It is really hot here in the summer and I don't like swimming in hot water. I assume that a pool heat pump can be used for cooling as well as heat. Does anyone cool their pool with one? Expensive to operate?
Cooling pool water
- Thread starter Dave31410
- Start date
- Jun 22, 2014
- 47,722
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Unlike home heat pumps, I wasn't aware that pool heaters actually worked the same way (in reverse). Update - Actually there are. Duh (see below). However, I suspect most folks cool their water off by incorporating a fountain or sprayer that lets the air hit the water as it falls back to the pool's surface. This actually does quite well. You can find many examples of TFP by doing a search, some of them like these:
As I researched Rheem heat pumps for our future pool, there are certain models that will cool as well as heat. They seemed to just be more expensive than heat only models.
I can not speak to efficiency though.
18x36 vinyl liner , Hayward Sand Filter, Maxflo VS pump, Hayward VS Omni automation, Rheem 115k Heat pump, Colorlogic LED. Dolphin 400 robot. Build date: Spring 2018.
I can not speak to efficiency though.
18x36 vinyl liner , Hayward Sand Filter, Maxflo VS pump, Hayward VS Omni automation, Rheem 115k Heat pump, Colorlogic LED. Dolphin 400 robot. Build date: Spring 2018.
- Jun 22, 2014
- 47,722
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Well I'll be ...... ! There you go Dave. I really need to get out more often. :gone: While I have yet to hear of anyone mentioning them, they do have a "specialty" line that has some cooling capabilities.
Rheem Specialty Heat Pump Pool Heaters Series
So I spoke too soon on this one. Thanks for the correction and info TB!
Here inland of Savannah in Augusta I found our fountain run at night *really* cools the pool.
Unless you've got bucks to spare I just don't see needing a cooling /heat pump in Savannah.
Now in Arizona or some place like that, yeah, I can see it.
But.. like I said.. if you've got the bucks to spend, go for it! :bball:
Maddie
Unless you've got bucks to spare I just don't see needing a cooling /heat pump in Savannah.
Now in Arizona or some place like that, yeah, I can see it.
But.. like I said.. if you've got the bucks to spend, go for it! :bball:
Maddie
- Jun 7, 2017
- 8,975
- Pool Size
- 29000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Jandy Aquapure 1400
Heat pumps are specifically designed for this purpose - A/C in the summer and then reverse the coolant flow for heat in the winter.
- Jun 22, 2014
- 47,722
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
I'm going to take a lot of heat (no pun intended) for this one. That's okay, I'm allowed one mistake per year.
jeremycrook
Gold Supporter
- Sep 26, 2016
- 225
- Pool Size
- 11000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Jandy Truclear / Ei
I have a heat pump / chiller that I like. Jandy model JE3000TR, my energy bill always raises in the middle of summer so I can't tell you how much extra it is using the Chiller pump. If the water gets above 90 and it's really hot outside I can run the chiller and see a significant difference in the jets / fountain's / bumblers temperature. If you wanted to you can also use the Heat Pump to keep the water a constant temperature if you desired, you can set it like a temperature thermometer in your house.
Here inland of Savannah in Augusta I found our fountain run at night *really* cools the pool.
Unless you've got bucks to spare I just don't see needing a cooling /heat pump in Savannah.
Now in Arizona or some place like that, yeah, I can see it.
But.. like I said.. if you've got the bucks to spend, go for it! :bball:
Maddie
In Arizona we have such high evaporation rates due to the dry air that an uncovered pool can easily maintain 85-90 degrees without any intervention.
A pool left covered during the day can get up near 100 degrees plus though.
