Heat pump or gas heater??

[bk406]

Heating a house with a heat pump is an entirely different animal than heating a pool. It takes a tremendous number of btu to heat a pool as compared to a house. At 30 degrees, the btu output of a heat pump would have trouble heating a tub of water.

It takes 83000 btu per hour to heat 10,000 gallons one degree in 1 hour. You lose that much and more heat in one hour at 30 degrees even with a cover. And, I seriously doubt at 30 degrees, or even 40 degrees, even a 120,000 btu heat pump would put out that many btu per hour. So even though the heat pump might pull some heat out of even 20 degree air, the amount of heat lost from a pool in an hour is more than a heat pump can put into the water. It's not that they don't work at low temp, it's just that they cant keep up with the heat loss so all you are doing is wasting electricity.

 

[Poolsean]

Donny, I'm surprised no one has asked you yet.
Will you being using a solar blanket on your pool?
When do you want to heat your pool (from what month to what month)?
What is your desired temperature?
How many hours per day is your pump running?

 

[Yellowbug33]

I'd try the gas as my heat pump does about 1 degree an hour but only if it is in the 70's. When I first got it the temp outside was in the lower 60's and it lost temp. and I use a solar cover. I live near Syracuse NY and I don't even run it unless it is in the 70's. I like my temp at 82-85 degrees before I go in. The kids go in at 78. It's not as cheap as they make it out to be either here in NY running on the electric meter. To me the heat pump was a waste of money and even though it is fairly new if/when it goes, I'll go to gas.

 

[ericjr7210]

Hey Donny...
Im in Rockland County NY, New City, and I have a Hayward 104 BTU heat Pump and I love it so far. We have a 24' round AG pool. I opened the new pool in late May and filled it within a few days. Fill temp was around 60 degrees. As you know in May the temp dipped down to 50 at night but was up to 60 - 70 in the day. I ran the heat pump for about 8 to 10 hours a day. Started running it on Thursday and by Saturday the pool temp was about 70. Too cold for me but the kids had fun. Now the heat pump turns on only when needed, we keep the pool temp between 80 and 82. We have 3 other pools around us, 2 in ground and 1 above ground, we were in our pool at least 2 weeks prior to them. The pupm will operate as long as the temp is 50 degrees or over, I admit it works better the warmer it is. My wife will sit buy the return and says it feels like a sauna...

I will agree that if you only use the pool on weekends that a Heat Pump may not be the heat source you want, unless you start it on Thursday... BUT...if you want to run the pump every day it does work.... now how long will it extend the season, that will have to see as this is the first season with the pool. more to come.....