Pool Heater Suggestion in North Texas

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G

GOEasyNow

New member
May 5, 2025
3
North Texas
Pool Size
16500
Surface
Plaster
I have a fairly new to us pool (bought the house 2 years ago) and this is our second full swimming season. The pool water is balanced, everything looks great, but the temp is too low for any of the fam to get in. I would like to get a heater installed but am not sure where to start. I have done everything myself so far (thanks YouTube) but don't want to tackle installing a gas heater.

Does anyone in the area have a suggestion for a company to install? What should I be looking for?

The pool is 16500 gallons, the family likes the pool at 82 or up, and we are using tricolor.
 
Go,

Things to keep in mind...

If you try to heat a pool on a continually basis it will be costly..

To maintain the heat you will need a cover, or it will be more than costly

Even if the water is 82, often the air is not... :mrgreen:

I thought about installing a heater myself, but it just did not make a lot of sense for me... I would guess that 99% of people that have heaters, also have spas..

Let's see what our other DFW members have to say..

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Welcome to TFP,

Do you have natural gas service?

Are you considering a gas heater or Heat Pump?
 
I have a Hayward gas heater that you can have. :) Seriously, I doubt it works any longer, as it’s 18 years old. We just don’t have the need for a heater. We have a raised spa which we used a few times a year for the first couple of years after we built the pool, but just don’t bother any longer. Yes, our grandkids would love to get in the pool now, but it will warm up on its own within a couple of weeks. Gotta teach them some patience.

My issue is just the opposite. Had to install a chiller to keep the water cool during the summer.

Edit: If you move forward with a heater and also struggle with a 90°+ pool in the summer, be sure to look into heat pump/chiller combo units.
 
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GOEasyNow said:
Yes, natural gas and would go with a gas heater ad my off the cuff choice.
Click to expand...
You will likely need a larger gas meter. And, a large gas line will be needed at the equipment pad, so add that cost in to the install.
Sta-Rite Max-E-Therm, Pentair MasterTemp (same heater, different enclosure), Jandy JXi. You want 400K BTU to heat as fast as possible. It doesn't cost more to heat with a larger heater, they are just more convenient. Same applies to a heat pump.
 
Not sure what your climate is, I live in the desert and we see lots of 100 degree days. Currently we are in the 70s to low 80s, with nighttime highs of 40s.
I have a heat pump and love it because I can have my pool up to 85 by memorial weekend. I could sooner but no one seems to want to swim when its 78 outside.

My method of picking a heat pump probably breaks all the rules, but it works for me.
I have a 60A circuit for my pool and did a load calculation with my pump, light, robot, auto cover, etc. 40A is what I felt was a safe number for a heat pump. So I bought the Pentair Ultra Temp 70.
Yes, it's way under sized for my pool and it takes a week to get it up to 85 before memorial weekend. But after that, it only runs for a few hours in the evenings until late June. Then in late August - September it starts coming on again until kids go back to school and loose interest in swimming.

I don't believe everyone needs a 140,000 btu heat pump. Now if I lived on the other side of WA state, I'd need a bigger heat pump and a larger electrical service..
 
ajw22 said:
What size is your gas meter?

Post pictures of your gas meter with all the data plates on it.
Click to expand...
Never thought about the meter itself. Will have to look for a picture of the meter or take one. I knew we would have to get a plumber (or the installer if they are certified) to run a line to the heater. I do not mess with gas.

Out of curiosity, does a pool heater (depending on the BTU output) pull so much gas that a residential supply for a 3000+ sq ft house not support it? (that my explain why my neighbor has a second meter).
 

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GOEasyNow said:
Out of curiosity, does a pool heater (depending on the BTU output) pull so much gas that a residential supply for a 3000+ sq ft house not support it? (that my explain why my neighbor has a second meter).
Click to expand...
Many houses have a 250 CFM/BTU meter as standard which is too small for a 400K BTU heater.
 
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Jimrahbe said:
I thought about installing a heater myself, but it just did not make a lot of sense for me... I would guess that 99% of people that have heaters, also have spas..
Click to expand...
Do you just mean for people in Texas?

This is certainly not the case here in Canada. No point in spending $100k+ for a pool plus many more $$$ for pool related landscaping and then not swimming because the water is too cold.

Isn't gas cheap in Texas? Down in the Permian gas is often negative, at least on the wholesale markets.
 
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