- Nov 12, 2017
- 11,819
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Do you have any solar installers in your area (what area doesn't, now-a-days)? Pool solar heating systems can be used to cool a pool. They don't always offer the same capabilities as heaters and heat pumps do, in terms of when they can heat/cool a pool, but they are generally much more cost effective (less to install, less to run, last longer, better warranties, etc). Maybe something to look into before deciding on a heat pump...
elwood58
LifeTime Supporter
We have a Pentair Heat/Chill Pump. It is far from economical if you set it and forget it, but it does get the job done. Heating is most efficient during the sunlight hours, and cooling works best overnight. I can knock the pool down 10 degrees overnight. Heating is typically used to speed up the start of swim season, or extend it a little. We heated our 20K gallon pool up to 88 degrees for Thanksgiving week. We have 30 solar panels generating power, which does take the sting out of running the heat pump.
- Nov 12, 2017
- 11,819
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Yep, when I first researched heating my pool, the solar guy wanted to install a heat pump and the PV solar panels to power it (in addition to a PV system to power the whole house). So that is one way to go to heat/cool a pool and control the cost. (I'm in the camp that believes a PV solar system will pay for itself in short order, about six years in my case.)
I have PV solar now, and am enjoying zero PG&E bills. But I still went with water-solar panels to heat my pool. They don't extend my swim season as well as a heat pump would, for sure, but because the PV panels accommodate the extra pump time the water panels require, I'm heating my pool "for free."
The heat pump units are, what, $5K? Or more? And they can break down. What are maintenance costs over time? And they don't last all that long, if my research was right. Five years? Ten years? Not sure. What are replacement costs over time? But my water panels are warranted for 20 years, and I installed them myself for about $3K. I think I compromised my warranty by installing them myself, but I'm rolling the dice there. Had they been installed by the solar company, it would have cost considerably more, and I would have gotten the full warranty. I'm gambling that a product that an installer would warrant for 20 years, will last that long, even if installed by me. Even if not, the panels are about $300 each, so I can just replace any that fail (probably the cost of a service call on a heat pump). Even if they all failed during the 20-year-expected lifespan, that's about $2400 to replace them all. So I'm still under what a heat pump would cost, not counting its running costs (the electricity, repair and replacement).
Sorry, not sure I explained all that well enough. There are lots of ways to heat/cool a pool and pay for it all. I'm just suggesting you do all the math before you decide, including how a whole-house PV solar system could work into the figures. My PV system cost about $12K and is warranted for 25 years. And in six years my electricity will be "free." So, conceivably, I've pre-paid a lifetime of pool heating costs. It'll then be a race as to which will wear out first... the PV panels... the water panels... or my body!!
I have PV solar now, and am enjoying zero PG&E bills. But I still went with water-solar panels to heat my pool. They don't extend my swim season as well as a heat pump would, for sure, but because the PV panels accommodate the extra pump time the water panels require, I'm heating my pool "for free."
The heat pump units are, what, $5K? Or more? And they can break down. What are maintenance costs over time? And they don't last all that long, if my research was right. Five years? Ten years? Not sure. What are replacement costs over time? But my water panels are warranted for 20 years, and I installed them myself for about $3K. I think I compromised my warranty by installing them myself, but I'm rolling the dice there. Had they been installed by the solar company, it would have cost considerably more, and I would have gotten the full warranty. I'm gambling that a product that an installer would warrant for 20 years, will last that long, even if installed by me. Even if not, the panels are about $300 each, so I can just replace any that fail (probably the cost of a service call on a heat pump). Even if they all failed during the 20-year-expected lifespan, that's about $2400 to replace them all. So I'm still under what a heat pump would cost, not counting its running costs (the electricity, repair and replacement).
Sorry, not sure I explained all that well enough. There are lots of ways to heat/cool a pool and pay for it all. I'm just suggesting you do all the math before you decide, including how a whole-house PV solar system could work into the figures. My PV system cost about $12K and is warranted for 25 years. And in six years my electricity will be "free." So, conceivably, I've pre-paid a lifetime of pool heating costs. It'll then be a race as to which will wear out first... the PV panels... the water panels... or my body!!
Similar threads
