Help, I need a heater

[viperbrock2003]

ok i'll give that a try, thanks.

[harryk]

A couple of thoughts:

First, efficiency is not an issue. Electric resistive heat, which you are dealing with, is 100% efficient. Every KWH you buy gives exactly 1 KWH of heat to the pool. 220 V gives you smaller wires and smaller breakers and, for large heaters a cheaper and easier installation, but does not save you any (well, there is a little issue called line losses, but that is VERY little) on the power bill over 110 V. (technically, the current is 1/2, but the volts are double so the power is the same)

A 110 V can be done by plugging into an existing GFI outlet, assuming that this is code (I'm not sure), or worse case, wiring into the existing outlet. Much cheaper.

This may seem really wierd, but a solar cover is essential. The biggest thing a solar cover does is NOT "solar heat" but rather, it reduces the "evaporative heat loss" that comes from the water evaporating. The solar cover, even in your garage, will keep the pool from evaporating and cooling off. It will also help your humidity in the garage. Actually, in the garage, be real acccurate on the cutting to fit, so you don't have any open water around the edges, and it may help the humidity a LOT. This effect (evaporative cooling) is exactly why you feel cold when you are wet - the water evaporting off your skin makes you feel cold. In the pool, the water evaporting off the surface of the pool makes the pool cold.

Good luck!

Harry