Heater for 50,000 gallon IG

[pktaske]

Just looking to extend our swimmable season from mid-May thru Sep and also supplement for any cold spells in the summer. I have no problem with installing the ~75' run of NG to the pool and doing most of the install myself but I was wondering what the real world cost is to run the heater? We like a temp of at least 82 degrees. With the weather this year, it's touched that at points but we got spoiled last year when it stayed 86 or above for a few weeks.

Thanks...

 

[PoolStored]

I'm in Northeast Ohio. 30K gallon pool. I spend $1200 (pool is only thing on gas) per year to heat pool May 15 to Oct 28. Water kept at 86 Degrees.

 

[jgofnj]

Not sure if this helps, but I am in Central NJ and my gas bill for July was $31 (for the entire house) and I used my heater on weekends only. I also have gas stove, dryer and water heater, not sure what the breakdown is between all gas appliances.

 

[drsipe]

Pool Heating Cost Calculator | Pool Analysis

Calculate savings and energy costs of your swimming pool and pool heater heat pump. Estimate pool heating costs based your pool size, location and climate.

www.poolheatpumps.com

You will need the price of your NG per therm, which is 100,000 BTU, so just for reference btu per 100 cubic foot of NG is 105000 BTU, So 1 therm is .95238 ccf of gas.
To determine the cost of 1 therm multiply .95238 by the cost of NG per ccf in your area.

There are a lot of factors your actual cost, surface area, temperature differential between air and water, wind, sun exposure, pump run schedule, water features (aeriation). So even if you had another friend down the block unless he had the exact same pool and equipment facing the exact same direction, your cost for heating can be different. This is a good calculator and adjusts for many factors, but it is not perfect.

 

[DrewLG]

wondering what the real world cost is to run the heater?

Your 50K-gallon pool holds 415K pounds of water, so it takes 415K BTUs to raise the temperature of your pool by one degree Fahrenheit.

Every hour, a 400K-BTU heater uses 4 therms of natural gas, which costs approximately $5.50 at $1.35/therm. At 80% efficiency, the heater will put out 320K BTUs per hour, which will heat your pool approximately 0.75 degrees.

The cost to KEEP the pool at a set temperature depends on how quickly the pool loses heat. I'm guessing that 5 degrees/day is a realistic estimate for the cooler months; if that's true, you'll need to run the heater for 6.6 hours/day to maintain your set temperature, which will cost around $35/day.

Initially raising the temperature of the pool by 15 degrees (from, say, 71 degrees F to 86 degrees F) will require 20 hours for 15 degrees plus another few hours for the heat lost during those 20 hours. Say 24 hours total, so the cost to initially heat the pool by 15 degrees F would be around $130.

Lots of assumptions in all this, and lots of small factors ignored, but should give you a general idea of the cost.

 

[pktaske]

Your 50K-gallon pool holds 415K pounds of water, so it takes 415K BTUs to raise the temperature of your pool by one degree Fahrenheit.

Every hour, a 400K-BTU heater uses 4 therms of natural gas, which costs approximately $5.50 at $1.35/therm. At 80% efficiency, the heater will put out 320K BTUs per hour, which will heat your pool approximately 0.75 degrees.

The cost to KEEP the pool at a set temperature depends on how quickly the pool loses heat. I'm guessing that 5 degrees/day is a realistic estimate for the cooler months; if that's true, you'll need to run the heater for 6.6 hours/day to maintain your set temperature, which will cost around $35/day.

Initially raising the temperature of the pool by 15 degrees (from, say, 71 degrees F to 86 degrees F) will require 20 hours for 15 degrees plus another few hours for the heat lost during those 20 hours. Say 24 hours total, so the cost to initially heat the pool by 15 degrees F would be around $130.

Lots of assumptions in all this, and lots of small factors ignored, but should give you a general idea of the cost.

Ouch.

Most realistic scenario is running the heater on only the nicer days and shutting it off when we are done. I'm thinking this is what most people do in the NE (?)

I'm in Northeast Ohio. 30K gallon pool. I spend $1200 (pool is only thing on gas) per year to heat pool May 15 to Oct 28. Water kept at 86 Degrees.

This seems very reasonable and very different from some other estimates. How much is NG in Ohio?

 

[pktaske]

Not sure if this helps, but I am in Central NJ and my gas bill for July was $31 (for the entire house) and I used my heater on weekends only. I also have gas stove, dryer and water heater, not sure what the breakdown is between all gas appliances.

How long does it take to warm things up?

 

[wireform]

According to the above calculations with a 400k heater approximately 3/4 of one degree an hour. Now if you have a solar cover the water won't loose it temp as your heating it.

 

[jgofnj]

How long does it take to warm things up?

About 1-2 degrees an hour. I'll kick off the heater at around 7 in the morning andy by 12-1 its at a good temp. But once Lat Aug/Sept hits, you will need several more house because of how cool it can get overnight.

 

[PoolStored]

This seems very reasonable and very different from some other estimates. How much is NG in Ohio?

About $6.20/MCF.