I think the real question is HOW MUCH $$ not how long. :)
Steve
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We heated ours over Thanksgiving and figured it cost around $80-$100 to heat the whole pool. We really didn't go warm enough last time, so I'm going to say around $100 depending on the size of the pool, etc. So it's not an every weekend thing, but it's not going to break the bank to do it every once in a while.
Next week is Spring Break and I think we are going to heat it for 2-3 days. I'm not sure if it would work out better to let it maintain temp over night with the heater running, or just kick it back on first thing in the morning.
My suggestion on off season heating is to invert your circulation hours to run at the coldest time of the night. By generating your warm water at night you'll lose less to transfer and let the daytime high temps help maintain the pool temp. Although you'll lose a little it won't be as bad as running the heater during the day and losing your water temp overnight.
I'm turning on our heaters tomorrow night so we can have a reasonable temp for the kids next week while their out of school for Spring Break.
I'll then nurse the temp until we come into the season where they're not necessary. In my area, SE Texas, this is usually around mid April to early May.
See ya
Ran the pool heater for two weekends, kept the pool temp at a cool 86 degrees. :) We also ran the spa several nights, the gas bill was an additional $200 over the norm of $100. I thought it was going to be higher.
The pool and spa were fantastic!
On a side note, how much salt would a 20k pool require? I want to get the salt in next week.
Thanks,
AL
From the Autopilot website:
HTHQuote:
Q: How much salt do I add?
A: Enough for 3000 ppm (parts per million) as a starting point. So depending on the initial salt level of your water, you only add the amount needed to establish 3000 ppm. For new pools or freshly filled pools, the salt level will most likely be zero. In this case, 50lbs of salt per 2,000 gallons of water will establish 3000 ppm. For existing pools, the previous usage of chlorine bleach or tablets will have already introduced a level of salt into the water. Have the water tested first then add the appropriate amount to establish 3000 ppm.
Sean
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