How Do Swimming Pool Heat Pumps Work?

You purchased your swimming pool for many reasons...exercise, entertaining, family fun and maybe even for health motives. But even in warm climates, you've probably found that some times, your pool is just too cold! Swimming pool heat pumps let you use your swimming pool no matter what the weather is like outside, so you can get the best return on your financial commitment.

So how do heat pumps operate?

Swimming pool heat pumps operate with electricity, but they do not generate heat. They use electricity as well as air that has been heated by sunlight. Basically, they are a form of solar heater. The energy from the air is extracted, made warmer with a compressor, and then transferred into the swimming poo water.

The swimming pool pump you already have moves the water through the heater, and warms the entire pool. The fan moves the air through the outer evaporator air coil, which acts as a heat collector. The air coil absorbs the heat from the air, and transforms it into a gas. This gas gets pumped into the compressor, which concentrates the heat and intensifies it. This now super-heated gas goes into the heat exchanger condenser, where the actual transfer of heat happens. As the water from the pool is pumped through the heat exchanger, the super-hot gas transmits its heat to the cooler pool water. Then, the process begins all over again.

Heat pumps tend to work most efficiently when the outdoor ambient air is at or above 45-50 degrees Fahrenheit. The cooler the air, then the more energy it takes for the swimming pool heat pump to heat the air and, then, the pool water.

However, pool heat pumps are more efficient than gas pool heaters. Although electric models cost more, they have much lower annual operating costs...about a dollar's worth of heat for every 20 cents of electrical usage.

They also last much longer, which will save you more money in the long run. When they are installed and maintained correctly, they will last you at least 10-15 years or more. They do require service every now and then by a professional A/C technician, to make sure everything is running smoothly and to perform general maintenance. The typical warranty on a heat pump is between 5-15 years, so if there is a problem you are covered.

Swimming pool heat pumps are the preferred method of pool heating for athletic training as well as for therapeutic treatments. This is because a heat pump will maintain any temperature between 80 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit, no matter what the weather is like outside.

Your swimming pool heat pump will perform even better when you also use a thermal pool cover. This ensures that the heat you are pumping into your pool is staying in your pool...not escaping into the air! Think of the pool cover much like the roof on your home...without a roof, all of your heat or air conditioning would just go right out the top of your house. A thermal pool cover will increase the efficiency, and therefore lower the operating costs, of your swimming pool heat pump.