Pool Heating

Today, trans-seasonal pool heating is becoming even more commonplace, with a range of pool heating solutions to choose from, depending on your budget, location and lifestyle.

Creating and maintaining the ideal pool temperature doesn’t come naturally. While pool water predominantly hovers around the 18-20 degree Celsius (around 64-68 degrees Fahrenheit) mark, it takes a designated heating system to bump it up to where we like it most – a balmy 25-29 degrees (77-84.2 degrees Fahrenheit).

Installing the right pool heater can extend your swimming season by up to four months and beyond, thus increasing the return on what was undoubtedly a fairly large investment in your pool.

There are three main heating options to choose from – solar, gas and heat pumps. Below is an overview of each type and their benefits.

Heat Pumps

Reliable, highly efficient and economical to run, heat pumps extract heat from the air (similar to a reverse cycle air conditioner), and use that heat to produce hot water.

Compared to gas and electric, heat pumps use just a fraction of the energy to generate the same amount of heat. Although initially heat pumps take longer than gas heaters to warm up the pool or spa water, they are much more economical and will then maintain the heating as well as gas heaters.

Benefits of heat pumps include their high energy efficiency and lower running costs. As a guide, you can save up to 80% over LPG and 50% over natural gas fuelled heaters. And the best thing about heat pump pool heaters is that they operate regardless of the weather.

One of the disadvantages of this type of system is that they can lose their high energy efficiency slightly once the weather really cools down, as the pump has to work harder to heat the water against the outside temperature. However, unless you live in an area that does experience very low winter temperature, this is not a concern.

Another thing to consider is they can be expensive to initially install, but the low running costs will make up for this in no time at all.

Gas

Gas heaters are the fastest method for heating your pool, providing a comfortable temperature for swimming on demand. Put simply, they could extend your swimming season all year round.

Gas heating systems use natural gas or LPG, heating the pool water by drawing it into a heating unit and filter.

A key advantage of a gas heater is that it is the most simple to use out of the three types, which could explain its continued popularity. It can also heat pool water much faster than a solar or heat pump system can, and will heat the pool water up to 40oC, no matter how cold the climate is.

Selecting the right size gas heater depends on three key factors:

I. The amount of water to be heated;
II. How long you are prepared to wait for your pool to heat up;
III. Your preferred swimming temperature.
Many offer dual controls which are ideal for spas, which are heated to higher temperatures than pools.

However, no system is without some drawbacks; gas could be considered inefficient compared to heat pumps and solar heating systems, but this depends largely on the climate you live in, so ask the friendly staff at your local pool store whether a gas heater is suited to your area or not.

Another disadvantage is that gas heaters can cost more to run, so are best suited to a pool that does not get used often during winter. This system also lacks longevity, compared to the other types; a properly installed and maintained system may only last five years.

Pool Heating

Digiheat Electric Spa Heating

Electroheat Heat Pumps

Heat Pumps

Gas