Heat pump vs Natural Gas heater HELP!

[JessB412]

So I need to decide like yesterday my heater. I always assumed I would get heat pump due to economics of cost long term. Y builder is adamant they “suck” and gas is the only way to go but freely admits he is not clear on monthly cost comparison.

I live in western NC. I hope to maintain 82-84 may - September. Nights get down around 40-60 from beginning of season to peak summer. I have no need to swim when it’s 55 out lol but we do need to keep pool at temp all week.

Advice? Would love to hear examples of what ppl pay to heat pool on average? I understNd this varies greatly. I also understand heat pumps don’t work under 50 degrees and gas heats it faster.

Our vinyl pool will be about 24,000 gallons 18x36.

Any help will greatly be appreciated!

 

[JoyfulNoise]

It all depends on what you want - HP’s heat a pool “low & slow” but are efficient at maintaining the heat whereas gas heaters have more available BTUs and can heat a pool faster. If gas and electric cost about the same in your area, then either option is fine. In my area, gas is about 3X cheaper than electricity on a common energy basis and so running a gas heater is cheaper than a heat pump.

One thing is an absolute must - you MUST cover your pool when heating it especially overnight. Evaporative heat loss is many times larger than the heat energy added by a pool heater. So if you leave the pool uncovered, it’s a total waste of energy.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Also forgot to mention - compare installation costs. Gas heaters typically run anywhere from 125,000 to 400,000 BTUs/hour . It’s not cheap to run gas lines long distances and you may need to upgrade your gas meter which can cost quite a bit in some areas. HP’s usually need a dedicated 60Amp electrical service and running electrical lines is not cheap either. If you max out your service panel, then that could also require a costly upgrade to your home electrical service.

 

[Karl103]

Jess B - I live in Raleigh. First season with my pool last year. I have a heat pump. It is slow but it works and I do think is efficient. I have come to understand that it takes 1 hour for every 1 degree of temperature raising.

Good point about covering the pool at night. Its not mandatory but it does decrease the run time on the pump.

If my kids want to try to swim in the early Spring/Fall for a weekend, I put the pump on set at 85 starting on Thursday so it is ready by Friday afternoon/Saturday. I turn it off Sunday night.

As we get into early spring, I leave the thermostat set at 85 and it turns off and on as needed to keep the temp where it needs to be for swimming.

I did not have to use it from mid May until mid September - warm enough here that don't really need it at that time except after a prolonged rain when the pool got a little too cool - may have had to use it sporadically for that.

Heat pumps do not work when the temp goes below 50 or so it doesn't really work as well in the Fall at night in NC.

However, we started swimming April 20th last year and went until October. I only really used the heat pump in April and maybe a little bit in Sept/Oct. Once the air got cooler in the Fall the kids were done

Good luck

 

[scdaren]

Based on your needs, a heat pump should work just fine. They work best to cover the "shoulder" months to extend your season a bit on either end, are most efficient when set to maintain a certain temperature. We use it from April to May, and August into early October. We could go longer, but my kids are pretty much ready to move on to other activities by that point in the season, and the cooler it gets, the more you pay to heat.

But I think a big part of the decision is the cost of gas vs electric in your area. For us, gas is generally considered pretty low cost compared to electric rates, but we have a lot of solar electric panels on our house that brings that cost way down. We are quite happy with our heat pump, but then again I've never had a gas heater. Our heat pump also has a chiller mode you can't get with gas, which is nice when it gets really hot (like 110+).

 

[ajw22]

What BTU heat pump are you considering vs BTU NG heater?

It is all about BTUs. 1BTU will raise 1 pound of water 1 degree. Calculate the weight of your water and you can determine what temperature rise you can expect.

Assume heaters are 80% efficient. And HP BTU output declines as outside temperature falls.

 

[JessB412]

Oh my gosh I love this forum - I’ve been reading and “studying” the last year and this community always comes through!

We are 100% planning on covering with solar cover at night. I’m even considering using one of those liquid blankets? Not sure - haven’t researched those yet just heard about them. It will be a SWG pool. The pool also will get full sun from sunrise to almost sunset.

The heater recommended was natura gas 260k BTU Pentair. My pool will be a 18x36 from 3.5-5.5 (maybe 6’) deep. We can’t decide lol we just wanted it to be all “useable” and we are not divers or big jumpers. Moreso like to float, swim, hangout this the depth.

My electric here is 11.5cents per KWH
My natural gas averages 0.96 per therm.

Is that helpful?

 

[ajw22]

If you care about efficiency get a HP.

If you care about effectiveness get a NG heater.

If you are going to get a NG heater get 400K BTU. You will be happy at the greater heating capacity in cooler days.

You said your pool was 24K gallons. A 260K BTU heater will raise the water less then 1 degree an hour. A 400K BTU heater should raise it over 1.5 degrees an hour.

 

[JessB412]

I think I’m just terrified of getting a $400 heating bill! lol I fully expect to pay $150-$200 in May but if it costs me $350-$400 I just think that gets to be a lot....I wish I could afford a Pentairs new Hybrid heater that does both but my builder said it was $7k . So needless to say - I’m back to the grand debate here.

Is there one that lasts longer or requires less maintenance long term? I heard NG has a lot more parts than HP....

It’s hard making this choice now too bc I feel like the bill just keeps growing ?

Oh the pool dream!

 

[spatel95]

Since you are looking to maintain your pool temp, a heat pump would be better. A gas heater is better if you just like to heat your pool quickly on the weekend or for a party. I have a 140000 BTU Hayward heat pump and I am very happy with it. It heats my 20K pool pretty quick. The heat pumps are also safer for kids than the gas heaters since they don't get hot (they blow cool air actually).

 

[JessB412]

Since you are looking to maintain your pool temp, a heat pump would be better. A gas heater is better if you just like to heat your pool quickly on the weekend or for a party. I have a 140000 BTU Hayward heat pump and I am very happy with it. It heats my 20K pool pretty quick. The heat pumps are also safer for kids than the gas heaters since they don't get hot (they blow cool air actually).

Thank you for your response and specifics on what you use! I find all this feedback so helpful!