New to pools: Heat pump vs NG Heater

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Still Singing

Still Singing

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Aug 24, 2015
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Brighton/Michigan
:handwave: Hello! I'm a new-to-anything-pool-related person getting ready for an install of an IG pool within a month. Builder has asked us to consider changing from a Heat Pump to a gas heater. Michigan has had cool days this year and he's had quite a few complaints from new customers unable to bring their water to desired temps with their heat pumps. I will be using the pool during the week as well as the weekend, so a Gas Heater seems to be far to expensive to run for daily pool use. We will have an automated pool cover to retain the heat which will help. Question is: is the Heat Pump the best route to go for our situation? I won't use the pool if it's below 70 degree air temp...which would mean bringing it to a desired 82 water temp. I don't know how long it takes to heat the pool (22,000 gal) with a heat pump. Do you use a heat pump daily? As needed? How far in advance do you start it up? How long will it maintain desired temp?

Help with any or all heat pump related questions is welcome. But ultimately, should I even consider changing to gas heat? I'm very frustrated.
 
In your area which is cheaper- gas or electricity? Will a heat pump work well in such a cooler climate? I dunno?

We had a heat pump once in a house on Virginia Beach and hated it! It was not the energy saver that we had been led to believe. But that was many years ago and I'm not sure what energy prices are these days?
 
Welcome to TFP!

Heating pool water takes a lot of energy, no matter what the heat source is, and it is expensive. With that said, a natural gas heater works best for most. It is definitely the best option if you need to heat your pool fast such as when having a pool party.

I have no experience with a heat pump. From what I've read, they are best used to maintain a pool at a given temperature. But to bring the temperature of a pool up quickly, natural gas is almost always the best option.

I'm attaching a heater calculator that I built that will tell you approximately how much it will cost to heat a pool with a natural gas heater.

View attachment HeaterCalculator.zip
 
We installed a Heat Pump in the pool less than a month ago and so far have been VERY pleased with the results. We haven't however got our first bill yet with it in use. We started off with the water temp at about 80° and it ran 24/7 for about 2 days with the outside temps averaging about 75° before it hit our desired water temp of 86°. After that first "jump" however it's rarely ran to maintain the temp of 86°. For the most part, with using the solar cover, it may run 2-3 hours per day tops with our current 80° temperatures. I would suspect that living further north than us you'll run into much colder temps at times thus likely swaying the advantage towards Natural Gas, but in the end your biggest help will already be in place......the automatic cover! Regardless of which you pick, this cover will save you a good bit of cash on heating. You'll enjoy the heck out of it once it's in place.
 
I live in the Chicago area and have never seen anyone with a heat pump my entire life. Get the 400k BTU Raypak and you can thank me latter :D. Your pool volume looks similar to mine and that heater will heat your pool two degree's per/hour. I hope you have natural gas otherwise propane is $$$$
 
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