Heat pump users?

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C

cropdusterdave

0
Jul 3, 2012
9
Hi all,

I'm planning for my second year with our Splash 17X29 15,000 gallon pool. Along with an extensive deck build, I'm considering a method of heating. I live in North Dakota so pool season is a little shorter for us. Even when the day and evening temps are very reasonable, it can still dip down quite a bit at night in the early and late summer. The result for us is a pretty cool pool at around 77 degrees or so. A source of heat I think could extend our swimming season a couple weeks on either end. I looked at gas heaters but they burn a HUGE amount of fuel and at the price of propane...seems prohibitive to me. I do plan on putting some solar panels on my roof like the Fafco Solar Bear Economy Heating System. I have also been looking into heat pump pool heaters. www.poolheatpumps.com It seems to me that this method would be the most efficient. I'm having trouble finding anyone with first hand experience via my forum searches to give me a report. The initial cost is a bit high at around $3K....but If it meant that I could $reasonably$ heat my pool and keep it at 84 deg then it would be well worth it to me. Anyone have any experience with these units?

Also regarding the solar mats.... I live in a 2 story house that is rather tall. Would there be any issue pumping water up the height required to reach my solar panels?


Thanks!
 
No experience with heat pumps.

What size pump do you have? Many people run solar on 2 story houses, just have to be sure the pump has enough power to prime them. Once primed, gravity starts to do a lot of the work to return the water to the pool.
 
As long as you keep the pool covered when cooler outside, a heat pump would work for you. And if you added it in addition to solar you might do pretty well.
 
Solar is by far the most cost effective. Heat pumps work well as long as the air temperature stays above 50 degrees, they are not such a good deal when the air is colder. Heat pumps make sense when solar is out of the question and you are planning to keep the pool warm all of the time. Natural gas/propane make sense when you only heat the pool for an occasional weekend day a few times a year.
 
Solar is the most effective heating, but it is very temperamental. Clouds/rainy periods can shut it down for weeks. Heat pump is a great backup for Solar and in general, should probably be considered part of most solar installs. I wouldn't use it for primary heating unless you have very cheap electricity, limited roof space, or high temps year round. It also depends on how much you swim, gas makes more sense for those who swim just a few times/month and only need the pool heated during those periods. Also, having a spa pretty much forces gas and a few regionss have very cheap gas prices so pool builders heavily push gas heaters there.
 
I would not consider a heat pump for North Dakota. Heat pumps work in the correct climate and they do not pay you back in the incorrect climate of which ND is one, in my opinion.
 
I don't know that the climate here would be a limiting factor for using a heat pump. I have an air source heat pump as the primary heat source for my home. Of course, it only works when the temp is above 20 degrees F or so... Sounds like the pool heat pumps work effectively at temps above 50 deg F which would be fine for May-Sept. We use the pool nearly daily in the summer so gas is not a viable option for me. I may start with solar and see where it takes me.
 
We purchased the home with a heatsiphon system (http://heatsiphon.com) (it's pretty old), we were told it didn't work. Looked over the electrical, turn on the breakers, turn up the control knob, bout 20 seconds later it turned on. We're in FL and use it to extend the season for about a month or so on each end. We'd use it more but wife doesn't like pool covers.
 
Yep, unless you have very cheap electricity and regular high air temps and humidity, heat pumps don't really heat up water that fast or efficiently. But, they sure are easy, relatively inexpensive and safe way to provide a backup to a main heating system - and if your main heating system is something as variable as solar, they can keep a pool from dramatically cooling during week long rainy or cloudy periods/etc so that you can quickly get back to swimming. We were happy we didn't have to deal with dragging another gas line underground for a gas heater.
 

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I'm surprised that no one has adapted a wood burning or pellet stove heat system for pool use. I have an older pellet stove that's not in use and am trying to figure out how to plumb through it back to pool. This may also be a possibility for those in the colder North.
 
Pools require enormous amounts of heat, way more than a typical home. Wood stoves don't commonly come large enough, and even if you find a large one it will consume dramatic amounts of wood. Also, keeping it supplied with wood gets to be a major undertaking.
 
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