San Diego HEAT PUMP

[Poway]

I've called a few stores and they say heat pumps don't work here. I have a heat pump for my home heat/ac so I'm confused with that answer. I know that heat pumps use outside air so I would not have the pump on at all in those months that our lowest temperature is 45 degrees. But I would like to use it to bump my pool temp up to 80 degrees in the months of April through December. I also am at home all day so I could turn it on and off if that was necessary. I'm only heating a small pool with a cover on.

Any experience in San Diego area with heat pumps? any pool store that would help with one? (sizing)

 

[duraleigh]

Welcome to the forum.

I am not from SD, but why don't you call an HVAC guy who is local and ask him, if heat pumps are appropriate. I would think they would be the IDEAL choice!

 

[bdavis466]

The trouble you will run into the the price of electricity. If you have PV solar panels, then this is much less of an issue. Figure a decent sized HP draws 5-6 KWH and at our electric rates would equate to nearly $2 per hour to run...12 hours a day= $24/day.. $720/month.

Heat pumps work more efficiently in humid air which is another thing that lacking in your location.

If you are religious with a cover and aren't looking for too much heat then this could be a viable option so long as you are only running the HP for short durations.

Heat pumps are nearly useless when ambient temperatures fall below 50 degrees.

 

[CJadamec]

I live in the north east and have a heat pump. My electric rates are $0.22 kWh. My projected pool heat in bill for the season is $3-500. If you use a solar cover to prevent evaporation a heat pump is very economical. Your pool is relatively small gallon wise you wouldn't need a very large heatpump. As a reference my heat pump is rated for 75k btu/hr and it has no problems keeping the pool in the mid 80s.

 

[Poway]

Dear Duraleigh, My friend put in the heating/ac heat pump and I can hear him now say "if it wasn't gonna work why would I put it in?" I don't know if he could explain any differences between the heat pump for the pool which resides outside and the heat pump for the house which is in the attic...

 

[Poway]

I can use my solar panels to generate electricity but the electric pump I have can use 15 kwh in one hour to get it to 84 degrees. If electric is 25 cent per KW (which is third tier; which is where the pump puts the bill) that's a whopping 45$ for 12 hr use (180 KW). My two systems only generate 25 KW a day each. I'm going now to research why heating and a/c heat pumps "work" and pool ones "dont'"

 

[CJadamec]

Heat Pumps do work they have been in use for quite sometime now. A pool heat pump is nothing more than a home central air conditioning unit set up to run backwards. Instead of taking heat from your house and pumping it outdoors (which is what air conditioners do). The heat pump takes heat from the outside air and pumps it in your pool. The air leaving the top of the heat pump will be cold. So much like your A/C unit heat pumps aren't always on so even if your pump is running that doesn't mean the heat pump will be running. Yes the first time you turn it on to bring the pool up to temperature the heat pump will run for a long time. Once the pool has reached the temp set point it doesn't run for very long to maintain temperature. If you did you're same KW math for your central A/C or window A/C units you would get even higher numbers than you did for your heat pump math. If you have natural gas available that can be a more economical alternative. Solar while expensive upfront long term is the cheapest option to heat the pool.

Regardless of how you choose to heat the pool using a solar cover is a must if you are looking to keep your energy usage low.

 

[pooldv]

I agree, there is no reason that a heat pump won't heat your pool. Especially, in 60-80 degree air temps with a solar cover. If it costs too much when the air temp is in the 60s you can stop heating and only use it when it is warmer. You will generate more heat from the heat pump (higher efficiency) for the same electric cost when the air is warmer and more humid.

 

[Tom Mck]

I'm around the corner in Sabre Springs and was looking at doing the same thing. I have a gas heater but the line failed. I think it was run under the concrete so it's going to cost a ton to redo the line, so I thought a heat pump might save me the hassle. Might just run an above ground line along the fence wall.

 

[CJadamec]

If you already have natural gas it will probably be cheaper upfront to put in a new gas line and heater vs doing a heat pump and the electrical conduit needed to run it.

Depending on your gas prices chances are it will also be cheaper to run the natural gas heater than the heat pump.

Depending on the size of heat pump you get they can require between 20 - 60 amps of 230v service. Most pools aren't set up to accommodate that type of additional electrical load without major modification.