A/C Heat Exchanger to Heat Pool - DIY Questions

[Andrew_D]

The only thing I initially can see potentially wrong with that is you’d have to run your pool pump 24/7 (wasteful) or you’d need to rig up some sort of controller to switch on the pool pump when the AC turns on. The FPH controller will turn on the pool pump when your AC switches on if the pump isn’t already running.

Why would the pool pump have to run every time?

If the pool pump doesn't run when the A/C kicks in, then the normal cooling in the A/C unit would draw the heat out of the refrigerant and A/C would still work. If the pool pump is running, then it can draw some of the heat first.

Similarly, the pool pump could run and circulate water when the A/C is not running.

Andrew

 

[jseyfert3]

Why would the pool pump have to run every time?

If the pool pump doesn't run when the A/C kicks in, then the normal cooling in the A/C unit would draw the heat out of the refrigerant and A/C would still work. If the pool pump is running, then it can draw some of the heat first.

Similarly, the pool pump could run and circulate water when the A/C is not running.

Andrew

Because you’d be dumping the heat first into a water cooled heat exchanger that’s not being cooled. It would get hot. Not sure how hot but probably not a great thing. Certainly a lot hotter than the maximum temp for PVC piping, potentially leading to damage of your PVC piping (and subsequent flooding/issues as your pool drains the next time it turns on).

The OP never updated us again but looking back on my previous posts I see that this would be an issue if the OP had his pool pump off and the AC started running, especially as the OP shut off the condenser fan. In that case his whole system would just not work anymore, and things such as the PVC might get damaged.

Really this all reminds me of the lesson I’m ever so slowly learning that it’s almost never economically viable to DIY something that has an off-the-shelf solution for sale.