Pool Heater ....Should I?????

Jump to latest Follow Reply
S

south jersey

0
Feb 27, 2017
11
new jersey
Hello all. Had a 20x40 grounding put in last year. I live in south jersey and my yard does have sun all day long. Pool in summer gets very warm 90 degrees plus sometimes. Contemplating an electric heat pump to try to extend season from may into second week in October. closed pool at end of September last year the water was too cold for my wife and mt two girls. the two pumps i was looking at having installed was a pentair pump which i was able to find plenty of info and reviews on the other company wants to sell me a pump from an outfit called MY blue pool a model called an aqua heat LS. I cant find much info on this model at all or reviews on the model. Any opinions or information is much appreciated.

Thank you
 
I'm no help on models/brands, but have you considered a pool cover? As far as bang for the buck, a cover will extend your season for not much money. You'll need a cover with the heat pump anyway, because heat pumps work best for keeping the pool temperature steady. About the only way to heat a pool effectively without a cover is with a gas heater.

You can add your pool information to a "signature" which will be included on all your posts. Below this post in my signature is a link 'read before posting' which includes the instructions for doing this. Including pool info will help you get the best possible suggestions and advice.
 
south jersey said:
trying to add signature but experiencing problems
Click to expand...

Where in SJ? I spend a lot of time in Cape May and Wildwood - are you talking that far south? Even if you are that far south - Im not 100% sold that heat pump will help all the time in Oct. From what I have read, most heat pumps for pools are inefficient below an air temp of 50. You may be fine in early Oct - but you may have night time temp drops below that.....although I guess it would still work in the day time.

I recently considered a heat pump, or LP heater.....and was almost convinced by a PB t do BOTH....but im now leaning towards LP only.
 
I live in williamstown nj about an hour from cape may. Cape may!! love that town spent Three summers there from 21 to 23 years old worked for the menzes top of the marquis. Some of the best times of my life. the heater thing is new to me. Just trying to stretch use time from mid may till maybe second week in October.
 
Come October, your heat pump will be running for many, many hours to try and keep up. The night time air is cool and the humidity is low. I'd say last week of September is pushing it with a heat pump. By Columbus Day, my pool is usually closed for the winter. You may have slightly warmer weather than I do on Long Island, but I still think late September would be the economical cut off for a heat pump.
 
A solar cover will definitely be needed to keep the heat in overnight. I would try the solar cover alone and see what it can do for you. It can add 5-8 degrees to the water temp. Last spring we were able to swim almost immediately after adding a cover for the first time. We needed the cover, solar and the heat pump to swim every weekend last October. We like it warm though, 85 and up. We recommend the thinnest, cheap ones because they are easier to handle and last about as long. Any 8 mil bubble cover will work. You can to diy roller like this, DIY Solar Cover Roller
 
I live in Northern VA, about 20 miles west of DC so, a little bit warmer than NJ. Our pool is surrounded by trees but does get direct sunlight about half of the day. We have a heat pump and combined with a solar cover, we have been able to keep our pool at a warm 90 degrees through September, and mid October for a couple of the warmer years BUT, I have to add that's after running the HP non-stop and maybe, just MAYBE it'll reach the 90 degrees I prefer. During the Summer months I may or may not need to run it, and if so, it's usually to bring it up from 88 to 90 degrees and I'll run it for an hour, two max.

The HP is not only inefficient below 50 degrees, it's not nearly as efficient at 70 degrees in September as it is at 90 degrees in July. So, during September we are running it almost non-stop during the day because the nights are so cool and it takes all day at 70 degrees to heat it back up where in July, it would take a few hours. If you have a cold spell, forget about it and try and keep it open again next year or, prepare to run it non-stop for 3 days when the temps outside are warm enough, in hopes that you can use it just one more time.

Sorry for all the details, I just wanted to give you an idea what we deal with even further south than NJ. If I had to do it again, I would have definitely purchased a gas heater.

I hope it helps you in weighing your decision. Good luck!
 
I only use our GAS heater to heat our attached spa. The cost for an evening of spa heat in winter is about the same as a cheap hamburger, or less. Given our circumstances, I would never want to pay to heat our entire pool, except for VERY special occasions (and have not had one yet :rolleyes:).
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
For a heat pump to work, the ambient temperature has to be above 50F. If that is the case, and you want more swimming, get one with a titanium scroll. Can't really beat Raypak, but Pentair works too. I would go with the less expensive between those two companies.
 
Go with a Raypak. They have fewer parts which down the road will save you when something breaks. The other brands have several extra parts that aren't cheap to replace when they break.
 
I usually close the pool down in Mid October and I like the water temp around mid 80"s
We have a heat pump on the house and the pool.
Once the air temp gets cold enough,the pump cant draw heat out of the outside air" short explanation".
From water temp @ 80 and get to around 88 in late fall would take 3 days continuous running at first, and add 200 to utility bill.
I like using it better in the early part of spring,not as cold out of the pool and wont run as long.
 
The solar cover is a bit of a pain to deal with. I cut mine in half soon after to make it less dificult to handle. So, I have two pieces that are about 18x20 each. You also get better at it after a few tries. It will significantly cut your heating costs, more than in half. I've seen folks say 60% to 80% reduction.
 
Thanks all and pooldv i like the idea of 2 pieces. I tried a liquid solar cover in sept. iI think it was i gimmick. I will try a solar cover and skip the heater this summer. IF i really want to extend the swimming season it seems like gas heater. would be best for where i live
 
Liquid solar covers aren't exactly gimmicky but can appear so because they rarely work. :) This is because it creates an extremely thin layer on the pool surface which when fully covered can actually reduce evaporative heat loss. But, any wind at all will blow it all to one side or the other significantly reducing it's efficiency.

I'm planning to make one of these this spring to help, DIY Solar Cover Roller
 
south jersey said:
Thanks all and pooldv i like the idea of 2 pieces. I tried a liquid solar cover in sept. iI think it was i gimmick. I will try a solar cover and skip the heater this summer. IF i really want to extend the swimming season it seems like gas heater. would be best for where i live
Click to expand...
The liquid cover will only keep the pool from cooling down as much, it will not heat it up at all. Windy conditions will also cause issues with that stuff. A heater and a cover would be my vote to extend the season. You won't get a lot of heat from the cover (you will get some), but it definitely helps keep the water from dropping in temperature as much during the night. I guess the big question is whether those couple months extra are worth the cost of a heater to you.
 
Yes mavrk that is the question!! I will open pool mid may and try the blanket when needed esp the begining and through september. I'll see how far i can go till too cold. Then It will be my wife who i will let make the decision!!!!! If she and the kids want more time from pool , then a heater will be what to do. And since it's her decision....... I wont have to hear "we never should of got this heater" (lol)
 
I recommend biting the bullet and getting a gas heater. The gas heater will extend your season and as it gets colder, you'll want the water to be warmer. The cover will help but it won't heat your pool. Also, I think covers are butt ugly and a pain to get on and off, but JMHO.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply