Solar pool heaters are the most cost-effective option that uses the sun's energy to heat your swimming pool water. It uses solar collectors, filter, pump and flows control valve to heat the pool in a way that is very economical. In fact, it pays for itself within 3-5 years and incurs almost negligible operating costs.
1) Solar heating as the primary heat source.
Solar heating is an effective and cost-efficient way to heat your pool. It is essentially free apart from water pumping costs to move the water through the panels. However, the downside is that it rarely meets the heating demands for a full season.
A “Low NOx” gas heater is designed to release low emissions, which also makes them more efficient than regular pool heaters. This also means your pool will heat more quickly.
If you want to get as much time as possible out of your pool, however, a heater is a good investment. With a pool heater, you can easily be swimming May through mid-October, giving you a good five months of use out of your pool. That's literally double the amount of time you'd get without one.
Since you lose more heat energy from a hot pool than from a cool pool, the most efficient thing you can do is keep the temperature as low as possible for as long as possible. The most energy efficient thing to do is always to turn off the heater.
The FLO code is indicating that the filter pump has stopped the flow of water to your heat pump. The heat pump cannot heat without water flow so it will turn itself off until the filter pump timer turns back on giving the heat pump the water flow it needs.
Not only will it be tough to keep the heat in your pool on colder nights but you will also spend a fortune trying to heat your swimming pool. So unless you have money to burn, it's best not to run your heater at night on an uncovered swimming pool.
Cost of Running a Propane vs.
The size of your pool also matters, with larger pools costing more to heat than smaller ones. On average, however, a gas heater costs around $200 to $400 a month to run. Electric heat pumps cost less, coming in at about $100 to $200 a month.
It's true – when the weather is beautiful outside it's not essential that you need a pool heater, but if you want to keep using your pool all year round then a pool heater is ideal. Of course, in some states this is not possible to keep swimming in the winter because the weather is just too cold.
Electric heaters might cost between $175 and $600 per month to run, and electric pumps could cost around $120 to $200 per month.
7-10 years is the average life expectancy of a pool heater.
They are the same exact unit, just a different name badge. Raypak is the parent company. They are the best heater on the market today.
Efficiency and Installation
By nature, gas heaters have a greater environmental impact than electric. However, electric takes longer to heat up your pool water and is less efficient in colder temperatures. This is because they rely on outside heat to warm up the pool water.
The fastest way to heat your pool is to use a gas pool heater and a solar cover. It's like heating up your coffee in the microwave and putting a lid on it. No matter how you plan to heat your pool, you should at least have a solar cover (or liquid solar cover) to help you retain the heat.
The typical way in which to heat a residential outdoor swimming pool would be an air source heat pump. Heat pumps work by moving the water into the heat pump via the filtration system.
You know those black trash bags? They can hold heat too. Fix one up to a hula hoop and if you want, cut one side of a pool noodle to add buoyancy and you've got yourself a super cheap pool heater.
Heat pump pool heaters work efficiently as long as the outside temperature remains above the 45ºF–50ºF range. The cooler the outside air they draw in, the less efficient they are, resulting in higher energy bills. However, since most people use outdoor pools during warm and mild weather, this usually isn't an issue.
But generally, it heats a pool after about 24 to 72 hours at 20-degrees Fahrenheit. However, it's a critical question that helps people to know the size of a pool heater to buy and the time they need in advance to switch on the heat pump to warm the pool enough.
You have a 20,000-gallon pool and use a 125,000 BTU heater. Your water is currently 70 degrees F but you would like it to be a minimum of 80 degrees F. How long will it take before the pool water reaches 80 degrees F? 10 x 1.33= 13.34 hours of heating before the pool reaches 80 degrees F.
On average, natural gas burns about 1 therm per 100,000 BTUs per hour (British Thermal Units). Meaning, an average pool heater between 300,000 and 400,000 BTUs will cost anywhere from $3.30 to $4.40 per hour to heat your pool.
Propane is the most powerful way to heat your pool, and is the most effective option for heating a pool in areas where the temperatures can drop below 60 degrees. The heating capacity of propane pool heaters outperforms any electric heaters, solar heaters, solar covers and heat pumps.
Pool heat pumps are an efficient, environmentally friendly way to heat a pool. Heat pumps can save pool owners money in the long run as they typically have a much lower annual operating costs than gas heaters and with proper maintenance, can last up to 10 years or more.
If you are trying to save money or energy, run your heater only when the pool water temperature dips below 78. If the water is sufficiently warm, the air temperature will be less important. Temperatures in the 50s, and even 40s, can be tolerated if the heater is keeping the pool water warm.
Keeping Your Pool Heated
However, since weather can be unpredictable, if you plan to keep your pool open during the colder months, you must keep your water heated well above freezing temperatures. Don't run the risk of ruptured pipes or allowing the cold to cause more expensive damage.
The best time to heat your pool is during the day at least several hours before you plan on using it. The risk of running your pool pump overnight is that the outdoor temperature might be too low for the pump to efficiently warm your swimming pool.