Swimming Pool Heat Pump Guide for Buyers

Wouldn't it be great if you could open your pool early in the spring or keep it open later in the fall? Or even winter? When it is cool outside, there is nothing more like swimming in a beautiful warm swimming pool.

By purchasing a pool heat pump, you can get this experience without increasing water and electricity bills.

What is a swimming pool heat pump?

It is a device for heating pool water, just like a gas pool heater or a solar pool heater.

The difference between pool heat pumps and gas heaters is that they do not generate heat-they transfer heat.

How does a swimming pool heat pump work?

If you are looking for an efficient pool heater, then a pool heat pump is your best choice. Well, solar water heaters are also very efficient. But heat pumps are actually more similar to solar heaters than you think.

The pump uses electricity to draw in air heated by the sun and then move it into the water to heat it.

What is that? Do you want a technical and scientific explanation?

1. The pool heat pump sucks in cold water from the pool.

2. The device contains Freon (a liquid refrigerant) and a compressor driven by electricity.

3. Freon is compressed until the temperature exceeds 200°F (93°C).

4. Freon enters the low pressure side from the high pressure zone of the device through the expansion valve, where the pressure on the Freon is released.

5. Freon becomes hot gas.

6. The gas flows through a set of evaporator coils.

7. As it circulates through the evaporator coil, the gas cools rapidly.

8. In this cooling process, the gas transfers heat to the water circulating through the heat pump; the refrigerant and the water never come into direct contact.

9. The fan of the swimming pool heat pump sucks in hot air, which flows through the coil and preheats the gas; the higher the ambient temperature, the more heat the evaporator absorbs.

10. Freon changes back to liquid.

11. Warm water flows into the swimming pool, heating it up.

12. The heat pump draws more cold water from the pool.

13. The process restarts and continues.

14. In addition to the electricity used to power the equipment, the heat pump consumes very little energy, which makes it an efficient and cost-effective method of heating swimming pools.

Advantages of using swimming pool heat pump

1. No emissions, extremely low energy consumption

2. Reliable heater without maintenance

3. Do not use dangerous gases or flames

4. Easy to install, operate and troubleshoot

5. High efficiency and cheap operation

What size heat pump does the swimming pool need?

You need to define the size and heat loss of the swimming pool, and then specify a suitable heat pump to compensate for the heat loss, and if you allow the swimming pool to cool down seasonally, you also have the ability to reheat the swimming pool.

Many swimming pool circulating pumps run for approximately eight hours a day. The heat pump should be able to deliver the required heat to the swimming pool during these times. If reheating is required, the pool pump runs longer. The heat loss of indoor swimming pools is lower than that of outdoor swimming pools, but for indoor swimming pools, you also need to allow the air in the billiard room to be heated and circulated. Generally, the air temperature is kept at about 3 degrees higher than the water temperature to reduce evaporation loss.

The speed of air circulation is much higher than that required by the home, so it is not suitable to use standard mechanical heat recovery ventilation (MVHR) devices for this purpose. Dedicated swimming pool ventilation devices are required, and these devices can often manage the heat transfer to the air and swimming pool water.

How long does it take for a heat pump to heat a swimming pool?

A heat pump of the right size can usually heat a swimming pool in about 4 to 5 days.

However, you can use the following formula to make a more accurate estimate for a particular swimming pool:

Seconds = liter x 4.18 (specific heat capacity of water) x temperature difference / kW

Therefore, if you want to heat a 12kW heat pump on an 8m x 4m x 1m (average depth) swimming pool to 25 degrees (assuming the cold water is 5 degrees), the calculation is as follows:

Seconds = 32000 x 4.18 x 20 ÷ 12

This equals 222, 933 seconds or 62 hours

This does not take into account any heat loss during heating, so it needs to be added.

How much does the heat pump cost for the swimming pool?

Dedicated swimming pool heat pumps are much cheaper than air source heat pumps. Air source heat pumps are usually connected to our homes for central heating and hot water production.

The price for a dedicated swimming pool heat pump starts at around £1,500, but for a complete air handling unit with thermal management, you may need more than £15,000.

Do research and define your needs, as costs can rise rapidly.

The operating cost of using a heat pump to heat a swimming pool?

The operating cost of a swimming pool heat pump will be proportional to the heat loss of the water.

Due to evaporation loss, lack of insulation and exposure to cold wind, the heat loss of outdoor swimming pools is usually much higher than that of indoor swimming pools.

As a very general guide, look at the surface area in square meters, and then if the swimming pool is in a protected location with a good heat shield, use about 200W per square meter for the exposed outdoor swimming pool, reducing it to Around 50W.

If the air in the billiard room is warmer than the water, the heat loss of the indoor swimming pool will be reduced. This air heat loss should be included in the operating cost of swimming pool heating.

Install a pool heat pump?

There is not much difference in the installation method of our swimming pool heat pump. There are some size considerations, so if you have a small space, please check the product size in the manual or user manual (link from our heat pump page).

All heat pumps need to be installed on a horizontal platform or flat plate. You cut off the pipes after the filter and any chlorinators, and then connect the pool pipes to the inside and outside of the heat pump. Heat pumps require a 30-60 amp circuit breaker, depending on their BTU output size.

Your heat pump installation may require more power for the equipment pad, or if you are lucky, you have enough space to add the required circuit breaker size to the panel. For safety reasons, please have a qualified electrician make electrical connections for your new heat pump.

If you have any questions about swimming pool heat pumps, if they are suitable for you, your location or your pool, or if you have questions about installation-please email us below and we can answer product usage and installation questions.