Hot water heater to heat pool

[mtnbikerman]

Anyone ever used a hot water heater to heat the pool
seem like it would be alot cheaper than a regular heat pump
and you could regulate the output with a valve? I haven't thought about this longer than 3 minutes so don't raze me

[CarlD]

It's a fair question. We don't let people flame people generally, and certainly not for asking an honest question.

I'm not the expert and I'm sure they'll kick in but here are what I see:
1. A hot water heater can deliver maybe 50-75 gallons of hot water, heated to about 125-140 degrees. I have no idea how many BTUs this represents but I highly doubt it's in the 85,000 to 100,000 range, which is what a heat pump generally delivers.

Heating a pool is all about BTU s or kilo-calories (metric version), not temperature. And you need a lot of BTU s.

Normal gas pool heaters run up to 400,000 BTU s because they are on-demand heaters and they can be expensive. I just don't see how a hot water heater, even an oil-fired one (about 3x as efficient as gas for the same gallons) is going to meet the demand needs.

2. The assumption that heat pumps are inefficient is based on a faulty premise. Heat pumps got their bad reputation by being used inappropriately to heat homes in climates too cold for them. When the air temp drops below, I dunno, 40 degrees, the H-P switches over to electrical resistance heating--very expensive and inefficient. But when the air temp is in the mid 40's to 50's. the H-P s worked reasonably well.

Now consider: When you go to heat your pool the air temp is going to be AT LEAST in the 50's (at night) and into the 70's or 80's or more during the day. You are now into the heat pump sweet spot. Now it can efficiently suck heat out of the air and warm your pool water with it. But it's not as on-demand as gas heating.

People with heat pumps generally find their energy bills for their pools are far less than those that heat with gas. Most people I know with gas heaters end up using them only very rarely--such as when the water is frigid and they have a party.

3. Solar is the cheapest of all--it's free. Al (Poconos) and I both use solar all summer and it keeps our pools comfortable. There are lots of solar solutions from home-grown (Al knows about them) to inexpensive, to unusual (like mine) to really outlandish and expensive.

4. Other people have replaced their A/C outdoor unit with water cooled ones that use the pool water. The A/C in the house works very well and the pool gets very warm. Other than the cost of the unit, like solar, this system is basically Zero operating cost.

Hope this all helps...

[AnnaK]

One of you, either Carl or Al, wrote about a solar heating system that's somehow integrated into the deck planks. Am I remembering this correctly? Could you point me to that description, please? And are the photos of it somewhere?

Anna

[CarlD]

One of you, either Carl or Al, wrote about a solar heating system that's somehow integrated into the deck planks. Am I remembering this correctly? Could you point me to that description, please? And are the photos of it somewhere?

Anna

Yup. I have that. It's a FantaSea pool, by Island pools. You can check out their pools on their web site. My pool is in one of the threads on pictures of above ground pools--look for the cedar fence around it. The deck panels are 2'x4' hollow poly. The water is pumped through them and is solar heated AND, at the same time, the deck is kept cool enough to walk on. I have a 16'x40' pool and the decking around it has the same surface area as three 4'x20' solar panels

[AnnaK]

I'm having a hard time finding the Website. I get to a pool supplies place that sells FantaSea parts but can't find a photo gallery :( Might you have a link?

Anna

[CarlD]

I'm having a hard time finding the Website. I get to a pool supplies place that sells FantaSea parts but can't find a photo gallery :( Might you have a link?

Anna

Try:

http://www.poolsupplies.com/pools/solar-pools.asp

It's all the same company: Island Pools out of Grand Island, NY, between Buffalo and Niagara Falls. I have the "Add-a-Deck" model. 16'x40' is an odd size for them--they make 16'x32' and 20'x40' (and a 12'x40' lap pool), but they easily made a 16'x40' for me as the stock parts didn't have to be altered, just fitted to this size. The only thing was the liner had to be custom made for that size.

[AnnaK]

Thanks for the link, Carl.

I really like this concept and I especially like what people have done with it, expanding their decks beyond the solar planks and incorporating them in the design. Are they slippery when wet? That's a major concern we have because of all the running and racing the dogs do around the pool deck.

I've hijacked this thread and I do apologize.

Anna

[CarlD]

Slippery? Not really. They are textured with a diamond pattern. They are relatively high-maintenance and cannot stand up to excessive pressure. if you see them bulge at all you must decrease the pressure or they spring leaks. However, since each panel is only 2'x4' they are easy to change out.

I've changed my system to separate the panels into two separate systems. This allows both to get about the same pressure as the single system but increases the overall flow, making them I guess about 40% more efficient.

BUT, they work, they don't look like add-ons (my wife didn't want it to be "ugly") and they keep the deck cool so you don't burn your feet on it. This will be our 8th season with it.

[bcrumb]

I had the same question. I thought I could run a hose from the drain on the home 50 gallon nat gas water heater and leave in on slow(maybe 1/4) flow for several days into the pool. That way the tank will never drain, but will run constantly. after the water in the pool gets too high, pump some out off the bottom(to get the coldest water). I realize this would only be possible because I live in georgia. All I need to do is gain a few degrees in the spring, that is all. I do not need heat in the fall or summer. 28000 gallon pool, water is currently 74 degrees and frigid to most of us older folks.