If you want to extend your swimming pool season and increase the value of your property, then you’re probably looking to buying a swimming pool heater. Swimming pool heaters can be extremely beneficial investments, especially when your pool isn’t exposed to full sunlight, or if you prefer swimming in the pool early in the day or late at night. No matter what your reasons may be, a swimming pool water heater is the ideal solution for that.
Swimming pool heaters can be categorized into three types – heat pumps, gas heaters, and solar heaters. And while all of these heaters work differently, they all use British thermal units measurements, which represents the heat required to increase the temperature of a pound of water by one degree. And when shopping for a swimming pool water heater, that’s all you really need to know. Let’s take a look at their different features.
Heat Pumps
These pumps run on electricity, and they use warm air to heat the water that’s passed through the pump. They accomplish this using a compressor that draws freon gas from an evaporator tube that cools the tube, thus creating hot gas from the condensation. The hot gas heats the water by warming the tubes from the outside. The gas is passed through the inside of a coil, which is then mixed with the water that’s being pumped through the heat pump. These pumps have a low annual operating cost and are an environmentally friendly solution. However, they are more expensive to buy, need more time to heat the water when compared to other types, and they don’t work well in cold climates.
Solar Heaters
Solar heaters feature a filter, solar collectors, control valves and pumps. They operate by pumping water through the filter which then goes through the collectors, which is where the water gets heated and returned back to the pool. Solar heaters can be either glazed and unglazed. Unglazed solar heaters are bought for pools that never dip below freezing temperatures, whereas glazed solar heaters are preferred for harsher climates as they’re more durable. Unglazed solar heaters are generally made from durable UV-treated plastic or rubber, whereas glazed solar heaters are coated with a glass covering, which makes them more expensive, however, they can be used all year round. They heat the water quicker than electric heat pumps but are more expensive to operate.
Gas Heaters
Gas pool heaters run on propane or gas, and they work by passing water through a combustion chamber which burns the propane or gas and warms the copper coils. The water is passed through the copper coils and is then returned to the swimming pool. The operating price of these heaters is heavily dependent on where you live and the availability of propane or gas. However, they’re affordable, low-maintenance, durable and easy to install. On the downside, they’re large and put off the exhaust.