Closed Thread
Results 1 to 10 of 16

Thread: Using A/C to heat pool?

Hybrid View

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Posts
    17

    Default Using A/C to heat pool?

    Does anyone make a a/c unit that takes the heat from the condensing unit and rather than dumping it into the air puts the heat into the pool water?

  2. #2
    haze_1956 is offline ** No working email address ** Thread Analyst haze_1956 0
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    nj, usa.
    Posts
    114

    Default Re: Using A/C to heat pool?

    Interesting you asked that, as the same thought had occurred to me !

    I was at a friends house who had just put in an Inground Pool with an electric heater, which is only about 5 feet from his house A/C condensor. I looked at the two units sitting almost next to each other and thought "paying to get rid of heat and make heat at the same time. What a waste of money"

    Surely some company must have made the connection.

    Google-time

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Posts
    8

    Default Re: Using A/C to heat pool?

    I thought about that exact same thing also. The heat wasted from the A/C should be recovered to heat a pool. Could you imagine how efficient that would make the A/C unit; being water cooled and heating the pool at the same time? In this time of energy conservation ideas like this should exist. If it's not already out there a person could make lots of money making an AC pool heater combo.

  4. #4
    cwstnsko is offline Registered+ Thread Analyst cwstnsko 0
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Mesa, AZ
    Age
    59
    Posts
    117

    Default Re: Using A/C to heat pool?

    I don't have any current links, but I did find a company that makes this set-up when I was researching prior to having the pool built. It was expensive, but dramatically incresed the efficency of both tasks. Here in AZ, it would only work for a month or so in the spring and fall. Then the pool water would get too hot.

    Along similar lines, I had a discussion with a factory rep about installing a heat pump, and he said you CAN get measurable efficiency gains by placing the pool heat pump right next to the A/C unit. If you wanted to get tricky, you could construct some panels to either encourage or discourage the mixing of the air streams depending on the season.

  5. #5
    haze_1956 is offline ** No working email address ** Thread Analyst haze_1956 0
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    nj, usa.
    Posts
    114

    Default Re: Using A/C to heat pool?

    After due thought. I think I have found the downside of this idea.

    Which is that a house is an enclosed space with finite BTU's to take.

    Once you have the house cooled down, your heat source is gone, or at best limited to the heat gain of the building.

    Not as effecient as the limitless outdoor heat.

    And it sounded so good on paper too !!
    .

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Posts
    395

    Default Re: Using A/C to heat pool?

    I recently read about a laundromat that does exactly this. There is some company out there that makes an evaporator modification that lets the evaporator from the central a/c dump its heat to water (i.e. a swimming pool).

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Posts
    3

    Default Re: Using A/C to heat pool?


  8. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Joliet
    Posts
    151

    Default Re: Using A/C to heat pool?

    Quote Originally Posted by haze_1956
    After due thought. I think I have found the downside of this idea.

    Which is that a house is an enclosed space with finite BTU's to take.

    Once you have the house cooled down, your heat source is gone, or at best limited to the heat gain of the building.

    Not as effecient as the limitless outdoor heat.

    And it sounded so good on paper too !!
    .

    But you don't have to depend on the A/C as your only heat source. You can use in in conjunction with solar or a gas "kicker" unit.

    I wouldn't say it's a bad idea at all. The biggest problem for me is that my A/C unit is on the complete other side of my house


    I'd say keep rolling with the idea!

    dan

  9. #9
    cwstnsko is offline Registered+ Thread Analyst cwstnsko 0
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Mesa, AZ
    Age
    59
    Posts
    117

    Default Re: Using A/C to heat pool?

    This is really getting to what I remember: http://www.toad.net/~jsmeenen/pool/

    That's the ticket! It can be made to switch back to air when the pool gets too warm

  10. #10
    haze_1956 is offline ** No working email address ** Thread Analyst haze_1956 0
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    nj, usa.
    Posts
    114

    Default Re: Using A/C to heat pool?

    Quote Originally Posted by gonefishin
    But you don't have to depend on the A/C as your only heat source. You can use in in conjunction with solar or a gas "kicker" unit.
    My point was that the house is a limited heat source, and once you start supplementing from a second source, no money saved. I doubt converting would be cost effective.

    I like the idea in principle, "free heat!" I just don't think a combination A/C-Pool heater is practical.

    Perhaps a lower cost idea such as running a heat exchanger above the A/C unit to catch the exhausted heat. A basic example being, use an old car radiator and a small pump, wired to the A/C fan, to circulate water when unit is running? Something simple like that.
    .

Closed Thread

Similar Threads

  1. How long to heat pool?
    By vimfuego in forum Pool Equipment & Operations
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 09-16-2012, 06:31 PM
  2. How to either cheaply heat a pool, or heat a pool for one day?
    By gcorcoran13 in forum Pool Equipment & Operations
    Replies: 10
    Last Post: 02-05-2012, 11:01 PM
  3. Using solar to heat pool
    By JeremyJ in forum In-Ground Pool Construction and Repair
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 01-24-2012, 02:41 AM
  4. maintaining heat in pool
    By katatonic in forum Pool Equipment & Operations
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 05-14-2007, 08:37 PM
  5. Cost to heat pool.
    By gordonhyde in forum Pool Equipment & Operations
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 07-11-2006, 09:59 PM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts