Pool Chillers...Worth It?

[MBTulsa]

Hello -

We are in Tulsa, OK (northeastern Oklahoma) and already our pool is at 85 degrees.

We recently remodeled our pool and changed the bottom from white to a gray lagoon finish plus converted to saltwater. We also removed 4 trees that used to shade the pool 90% of the time. Now our pool is exposed to full sun most of the day.

With the lack of shade and the darker bottom - and the Oklahoma heat coming on strong and early this year - would it be worth it to check into installing a pool chiller?

Thoughts on feasibility and product options? Are chillers just added into the exisiting pool plumbing? Any issues with salt?

Thanks so much for your feedback.

 

[JasonLion]

There are several ways to cool the pool. A chiller can get a large reduction in temperature but it is one of the more expensive choices. A fountain will cool the pool by a couple of degrees for far less money. You can use solar panels at night to cool the pool. And some heat pumps have a mode for cooling. I have also seen some interesting DIY solutions.

 

[Watson-Kenny]

Glacier pool coolers work great.. very easy to install and cheap to run.

 

[ride525]

Jason,

The DIY solutions link did not work for me.

 

[Poolsean]

Most Heat Pumps are available with a COOL mode option so not only can you heat and extend your beginning and end of swim season, but you can cool your pool during the hot summer months. If this interest you, you should look for a titanium heat exchanger, which is virtually impervious to chemical damage. A single use Chiller isn't that much less than a heat pump with the heat and cool options.

Your salt system should not affect the heat exchanger, but very high salt levels and high chlorine levels can.

The Heat Pump or Chiller is installed directly in line to your return line plumbing. If your flow rate is in excess of 70 gpm, you'll want to plumb it with an external bypass configuration to slow the flow through the unit. Excessive flow will reduce the heat pump's efficiency.

There are several choices on Heat Pumps with heat and cool options, and Chiller only systems.

 

[JasonLion]

I updated the link.