Pool Heating options

[slcoulby]

Hi, we are in the beginning stages of our pool project. We are getting an 800 sq ft free form concrete (quartz interior) pool and we are debating the heat source. We live in Northern VA and have young children. We want the most use possible out of our pool, but our pool heater would be run on propane which is pricey! Our neighbor has a heat pump and swears by it, but his pool is smaller and his kids are older. Our pool contractor told us propane heater was the way to go and that he rarely sells heat pumps for pools our size in our area, but I am worried we'll spend a fortune in propane. Does anyone with younger kids in a similar climate with similar sized pool have a heat pump and have any regrets? Looking for any and all advice from people in similar situations. I also love the idea of the efficiency of a heat pump (at least based on what I read). I've also read about solar covers, but those scare me with 2 kids and a dog who would be able to access the pool through his doggie door any time so not thinking that's a viable option for us. Thanks so much!

 

[PoolGate]

Heat pumps cost 2-3x the price of a gas heater. Could you afford both? My neighbor (we are same climate as you in MD) has a heat pump and he is up to 90 all the time and enjoying low usage bills. You won't extend your season much but as long as daytime temps are in the 70s you will be fine. You'll get early May until Late September at least with a heat pump.

 

[sccm_sysadmin]

No matter what you choose, you're going to pay for it, either with electricity, propane, or natural gas. I suppose there's the solar panel option and while that's "free heat" you still have to pay for the initial equipment and setup.

I have a heat pump and it works well for my particular use-case. Yes it won't heat up the pool as quickly as a gas heater, but it's also cheaper to run. You just have to plan ahead a bit further to heat the pool. I'm actually under the impression that it's better and cheaper to have a heat pump 'maintain' a particular pool temperature instead of cutting it on and off.

Mine is a ~12-yo Hayward model that is roughly 100k BTUs. It has no problems maintaining a comfortable temp (for us that's in the mid-80s) here in the piedmont region of NC. You can get heat pumps up to 140k BTUs.

Something to consider: heat pumps only really work when the ambient air temp is above about 50F, whereas gas heaters work at whatever temps. Then again, not many people are swimming when the air temp is in the 50s.

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You can find example numbers here on costs to heat a pool with different types of heaters.

My heater uses something like 5,700 watts, and my pool pump uses about 1,725 watts. I pay 9-cents/kwh, so it costs me about 67-cents per hour in electric costs to heat my pool (combined pump and heater usage, since you have to run the pump to heat the pool).

 

[randytsuch]

Little off topic.
When my kids were little, we had a safety cover on the pool. It was semi automatic, so you have all these plugs around the pool you have to pull out, and then a motor to roll up the cover.
Our pool layout didn't support an automatic cover that is on rollers, which would have been really nice.
It wasn't cheap, but with small kids and a pool we decided we had to have it.
It had the additional benefit of acting like a solar cover and kept the pool warmer.

Randy

 

[Kidswimin]

In my opinion, the younger the kids the less they care about water temp, just want to get in. I'm in Wisconsin where it never gets warm. The first couple of years we had the pool we could only float most of the time, water was too cold. Last year I put up solar panels, 1/2 coverage of pool, and the water was up to 89 last week. Of course, it rained and cooled off since then. I always have a solar cover on when we're not swimming. I tried, but can't control the sun.

But,

I've also read about solar covers, but those scare me with 2 kids and a dog who would be able to access the pool through his doggie door any time so not thinking that's a viable option for us. Thanks so much!

This should not be allowed to happen with or without a solar cover. A dog can easily be disorientated if it falls in the pool, a good swimmer or not, and may not be able to find its way out.