Heat Pump Swimming Pool Heaters – Quick Buyers Guide

Most likely, you decided to own a swimming pool for a number of reasons, including recreation, fitness and entertainment. Therapeutic reasons may have also played a part in your decision. However, if your pool is not heated you may find that the water is often not warm enough for you to be able to enjoy using your pool comfortably. This will likely be particularly true at the beginning and the end of the normal swimming season. By heating your swimming pool, however, you can significantly extend the swimming season, allowing you and your family to get far more use and enjoyment out of your pool.

One of the best and most efficient ways to heat swimming pools is with heat pump
pool heaters. While they require electricity to operate, swimming pool heat pumps are actually a type of solar heater. These heaters work by capturing heat from the air, upgrading it and transferring it to the pool water. More specifically, heat pumps for swimming pools draw air in from the atmosphere with a fan, which then directs the air over an evaporator coil.

This coil contains liquid refrigerant which absorbs the heat from the air and transforms into a gas. The warm gas then moves into a compressor which increases the heat before sending the gas through a condenser. Once inside the condenser, the heat from the hot gas gets transferred to the cool pool water which circulates through the heating unit. As this occurs, the water temperature rises and the heated water passes back into the swimming pool. The hot gas is then transformed back into a liquid and returned to the evaporator coil, completing the cycle and allowing it to start anew.

Since heat pump pool heaters capture heat from the air rather than relying on direct rays from the sun to create heat, they are able to operate and heat pools even when the sun is not shining. In fact, swimming pool heat pumps will operate as long as the outside temperature is above 45°F. This is a great benefit, especially for people who want to be able to swim and enjoy their pool even during cloudy and slightly cooler weather. This characteristic of heat pumps for swimming pools will also allow you to start heating your pool before the warmest days of summer arrive, providing you with more days of swimming fun each year.

At the same time, heat pumps for pools also offer excellent efficiency and long-term affordability. As long as the outdoor air temperature stays above 45°F, heat pump pool heaters can easily maintain a pool temperature between 80 and 90°F and do so far more efficiently than even the most efficient gas pool heaters. Heat pumps for swimming pools will usually have a higher system unit cost than gas heaters, with heat pump units costing in the range of $1600 to $4600 and gas units costing in the range of $875 to $5,500. However, in the long run, heat pump pool heaters often turn out to be a better investment.

There are two main reasons why this is true. To begin with, despite the higher initial cost, swimming pool heat pumps have a far lower annual operating cost than gas heaters. This is because heat pumps use electricity to operate and do so very efficiently. In fact, it's typical to receive approximately $1 worth of heat for every 20 cents of electric input. As compared to the efficiency and operating costs of gas pool heaters, this is very attractive. Furthermore, heat pumps for pools will generally last much longer than gas heaters. While gas heaters usually last for at least five years, heat pump pool heaters have an average lifespan of at least five to 10 years.

The size of heat pump that you will require will depend on the size of your pool. However, heat pumps for swimming pools will usually have an installation cost of approximately $350 to $950 which is similar to the installation cost for gas heaters. While handy pool owners may be able to install the unit on their own, it's highly recommended to have all electrical hook-up work performed by a professional in order to ensure safety and proper, efficient operation of the heating unit.

All in all, swimming pool heat pumps provide an excellent option for keeping pool water comfortably warm and extending the swimming season. By operating even during cloudy weather and by offering efficient, affordable operation, heat pump pool heaters provide pool owners with many great benefits. Perhaps best of all, using a heat pump to keep your pool warm will allow you to get more days of enjoyment out of your pool so you can make the very most of your investment.