Combination fence and solar heater for swimming pools

A water cooling and heating system for swimming pools and hot tubs, the system heating and/or cooling a flow of water drawn from a body of water and then returning the heated and/or cooled flow of water back to the body of water;

• the system comprising an inlet conduit in fluid communication with an associated body of water to be heated or cooled, the inlet conduit directing a flow of water from the associated body of water toward at least one horizontally extending fence rail having a first conduit and a second conduit substantially within the first conduit, the system having a diverter upstream of the first and second conduits and the diverter selectively diverting the flow of water into at least a first water portion and a second water portion, the first water portion being directed into the first conduit and the second water portion being directed into the second conduit, the first water portion having a first flow rate and the second water portion having a second flow rate and at least one of the first and second flow rates being adjustable, the first water portion having a first portion temperature and the second water portion having a second portion temperature, the first conduit of the horizontally extending fence rail having an exterior rail surface that is exposed to solar energy from the sun whereby a portion of the solar energy absorbed by the first conduit is transferred to and heats the first water portion within the first conduit, the second water portion within the second conduit being heated by the first water portion during operation;
• the system further including a hold and release valve and an outlet conduit in fluid communication with the associated body of water to return at least one of the first and second water portions back to the associated body of water, the hold and release valve selectively actuatable between a hold condition and a release condition, when in the hold condition the hold and release valve at least reducing the first flow rate to increase the first portion temperature in the first conduit and to increase the heating of the second water portion to increase the second portion temperature while allowing the second flow rate to be greater than the first flowrate thereby allowing the second water portion to flow into the outlet conduit and back to the associated body of water, when in the release condition, the first water portion being allowed to flow into the outlet conduit and back to the associate body of water.