Hello all, newer pool owner from Ohio! My pool is a 15' x 48" Intex above ground (4,400 gallons). My pump is Intex Krystal Clear filter pump model 637R. I was hoping to get a small heater for the pool! Where my backyard is has a few trees that make it harder to have warmer water. I have a cover that helps a little, but you cannot really swim when the sun goes down because it gets really cold. And it's also pretty limited to swim until later in spring and not far into fall. I know it's a basic pool but I have no idea what type I can get to help raise the temp a little. Again I don't need anything fancy, just a little push to help so I dont break the bank! No gas or propane hookup from my house to use. Any ideas?
What heater to use?
- Thread starter mdunfe0
- Start date
- May 23, 2015
- 24,590
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
What does “break the bank” look like? Your lowest output pool heaters (gas or electric) are going to cost over $2,000 minimum plus setup/installation costs. If that’s going to break the bank, then you need to consider a passive heating system (solar heating) that you install yourself. Solar heating panels and coils are not cheap either but there are places where you can get them at low enough cost to make the system affordable assuming you can do the installation work yourself.
Do you have any roof exposure (south west is best) where you could put up a few panels or coils?
Do you have any roof exposure (south west is best) where you could put up a few panels or coils?
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- May 23, 2015
- 24,590
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Another option might be something like this -
www.poolsinc.com
Assuming you can get 240V AC power out to your equipment with its own dedicated 60A service. Assuming the 11kW of electrical heating energy is 75% efficient then you’d get about 28,000 BTU/hr of heat input. That would raise the temperature of your 4,400 gallon pool by a little over 1 degree F per hour.
The problem is, your pool is a soft-side Intex pool so there’s no thermal insulation between the water and air. So a good amount of the heat you add to the pool will simply radiate away to the air as the temperatures drop. You could easily find that all the heat you added during the day is gone by the next morning. So it might be good as a spot heating solution but I would be careful trying to thermostat a pool with it as you’ll likely use/waste a lot of electricity.
HydroQuip Heatmax RHS11kw Weather-Tight Spa Heater - 230v, RHS-11
HydroQuip Heatmax RHS11kw Weather-Tight Spa Heater - 230v
Assuming you can get 240V AC power out to your equipment with its own dedicated 60A service. Assuming the 11kW of electrical heating energy is 75% efficient then you’d get about 28,000 BTU/hr of heat input. That would raise the temperature of your 4,400 gallon pool by a little over 1 degree F per hour.
The problem is, your pool is a soft-side Intex pool so there’s no thermal insulation between the water and air. So a good amount of the heat you add to the pool will simply radiate away to the air as the temperatures drop. You could easily find that all the heat you added during the day is gone by the next morning. So it might be good as a spot heating solution but I would be careful trying to thermostat a pool with it as you’ll likely use/waste a lot of electricity.
Yeah I do! What kind of solar panels do you recommend? Are any on Amazon okay or no? I'm fine installing myself!
Yeah I'm fine with the idea of turning it on a few hours before we swim and off when we are done. Is this a better option than solar panels? Appreciate your help!Another option might be something like this -
HydroQuip Heatmax RHS11kw Weather-Tight Spa Heater - 230v, RHS-11
HydroQuip Heatmax RHS11kw Weather-Tight Spa Heater - 230v
Assuming you can get 240V AC power out to your equipment with its own dedicated 60A service. Assuming the 11kW of electrical heating energy is 75% efficient then you’d get about 28,000 BTU/hr of heat input. That would raise the temperature of your 4,400 gallon pool by a little over 1 degree F per hour.
The problem is, your pool is a soft-side Intex pool so there’s no thermal insulation between the water and air. So a good amount of the heat you add to the pool will simply radiate away to the air as the temperatures drop. You could easily find that all the heat you added during the day is gone by the next morning. So it might be good as a spot heating solution but I would be careful trying to thermostat a pool with it as you’ll likely use/waste a lot of electricity.
I have the same Intex 15x48 pool and I recently added a 4x20 solar bear panel to it. The panel is laid out flat in full sun and I have a separate pump that I use to run water through it from 9 am to 5 pm. (I’m using the pump that originally came with the pool for this. I upgraded my main pump to an Intex sand filter and SWCG). On a sunny day it can raise the temp in the pool a good 4 to 6 degrees. I’ve also got a solar cover that I leave on most of the time, which helps conserve the heat.
Lately the air temp here has been falling into the 50’s or low 60’s at night and the pool will lose 4-6 degrees and wind up around 76-78 in the morning. The days have been getting up into the 80’s and by the evening the pool will be up to 82-84.
My sun might be a little stronger here in Florida than yours, but one 4x20 panel has been working great for me.
Lately the air temp here has been falling into the 50’s or low 60’s at night and the pool will lose 4-6 degrees and wind up around 76-78 in the morning. The days have been getting up into the 80’s and by the evening the pool will be up to 82-84.
My sun might be a little stronger here in Florida than yours, but one 4x20 panel has been working great for me.
- Jun 12, 2011
- 3,769
- Pool Size
- 19500
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pureline Crystal Pure 60,000
Do you have a solar cover that you keep on it anytime the pool is not in use? The easy, cheap answer to a warmer pool is to prevent losing heat.
Adding any heater to a pool, without first keeping it covered is the equivalent of turning up your house thermostat in mid winter without having any blanket on your bed.
First add the “blanket”, then if you’re still cold you can add heat.
Adding any heater to a pool, without first keeping it covered is the equivalent of turning up your house thermostat in mid winter without having any blanket on your bed.
First add the “blanket”, then if you’re still cold you can add heat.
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