Heat Pump vs solar for Costco Bestway Pool (12 x 22 x 48)

[Den Den]

Hi Everyone,
I'm still at a loss as to what type of heater I should get for my pool. I live in NYC so we do not have that much warmth-from May till August. I don't plan on swimming in the fall because I don't like the cold I am trying to figure out if I should just buy a heat pump or use the heater pad that came with the pool. Which is better?

 

[ajw22]

How many BTUs can you get out of the heater pad that came with the pool?

Heating a pool is all about BTUs. 1 BTU will raise the temperature of 1 lbs of water by 1 degree. Water weighs 8.3 lbs/gallon.

 

[hwy17]

A previous version of the costco kit was my first pool for two years.

The heater pad is really only good for a "better than nothing" couple degrees maybe, I was very happy to have it but it's certainly not something that will reliably keep the pool heated.

Adding real heaters to intex pools gets complicated to do the electrical right though.