Swimming Pool Heat Pump Electrical Requirements
As a professional pool heat pump manufacturer, out of the 1,000 in-ground swimming pools we install every year, we come across several pools that need an upgrade to their home electrical service.
Today, we're going to answer some of the common questions we get about how a swimming pool affects whether you need to upgrade your electrical service.
What is a service upgrade?
A service upgrade is when your power company and electrician increase your home's electrical capacity.
This is usually done by installing a larger meter outside the house, a new service panel in your home, garage or wherever the new panel is located.
This new panel is where you install new circuit breakers and/or reorganize circuit breakers from old panels.
The capacity of a home electrical service is expressed in amperes.
Most modern homes are equipped with 200 amp service, but some larger homes may provide 400 amp service.
Does the pool require me to upgrade my electrical service?
For complete clarity, we cannot answer this question definitively in this article. You need a professional electrician to perform such an assessment.
However, we can provide some basic guidelines to help you decide if a service upgrade is right for you.
The first thing to do is to open your panel frame or box and see how much free space you have.
If your panel is full of circuit breakers with no vacancies, you may not necessarily need to upgrade service.
You may have options such as installing a series circuit breaker, combining two 15A circuit breakers into one space, or installing a sub-panel taken from the existing service and leaving room for additional circuit breakers, but this must be done by professional.
If you have some open space in your panel, you might be able to handle normal pool pumps and pool lights.
Adding a pool heat pump, hot tub, or other demanding equipment may need to be determined by your electrician.
How much electricity do pool equipment use?
If you need to know the electrical requirements for in-ground pools, here is a list of common pool equipment and the approximate voltage and current required for each:
Pool Pump: 240v, 10amps
Brine Chlorinator: 240v, about 5-8 amps
Pool heat pump: 240 volts, 50 amps
LP/NG Pool Heaters: 240V, 3Amp
Pool Lights: 12v, 3.5 watts each
Freestanding Hot Tub: 240v 50 amps
Automatic Pool Cover: 220v, 5-7 amps or 110v, 11-13 amps
These are integers.
The exact number will vary by device and manufacturer, so don't just hand this list to your electrician.
How much does a service upgrade cost?
Our experience is that power companies usually do their job for free (considering you'll be buying more power).
Electricians involved in service upgrade work typically cost between $1,200 and $2,000 in our region, but this varies by region.
We hope this has helped you become more familiar with service upgrades and whether your pool needs service upgrades.
If you have other questions about pool heat pump installation, you can contact us. Or you can follow our blog. We will regularly update the professional articles that are closed first.
