Using A/C to heat pool?

[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 !!
.

[cleancloths]

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).

[sparks999999999]

http://www.ecosmartinc.com/catsolar2special.php

http://www.heatsiphon.com/


here's a couple i've seen before.

[cwstnsko]

http://www.ecosmartinc.com/catsolar2special.php

http://www.heatsiphon.com/


here's a couple i've seen before.

I hadn't seen the 1st link before, that's interesting, but I wonder how effective it would be.

The second link just looks like a regular pool heat pump with lots of bells and whistles.

I think what the thread started out asking about is referred to as a "water source" home heat pump with the pool being the water that the house A/C dumps the heat into.

I did a little searching, but still haven't found the link I was looking for.

This link is starting to get close: http://www.dulley.com/docs/f458.htm

[gonefishin]

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

[cwstnsko]

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

[moreyes]

Hmmm.. that is interesting, I am in the A/C industry and that is what I did with mine.

I was just wondering if anyone else has done this.

[haze_1956]

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.
.

[matt4x4]

Around here, AC runs when it's HOT out, my heater is needed when it's COOL out, unless I want a hot tub on those hot days, I wouldn't be using it.
Now, anyone up for converting your AC to top up the water in your pool, I could certainly use that feature???

[sparks999999999]

Around here, AC runs when it's HOT out, my heater is needed when it's COOL out, unless I want a hot tub on those hot days, I wouldn't be using it.
Now, anyone up for converting your AC to top up the water in your pool, I could certainly use that feature???

if you have a pool that is in shade a lot like mine you will not see anything above 80 except on the hottest hot spells - and even then it may only go to 82 tops. most of the time my pool stays around 76-78.