I have been getting a lot of conflicting information about how big a pool heater I need. The guy at Leslie's pools told me that for a 16,000 gallon pool, I need at least a 250,000 BTU gas pool heater and he would recommend a 400,000 gas pool heater. The problem is that my plumber is telling me that based on the existing gas lines, the best that I can do affordably from that side of the house is about 150,000 BTU or maybe 200,000 at the most. He recommends the smaller heater to be on the safe side.
Based on my calculations, my pool is about 500 sq ft. and about 16,000 gallons. I live in a warm climate. Currently (in early March), the pool is at 66 degrees and I would like to bring it to 80 degrees. I'm willing to buy a solar blanket. Do you think that 150,000 BTU heater will do the job?
From the energy.gov website:
-To calculate the size of a heater you need: Pool Area x Temperature Rise x 12 -This formula is based on 1º to 1-1/4ºF temperature rise per hour and a 3-1/2 mile per hour average wind at the pool surface. For a 1-1/2ºF rise multiply by 1.5. For a 2ºF rise multiply by 2.0
So I would need 500 sq x 14º x 12 x 1.5 = 130,000BTUs to get the pool heated in between 9-14 hours. Is something wrong with my math? Seems like the small heater should be enough no?
Thanks in advance for any help you could give me.
Based on my calculations, my pool is about 500 sq ft. and about 16,000 gallons. I live in a warm climate. Currently (in early March), the pool is at 66 degrees and I would like to bring it to 80 degrees. I'm willing to buy a solar blanket. Do you think that 150,000 BTU heater will do the job?
From the energy.gov website:
-To calculate the size of a heater you need: Pool Area x Temperature Rise x 12 -This formula is based on 1º to 1-1/4ºF temperature rise per hour and a 3-1/2 mile per hour average wind at the pool surface. For a 1-1/2ºF rise multiply by 1.5. For a 2ºF rise multiply by 2.0
So I would need 500 sq x 14º x 12 x 1.5 = 130,000BTUs to get the pool heated in between 9-14 hours. Is something wrong with my math? Seems like the small heater should be enough no?
Thanks in advance for any help you could give me.