No matter where you live, a swimming pool heater enables you to extend your swimming season beyond the 4-5 warm months of the year. Generally, pool heaters are installed after the pump and filter system. The pump helps push water through the filter, then into the heater before it goes back in the pool again. There are 3 different types of heat pumps, and they all pump heat using a different method. Each type has its own distinct advantages and disadvantages, which makes knowing the differences between the 3 models quite important.
Gas Pool Heaters
Gas heaters are the most popular way to warm a pool in most regions, as they’re affordable and efficient. These heaters can be powered using natural gas or propane, depending on where you’re located and the availability of fuel. Gas heaters can maintain an even water temperature, no matter how cold it is outside, however, they might require extra fuel to accomplish this. On the downside, some gas pool heaters emit NOx, but there are some models which emit very small amounts of it, which makes them safe and compliant to the AU regulations.
Electric Pool Heaters
Electric pool heaters are more expensive, but their operating cost is much lower than the operating cost of gas pool heaters. These pool heaters pump heat slower than gas pool heaters, and you might have problems warming your pool when the temperature drops below 10°C. Most electric pool heaters last a very long time, which makes them a great long-term investment for places with a warmer climate.
Solar Pool Heaters
Solar pool heaters are becoming more popular and more efficient as solar technology keeps rapidly improving. Most solar pool heaters are very costly, at least initially, but their operating costs are almost non-existent. Furthermore, solar pool heaters last the longest out of all three types, but there are some drawbacks to them as well. First and foremost, they will only heat your pool if there’s enough sun throughout the day to power them, which makes them a poor choice for areas with colder weather.
Bottom line is, regardless of which type of pool heater you end up picking, you need to get one that’s big enough in terms of capacity to warm up your pool effectively. In order to do that, you need to calculate the pool’s surface area and subtract the temperature for the coldest month in which you’ll use the heater. The formula goes like this: pool size x temperature rise x 12 = BTUs required per hour.
