Chicago-area Heat Pump Questions

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M

MHammett

Member
Jul 20, 2019
5
DeKalb, IL
Pool Size
6400
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
I've been looking at heaters for my 18'x48" Intex pool. I'm near Chicago. I put a heavy-duty solar cover on it whenever we're not in it. I'm looking to A) take the chill out and B) add a few weeks to the season.

Would a heat pump be sufficient? Math says so, but that doesn't mean real life agrees. I'd be looking at 140k BTU to get a 2 degree per hour rise from an average overnight low of 59 degrees to 82 degree water.

Jacuzzi talks about an app that helps you optimize cost efficiency, but it's a bit less BTU efficient than the Hayward 140k. Then the manual doesn't say how to set the app up, just has a marketing slick for it, so I don't know the innerworkings of the app to know if it's a gimmick or not. The Jacuzzi and Raypack have mostly the same BTU efficiency.

The warranties are all over the place, so I'm not even sure what's better.

What's needed to plumb something not in the Intex ecosystem? I have the 2500 GPH pump, so it is the larger size hoses and connectors.

Yes, I'm aware the heater I'm looking to add cost 10x what my pool originally cost.
 
Just remember that you typically need a dedicated, 240V 60A service at the heat pump. The heat pump will also make quite a bit noise if it’s located near the pool - it’s basically an air conditioner compressor running in reverse. So think about what your AC unit sounds like … it won’t be as bad but it will be loud. There needs to be sufficient water flow to activate the pressure switch in the heat pump. Most heaters are designed to operate efficiently at 40GPM. Given the head loss from your filter and plumbing, it appears your pool pump will be right on the edge of being able to provide that kind of flow. Heat pumps add significant head loss so your pump may struggle to keep up.

Considering the size of your pool, have you looked into a tankless water heater as an option? If you can find a good one at lower cost, it might be the better option. There are gas and electric options available.
 
I'll reach out to the vendors to get noise specs. I reached out to Leslies already and they were clueless.

I'm right on the edge of working at all, or on the edge of being most efficient?

Do they make outdoor tankless water heaters? My intention is to get a larger pool in a few years, just getting the parts that make sense as I go, to gain the benefits of those aspects sooner.
 
If you can post up pictures of your current pool and what the plumbing looks like, others more knowledgeable than me in fluid dynamics will be able to determine if you have enough oomph fin the pump to make this feasible. My gut tells me your Intex pump isn’t going to be able to handle the head loss from a full sized heat pump with one or the other burning out (more likely the pump than the heater).

As for outdoors and tankless … a well designed covering over it might be all it needs …
 
There are infact outdoor tankless water heaters- I ran across some when searching recently. Lemme see if I can find any again.
 
Here’s a few that popped right up

Outdoor - Tankless Electric Water Heaters - Tankless Water Heaters - The Home Depot

Get free shipping on qualified Outdoor Tankless Electric Water Heaters products or Buy Online Pick Up in Store today in the Plumbing Department.
www.homedepot.com
Keep in mind you will need to have enough amperage available to run one. The decently sized units can require quite a bit (100+ amps).
The electrical upgrades may very well cost more than the heater itself.
This is why I don’t have one, I am not ready to upgrade my service & my panel.
Not sure what size you might need to do what you wish.
 
If you are planning to get a larger pool I would think about natural gas. Is that an option in your area? With gas heaters it is generally best to get the largest one you can afford. A 400k btu will heat twice as fast a 200k btu but is much less than double the cost. A 400k btu heater gives my 21k pool about 2 degrees per hour.
 
JoyfulNoise said:
Just remember that you typically need a dedicated, 240V 60A service at the heat pump. The heat pump will also make quite a bit noise if it’s located near the pool - it’s basically an air conditioner compressor running in reverse. So think about what your AC unit sounds like … it won’t be as bad but it will be loud. There needs to be sufficient water flow to activate the pressure switch in the heat pump. Most heaters are designed to operate efficiently at 40GPM. Given the head loss from your filter and plumbing, it appears your pool pump will be right on the edge of being able to provide that kind of flow. Heat pumps add significant head loss so your pump may struggle to keep up.

Considering the size of your pool, have you looked into a tankless water heater as an option? If you can find a good one at lower cost, it might be the better option. There are gas and electric options available.
Click to expand...

Now I'm debating if I want to start thinking about homebrewing a propane tankless water heater.

Thinking about it - no. That is a LOT of propane, and a LOT of time to heat a 17,000 gallon pool.
 
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