Pentair Heat/Cool Pump or Gas Heat w/ Chiller

[TheOne]

Im looking for an option to both heat and cool a 25k gal pool in Houston, TX.

Wondering if it would be a good idea to get the Pentair 125k BTU Heat Pump (71k BTU Cool) or if I should get the Pentair Master Temp 400k BTU and a Glacier GPC210 Chiller. Both options (equipment only) is within $100 of each other. Not sure if I could get credit for the gas line run from the PB if I went with the heat pump. Any other installation cost differences between the two options?

Ongoing operating costs obviously are a big factor. Is there any way to determine the cost of running the Pentair in cooling mode vs the Glacier chiller? Most likely if we went with gas heat we wouldnt heat the pool much except for special occasions. If the heat pump is economical enough we would use it to extend the swimming by three months (thinking March, April, and October).

 

[Bama Rambler]

Your most cost effective route would probably be the heat pump and add some solar panels. The panels can be used for heating and cooling and it's real inexpensive to operate. You could then use the heat pump to assist the panels.

 

[TheOne]

Thanks for the ideas. I dont believe solar panels are allowed in my area. The solution needs to be able to cool the pool as well June - August.

 

[JasonLion]

You can run solar panels at night to cool the pool, if they are allowed.

The heat pump will probably cost significantly less to operate when heating the pool to a constant temperature, but won't be able to heat the water up from cold any where near as quickly as the gas heater. On the other hand the Glacier chiller will cost a little less to operate when cooling compared to the heat pump. The purchase and install costs will probably be very similar for the two setups, though it depends bit on how far the gas line needs to be run.

 

[TheOne]

Anyone in Houston or South Texas using the Pentair Heat/Cool pump that could give their opinions of how its working for them would be greatly appreciated..!

 

[learthur]

I have a friend in this area who installed heat pump. He is happy with it. It works well when ambient temps are within 20-25 degrees of the desired pool temp.

Hotter or colder than that and efficiency and effectiveness drop off.