A pool is a great way to take advantage of the health and social benefits of swimming. Every pool deserves a heater so that those advantages can be reaped year round. In this article we will discuss the options available for heating your pool and their strengths and weaknesses.

How Heating Works

Temperature flows from areas of high temperature to areas of low temperature. This is fundamental to the Universe and is described neatly in the second law of thermodynamics. This is why getting into cool water makes you feel cool, as heat is travelling away from your body. All of the options available for heating your pool transfer heat energy from somewhere else into the water of your pool.

Gas Heaters

Gas heaters have a combustion chamber where natural gas is burnt in the presence of oxygen to produce heat. Water travels through pipes exposed to this heat and absorb it, then travelling back into the pool to share this heat around. Gas heaters are extremely efficient at heating water quickly, and are less expensive than other heating options. They do have higher running costs however because they consume fossil fuels.

Heat Pumps

Heat pumps utilize the same technology as reverse cycle air conditioners. They make use of an electrical compressor to modulate the flow of a refrigerant between a hot, high pressure coil and a cool low pressure coil. The temperature of the coil is modulated by the pressure, so the cool low pressure coil can be a lot cooler than the surrounding medium and absorb heat. The refrigerant can then be pressurised with the compressor, thereby increasing the temperature before entering the pool heating coil. The heating coil is hotter than the water so this heat energy is transferred into the water. It is more energy efficient than gas heaters due to this ingenious way it gathers heat energy. Heat pumps are also built with smart controllers that reduce energy consumption when the target temperature is reached. The inverter technology used in our heat pumps allows for reduced energy draw once the unit is within 2 degrees of the target temperature.

Solar Heaters

Solar heaters are the most environmentally friendly heating option for your pool. A pump circulates water into heating tubes, typically arranged on a roof. These tubes absorb visible and thermal energy from the sun and pass it onto the water, which feeds back into your pool. The only energy input into the system is the pump pushing water onto the roof. There are a variety of solar pool heaters available on the market. They range from rudimentary black hosing to advanced layered technology. Solar heaters work with indirect sunlight and through clouds. They will function year round and can be augmented with a gas heater for those days when you want it hot fast or electric heat pump when you want guaranteed temperatures year round.

Pool Covers

Pool covers are unlikely to be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about pool heaters, but they are invaluable. As we discussed heat travels from warm things to cool things, and a pool cover will reduce heat loss from your warm pool to the cool air. They can also reduce the rate of chlorine consumption and water loss. A pool with a cover can increase the pool temperature by 4-8 degrees compared to one without.

Call Australian Energy Systems for More Information

Australian Energy Systems are experts in pool heating. They have been installing and servicing pool heaters in residential and commercial pools throughout Queensland and New South Wales for more than twenty years. For more information call 1800 243 847 or get in touch online. Contact Us