We are debating between a heat pump or a heater. We are looking into the pentair brands but any reviews would be helpful. Would like to hear pros/cons. Thank you!
Gas Heater vs Heat Pump.
- Thread starter Crickets
- Start date
To me it came down to convenience. A pump would save money for sure but heat more slowly, since gas is cheap I would rather be able to
heat quicker and more on demand. And the key for me was it is able to extend my pool season as the pump wouldn't work well when the
temp got lower than 55, my hope is a late April to mid Oct season here in NE Ohio... And I know I'll pay for it. lol
heat quicker and more on demand. And the key for me was it is able to extend my pool season as the pump wouldn't work well when the
temp got lower than 55, my hope is a late April to mid Oct season here in NE Ohio... And I know I'll pay for it. lol
I have a heat pump. General trade offs are gas vs electric and heat maintenance (i.e. Keeping a set temp for several days vs a quick warmup for a couple hours).
In my case, I don't have a spa. I just use it to extend the swim season (esp since I'm a baby in cold water). With a 7 mm solar blanket, my cost was roughly $50 per month in electricity for my climate/set temp combo in March.
If you had a spa, I think it will heat over 100, but you really need to maintain that temp and get a good cover. Not sure if people with a spa frequently use a heat pump.
Part of the heat maintenance thing is that it takes a long time to get up to set temp for me, about 1-2 degrees per hour) and takes more electricity while doing that as opposed to getting it warmed up one time and just maintaining it for 1-2 hours per day.
They also make heat pumps that cool as well. For a few hundred dollars more, I wish I would have gotten that one as my pool can be bath-like in the summer.
Finally, heat pump doesn't work well when it's cold outside. I live in Austin, and it works well for this climate. My house also uses a heat pump. If I would have planned ahead, I wonder if I could have done a geothermal heat pump system servicing all three units - that would have been cool.
In my case, I don't have a spa. I just use it to extend the swim season (esp since I'm a baby in cold water). With a 7 mm solar blanket, my cost was roughly $50 per month in electricity for my climate/set temp combo in March.
If you had a spa, I think it will heat over 100, but you really need to maintain that temp and get a good cover. Not sure if people with a spa frequently use a heat pump.
Part of the heat maintenance thing is that it takes a long time to get up to set temp for me, about 1-2 degrees per hour) and takes more electricity while doing that as opposed to getting it warmed up one time and just maintaining it for 1-2 hours per day.
They also make heat pumps that cool as well. For a few hundred dollars more, I wish I would have gotten that one as my pool can be bath-like in the summer.
Finally, heat pump doesn't work well when it's cold outside. I live in Austin, and it works well for this climate. My house also uses a heat pump. If I would have planned ahead, I wonder if I could have done a geothermal heat pump system servicing all three units - that would have been cool.
Without an automatic cover I would recommend the gas heater, if you have an autocover go with a heat pump
I think one of the most overlooked considerations on this topic is whether your home has natural gas, propane or electric. Our home does not have gas or propane, so there is a considerable up front cost of going with a gas heater vs an electric heat pump. My hand is forced a bit even though I would prefer a gas heater - we live in south Florida and will mostly be using the heater for hot tub use.
Kentucky has all four seasons. We'd like to use it mostly to extend our swim season in the fall and spring. In the summer it gets hot enough that we'd probably swim with out running it very much. And from the way it sounds a gas heater might be the way to go (for us)- since we want to be able to use our pool while the weather is chilly out.
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