by either shape.
Is a photovoltaic panel the same thing?
A photovoltaic panel makes electricity. These mats and strips heat pool water. An Intex field that says MC4 or A++ is not a spec for this hose mat. Glass and a junction box, with no hose tails, is the wrong object. The SmartPool kit is still a water collector, not a solar-electric module.

Related pages

Solar pool heater buying guide

Best solar pool heater

Solar pool heater

Solar heater for an above-ground pool: one mat or a strip

How to connect a solar pool heater after the filter

Sources

Retailer rules of thumb for collector area, Steinbach’s own hose and flow notes, Intex low-flow support, SPATA on UK heating, and the English permitted-development rules for solar equipment. Listings are the amazon.co.uk captures for these seven ASINs. Prices on amazon.co.uk move.

  1. AG Budget PoolSolar (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  2. Allswim PoolSolar PDF (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  3. ManoMano UK: solar pool heater buying guide (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  4. Steinbach Compact solar collector 3.0 x 0.7 m (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  5. Steinbach Compact solar collector 6.0 x 0.7 m (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  6. Intex: no or low water flow of the solar mat (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  7. SPATA: swimming pool heating factsheet (retrieved 17 October 2026)
  8. GPDO 2015, Schedule 2, Part 14 (retrieved 17 October 2026)