Electric Pool Heater Questions

[Ambull]

Hi everyone!

I have a few questions about Pool heaters please.

I have a 6800 gallon in-ground fiberglass pool.

I have the pre wiring in place for a heater.

My questions are:

1) Since my pool is small, by using the same heater that most people use to make their 30K gallon pools merely tolerable during the pre summer and post summer months that they are trying to stretch into their pools seasons, will my pool be like a hot tub?

2) My pool pump is approx 30ft from the pool (not an inch more), i would like my heater to be another 20ft further from the pump, which would put it at 50ft from the pool. Is that doable? If it matters, I have 2" flex PVC running to/from the pump/pool.

3) What is the baddest Rear Rolls Royce of pool heaters out there?

Thanks very much in advance!!!

 

[ajw22]

Your 6,800 gallon pool has 57,000 lbs of water. 1 BTU will raise 1 lb of water 1 degree. The baddest heat pump is 120,000 - 140,000 BTUs. So at max performance it will heat your pool 2 to 3 degrees an hour.

Heat pump performance declines as the air temperature drops until it shuts down at 50 degrees. See chart below.

You will need to run your pump for much of the day to significantly heat the pool and maintain a temperature. Do you have a pool cover?

Why do you not want to locate the heat pump where your pool pump is?

Heat Pump Performance

• ajw22
• Feb 23, 2019

Pentair Ultratemp Heat Pump BTU Output by OAT

 

[Ambull]

Heat pump performance declines as the air temperature drops until it shuts down at 50 degrees. See chart below.

If I do this, I want my pool to be like a hot tub. I want to take advantage of my pools small size. I want to enjoy my 'hot tub' in Mar/Apr, and Sept/Oct. At 50 degrees, I no longer need to use my pool so that is a non-concern.

You will need to run your pump for much of the day to significantly heat the pool and maintain a temperature. Do you have a pool cover?

I only have a winter safety cover. Is there something else you suggest? I presume your question is geared towards a solar cover?

Why do you not want to locate the heat pump where your pool pump is?

I never wanted my pump and filter where it is now. It's an eyesore but PB told me I couldn't place it any further away from the pool. Not only would adding a heater to the mix in that spot now just make things so much uglier, but I would have to rip out much of the beautiful landscaping that I painstakingly planted to make room for the heater. Installing it 20 feet further would tuck it away nicely from everything and I could run electric and water lines under my deck so it would be a nice clean job - no digging. No removal of existing landscaping. So do you think this would be a problem?

 

[ajw22]

Covering the pool will prevent a lot of heat loss from evaporation. Especially on cool nights. It will help preserve the heat you are generating.

So you are going to pipe the output of your filter 20 feet to your heat pump then pipe the output of the heat pump back 20 feet to be connected with your SWG. I guess it will work. How deep will you trench that 20’ run of pipe?

 

[Ambull]

Covering the pool will prevent a lot of heat loss from evaporation. Especially on cool nights. It will help preserve the heat you are generating.

Just seems like so much work. What type of cover do you recommend?

So you are going to pipe the output of your filter 20 feet to your heat pump then pipe the output of the heat pump back 20 feet to be connected with your SWG. I guess it will work. How deep will you trench that 20’ run of pipe?

I can do any kind of setup that is best given what I have. Filter to heater to salt generator sounds as good as any idea to me, but I don't really know any better. I am a new pool owner. It's only been since this summer. Frankly, I was hoping to run the piping from filter equipment to/from heater in the open air at ground level if possible. The run from my current equipment to the area I was hoping to place the heater runs directly underneath my deck. It would be hard (but not impossible) to dig a trench (would have to be done by hand). Forgive my ignorance, but i was hoping to not trench anything.

I appreciate all of your feedback to this noob.

 

[wireform]

With all that pipe make sure to have some good pitch at critical points for winterizing otherwise you'll be buying a truck load of antifreeze.

 

[ajw22]

Look at the solar covers sold on Amazon. They don’t last more then a few years.

PVC exposed to UV can get brittle. Readhttp://www.heritageplastics.com/technical-bulletins/effect-sunlight-exposure-pvc-pipe-conduit-fittings/ Running your heater pipes above ground expose them to damage. And likely heat loss.