Heat Pump in Las Vegas Dry Climate

[vegas-doug]

I am looking at having electric solar panels put on my house and the installer said that they also install lots of heat pumps for pools. I live in the Las Vegas area so weather is very dry. They say it works great but I always was under the impression that a heat pump wouldn't work well in a dry environment. My natural gas heater is only 1 year old Pentair so I wouldn't want to replace it at this point, just add in the heat pump on the solar loop I had installed when the pool was being plumbed. I was leaning towards doing the roof solar panels for pool heat but they actually cost $1,200 more than the heat pump and the solar power installer seems to think the heat pump is a better system.

Does anyone have any thoughts or experience with pool heat pumps in a dry desert climate?

I thought Pentair was coming out with a combo unit (Natural Gas Heater/Heat Pump) but I haven't seen much on that and it is expensive (Pentair UltraTemp Eti Hybrid Heater).

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Heat pumps will work in low RH environments, you just won't get the full energy efficiency out of them. Heat pumps are slow and steady so you definitely want to keep the gas heater for you spa. I think roof top solar heating for the pool water is a fine way to get additional heat. You pretty much have everything you need at the equipment pad to do solar heating or electric heat pump, I think it's just up to you if you want another "thing" to maintain versus maybe having a water leak on the roof if the solar heating goes sideways on you. I hate going up my roof or putting stuff up on the roof (it's flat roof with a parapet wall so you can't see anything that's up there), so I'd probably opt for the heat pump.

 

[vegas-doug]

Heat pumps will work in low RH environments, you just won't get the full energy efficiency out of them. Heat pumps are slow and steady so you definitely want to keep the gas heater for you spa. I think roof top solar heating for the pool water is a fine way to get additional heat. You pretty much have everything you need at the equipment pad to do solar heating or electric heat pump, I think it's just up to you if you want another "thing" to maintain versus maybe having a water leak on the roof if the solar heating goes sideways on you. I hate going up my roof or putting stuff up on the roof (it's flat roof with a parapet wall so you can't see anything that's up there), so I'd probably opt for the heat pump.

Thank you. Do you think a heat pump would extend my season by just a few months like the roof panels would, or do you think it may keep my pool open most of the year?

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Thank you. Do you think a heat pump would extend my season by just a few months like the roof panels would, or do you think it may keep my pool open most of the year?

You'll get a couple months on either end (open in March, close in Nov) but I doubt you'd be able to, or even want to, keep the pool open through the winter. But one thing that was not mentioned is that you ABSOLUTELY need a bubble cover on the pool when you're heating it in the shoulder months. The reason being is that evaporative heat loss over night is huge and any heat added during the day will be gone overnight simply due to evaporative loss....not to mention all that evaporated water will run your fill line and so you lose water too.

I wouldn't do either option unless you're willing to take a cover on & off all the time.

 

[vegas-doug]

You'll get a couple months on either end (open in March, close in Nov) but I doubt you'd be able to, or even want to, keep the pool open through the winter. But one thing that was not mentioned is that you ABSOLUTELY need a bubble cover on the pool when you're heating it in the shoulder months. The reason being is that evaporative heat loss over night is huge and any heat added during the day will be gone overnight simply due to evaporative loss....not to mention all that evaporated water will run your fill line and so you lose water too.

I wouldn't do either option unless you're willing to take a cover on & off all the time.

I wish I could but I tried the solar blanket with a reel and had no luck keeping it on the pool. We get pretty high winds frequently so even with it anchored on each side and gallon jugs on top it would still end up breaking free with the reel halfway in the pool and the blanket all bunched up in the corner.

 

[sktn77a]

Don't know what the weather is like in Henderson, NV, but my mother-in-law has rooftop solar in Sacramento and leaves the pool open year round, swimming in March through November.

 

[proavia]

I wish I could but I tried the solar blanket with a reel and had no luck keeping it on the pool. We get pretty high winds frequently so even with it anchored on each side and gallon jugs on top it would still end up breaking free with the reel halfway in the pool and the blanket all bunched up in the corner.

Is your cover cut to about 1-2 inches smaller than your pool - and does it sit totally flat on the waters surface (except where it attaches to the reel straps)?

I have never had my cover ball up in a corner or the reel partly fall in the pool - even in 40+ mph wind storms. The edges of the cover being in full contact with the waters surface (along with 90% of the rest of the cover) pretty much prevents the wind from affecting it. If the edges aren't fully in contact with the water, the wind will lift the cover without a doubt.

 

[vegas-doug]

Is your cover cut to about 1-2 inches smaller than your pool - and does it sit totally flat on the waters surface (except where it attaches to the reel straps)?

I have never had my cover ball up in a corner or the reel partly fall in the pool - even in 40+ mph wind storms. The edges of the cover being in full contact with the waters surface (along with 90% of the rest of the cover) pretty much prevents the wind from affecting it. If the edges aren't fully in contact with the water, the wind will lift the cover without a doubt.

The edge of the blanket was pretty much flat on the water, however, the blanket was around 6" to 1 foot from each side of the pool. Initially I thought it was only a problem because I have a bar stool pop-out area that wasn't covered and it always seemed to get lifted up from there. I eventually cut the cover so only half of the pool was blanketed and that area was no longer an issue. I then mounted each side of the blanket to the umbrella holder hole and threw on a few gallon water jugs by the edge. The blanket was somewhat protected from the wind at that point but after a week or so I heard a loud bang and looked out to see that it had been ripped from one anchor point, with half the reel and the 20+ lbs boulders I had holding the reel feet down were in my pool. Was chilly getting in the water to get those boulders out! Thinking I'm going to go with what everyone else in the neighborhood is using which is the roof panels. I'm a little scared about the unknown cost to run the heat pump long term.