Pool pump/heater questions recommendations

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PoconoPaddler

Member
Aug 6, 2019
11
Poconos, Pennsylvania
Hello group!
I'm upgrading from a 15ft Summerwaves to a 18x52 Intex Ultra. As we all work through COVID-19 it looks like the vacations are looking more and more like staying home. So if that's the case I'd like to make the pool as comfortable as possible. Living in the northeast in PA i had trouble last year keeping the smaller pool above 70 degrees with a solar cover and all. I'm looking to add a pool heater and SWG to this new build. I guess my questions are related to the heater and pump. What kind of heater is more cost efficient? Propane or electric. Whats a typical install cost? I have no propane tank so it looks like i would need a large tank installed as well. I have no natural gas line so that isn't an option. Any recommended brands or sizes? The second questions is around pump size. What pump size would i be looking for to work with the heater? I had a intex salt water system that was 1600gph but i returned it as it seemed to small for the pool size and don't want to make the same mistake again. Any recommended brands?
Lastly, is it just better overall to go solar? hook a few fafco bears(or another recommended brand) on the roof of my garage and go that route? Thank you all in advance.
 
How many gallons in your pool

You have a lot of tradeoffs that only you can decide.

  • Propane heater will heat the pool faster. Lower acquisition cost. Needs propane tank installed. Higher runtime expense.
  • Heat Pump heats water slowly. Good for maintaining water temperature, not on demand heating. Higher acquisition cost. Electrical cost for running HP and pool pump. Will need 40A/50A electrical line to HP.
  • Solar depends on your site orientation and amount of full sun and availability of good mounting place. Need solar controller. Lowest cost and lowest temperature rise.
www.troublefreepool.com

Pool Heaters Explained

What good is clear water if the water temperature is to cold to enjoy it? We've answered some questions and provided simple tips to understand pool heaters.
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

Raypak has both gas heaters and heat pumps. RayPak Heaters - Further Reading
 
6,981 gallons
i dont have a propane tank so i would need a company to deliver one large enough. heat pump i would need an electrician it sounds like? the solar i would place on my garage roof which get a good amount of sun for the day, but i dont know if my pump can push it up to the roof through 5-6 panels and back to the pool?
 
1 BTU will raise 1 lb of water 1 degree in an hour. 7,000 gallons is about 58,000 lbs of water.

Heat pumps come from 70,000 BTUs to 140,000 BTUs. So they can heat your water 1 to 2.5 degrees an hour. However HP efficiency declines as air temperature drops below 80F and shuts off around 50F.

Gas heaters have 250,000 to 400,000 BTUs and can raise your pool 3 to 6 degrees an hour.

You will find calculators here to estimate your run time costs - Calculators - Further Reading

I suggest you shop around for the various costs and see how it adds up.
 
so it looks like propane or solar are my options. looks like 150-200k btu's. do they require any special electrical hookups? i see some come with a 3 prong 120v cord from raypak. are those cords available on the 200k units? i couldnt find may details on their electric requirements. Thanks for the input so far.
 
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