Gas heater a good option for smaller 9000 gallon pool?

[redturboeclipse]

So I know heating a pool cost a lot, but If these calculations are within this range it might be ok.

I'm in northern california. our natural gas is provided by PG&E. I checked my bill and found that we pay $1.36 cents to $1.89 per therm, up from 92 cents – $1.40 in 2012. In addition, there is a 4 cents per therm surcharge for “PPP” (per my bill: Gas Public Purpose Program Surcharge: “Used to fund state-mandated gas assistance programs for low-income customers, energy-efficiency programs, and public-interest research and development.”)My calculations come out to $1.63 per therm plus the $.04 surcharge equals a gas cost of $1.67 per therm, on average. A 100,000 BTU heater uses 1 therm of natural gas per hour, so a 400,000 heater consumes 4 therms an hour. 4 therms an hour x $1.67 = $6.68 per hour. So the magic number based on the most common 400,000 BTU pool/ spa heater is $6.68 per hour in gas cost to run your heater. Keep in mind, we’re not talking about how long it takes but how much it costs. So I know heating a pool cost a lot, but If these calculations are within this range it might be ok.

My pool is 25 x 15 but Baja shelf is 5x8 so realistically swim area is I would estimate 21 x 15 and It's 3.5 to 6' deep.
Using this website Pool Heat Time Calculator

Raising from 60 degrees to 85 degrees and having solar cover. And purchasing a 300K BTU heater it would take 5 hrs. So about $40 to heat the pool. I feel I could live with that for special occasions,

 

[HermanTX]

Your logic is fine and if it is one-time events, it is certainly worth the value. Having the solar cover helps. Where people fail is trying to keep it heated for a long time - weeks. I have heated my 15k gal pool in 15 hrs but my gas cost is much less.

 

[redturboeclipse]

Your logic is fine and if it is one-time events, it is certainly worth the value. Having the solar cover helps. Where people fail is trying to keep it heated for a long time - weeks. I have heated my 15k gal pool in 15 hrs but my gas cost is much less.

thank you. I feel thats why I posted is to make sure my logic is fine and i make sense. Of course at first i never considered gas because of cost, but the more I thought about either a heat pump or solar heating on the roof, and more I read about it, I feel it wont get me where I want at least fast enough. And the latter 2 options wont be effective in winter months--it doesnt snow here but gets cold in the 50s-60s (thats what we consider cold here).

 

[AZAA]

I had a Heliocol rooftop heater for 3 years here in south/central Arizona. It just couldn't keep up during December through about February so I had considered a gas heater to augment the solar. I never got around to it and now I have a pool heated solely with gas. It's expensive. I miss my solar heater but adding one now just doesn't pencil out. Having both would be the perfect solution, but you'd just have to "do the math".

 

[redturboeclipse]

I had a Heliocol rooftop heater for 3 years here in south/central Arizona. It just couldn't keep up during December through about February so I had considered a gas heater to augment the solar. I never got around to it and now I have a pool heated solely with gas. It's expensive. I miss my solar heater but adding one now just doesn't pencil out. Having both would be the perfect solution, but you'd just have to "do the math".

yea before I did my own math and checking gas rates, its just the common notion that when you talk about gas to heat a pool its just so outrageous why even do it, but as mentioned in my original post, if my estimates are correct for my size pool, it should only be $40--lets even say $50 to heat it for a day's use. I dont see myself having to consistently keep the pool hot during the winter months to make it cost a fortune. I probably would average 1 day a month of heating it or if there is a special occasion and people want to "chip in" to pay to heat it that day lol. I already have electrical and gas lines ran and ready for either a heat pump or gas heater, and i was almost sold on heat pump from the start but im glad i dug further as this might be better for my situation