Adding a heater...maybe

[DMS2014]

Want to make it through a second pool season. This year was weird.
1. How much does a gas heater add to your bill?
2. How much approx does it cost?
3. Is gas better than elect?
4. Solar panels....how well does that work?

 

[danpik]

Want to make it through a second pool season. This year was weird.
1. How much does a gas heater add to your bill?

You will need to look on your latest gas bill and see what they bill you per Therm. A therm is roughly 100,000BTU. A 19K pool will need a heater sized at least 300,000 BTU so that will use 3 therms/hr roughly.

2. How much approx does it cost?

Are you asking how much the heater costs, or how much it will cost to run? Heaters in the size range you need will run anywhere from $2500 $5,000 and up. Run cost is based on how much you use it

3. Is gas better than elect?

Kind of like asking if Chevy is better than Ford. Both are good and have their application. electric heaters can fall into two catagories...Resistive and heat pumps. Resistive will bankrupt you. Heat pumps are fairly efficient cost wise but, you have to basically have them running all the time as they are better at maintaining temp than they are at raising it. Gas heaters can bring a temp up fairly quickly, Heat pumps not so much.

4. Solar panels....how well does that work?

Lots of info on this forum about solar heaters. In your area they probably work fairly well. The biggest drawback I can see about them is the space they need to install.

 

[Swampwoman]

Your mileage may vary, but here in Michigan my (old Hayward gas) heater is allowed to run continuously to maintain 88 - 90 (88 if its hot outside...90 when nights and ams are chilly) and our average differential runs between $200 - $300 per month for the season...higher end on the shoulder months.

 

[jrguzmanr]

my bill is around 150 more a month on average and I keep mine at 87. Mind you though that I only run the heater during the weekends, as we are too busy to enjoy the pool during the week.

 

[ps0303]

If you have natural gas available it would be much cheaper than propane. Do you have just a pool or so you also have an attached spa?

 

[txnole]

If you're in Houston, for the purchase price of gas heater or electric can probably buy you an installed solar system. (Fully installed, whereas the gas/electric will still need to be installed, electrician, gas company, etc.) Only cost to operate would be running the pool pump. If your pool gets too hot, just run solar at night to introduce cooler water.