Friday

Use Gas Pool Heaters For Cold Days

All those who like to go for a regular swim during summer months feel deprived of the pleasures associated with this sport in winter months as temperature of pool water begins to drop. But, the pleasures of swimming can be derived by having pool water heaters that successfully maintain the temperature of water to comfortable levels. However, the energy expense incurred for heating water thru an electric heater proves to be quite deterrent for most of the enthusiasts of this fun sport activity. The installation of gas or propane water heaters for pool presents a viable proposition of having heated pools at a considerably lower cost for your personal pleasure, as well for the members of your family and friends.

gas pool heater

There are two kinds of gas heaters: propane heaters and natural gas heaters. Both are efficiently employed to heat large volumes of pool water. They are designed to heat faster than an electric heater. Thus, the pool water gets ready much sooner for a swim to be enjoyed by you and friends or others in the family. Coupled with that feature is the fact that you are in a position to have an extended season for swimming.

Resorting to the application of propane or natural gas for heating of swimming pool, works out to be economical as compared to electric heating. And, who wouldn’t like to save on such an expense, especially in the present economic scenario!

Though both these types of heaters are certainly more economical to use than an electric heater, each has a different efficiency and cost variation. Though definitely cheaper to install and maintain than an electric heater, propane gas heaters would almost cost double the amount of a natural gas heater. However, for using natural gas, you have to ensure its proper and regular supply for heating the water of your pool. It is always better to go for propane heaters, which in any case are more economical than electric heaters for keeping the pool warm.

Both the types of above heaters are available in different models. You should keep a few factors in mind while comparing different available options. If you go through the list of specifications of any of the heaters, you’ll come across a common abbreviation that is BTU, abbreviated form of British thermal unit. It is a measure of energy. One BTU is defined as the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of water by one degree Fahrenheit. In effect it means, the higher the value of BTU, the less time it will take to heat a given volume of water. So, that’s one factor you should compare at the point of buying a system for your pool. It’s not difficult to guess that a heater with higher value of BTU will cost more than the one with a lower capacity.

The second factor you need to consider in case of a heater is its thermal efficiency. Higher efficient rating means, there is less of energy wasted. A heater with an efficiency rating of say 80% implies that only 20% of the energy generated for its operation is wasted. As a conclusion, gas heaters with higher efficiency rating offer a more economical and environment friendly operation as they don’t waste much of energy. Generally the efficiency rating falls between 80-85 %, though gas heaters with an efficiency rating of 95% are also available.

Then, there are gas heaters suitable for being installed in outdoor pools, while the others are designed for being used for heating indoor pools. Some of the models can be used for internal as well external applications. Outdoor heater should have a design that prevents the heater from the harmful effects of rain and snow during winters and imparts it a longer life in the meanwhile.

Two types of ignition systems find application with swimming pool gas heaters. It can be either a pilot light or an electronic ignition system. Usually the latter is preferred as it avoids having a continuous pilot light on all the while and thus conserves energy. Nevertheless a choice is there and some consumers may prefer to have a pilot light system.

Be it a propane heater or a natural gas heater, it surely is going to be more economical and efficient than an electric heater for heating an indoor or an outdoor pool. They are easy to install and hardly need any maintenance. The installation of such a heater certainly adds to the fun and enjoyment of swimming, while enabling you to have a reasonably long extension of swimming season.

Saturday

Make A Homemade Pool Heater

Solar energy offers a great opportunity for heating your swimming pool for a very negligible recurring expense. The arrangement enables you to enjoy an extended swimming season as it keeps you pool warmer during cold evenings without burning a hole in your pocket. It’s almost free.

Swimming pool solar heating systems are able to maintain the temperature of pool water to around 80-85 degrees in moderate climates on a regular day to day basis.

Inclusion of a swimming pool solar heater is a good value addition feature for you home.

homemade pool heater

The price of a readymade solar water heating system could be anywhere between two to four thousand dollars. It largely depends upon the size of the collectors plus charges of installation. On the other hand, if you make it as a DIY project, a pool of an average size inclusive off all materials and professional guidance should cost you around $200 only.


Depending upon the duration and direction of sunrays at the place of installation, it’s possible to design a solar heating system that need not have any moving components like a circulating pump. Solar pool heaters are connected to the existing filtration circuit of your pool. During the day, the filter continues to operate and the pool water is circulated via the collectors and returned back to the pool.

In most of the cases solar system is installed at the roof-top and the collecting panels are positioned in such a manner as to collect maximum of sunlight. We know that the sun is the hottest at midday, so the collectors should face the sun at that time to collect maximum heat and be tilted to your latitude by minus ten to fifteen degrees.
Various factors determine the area of solar collectors. In any case it will not be less than fifty percent of the pool area. Depending upon the location of your pool, it may go up to 75% of the pool area if the collectors have to be laid flat or are facing west. Depending upon circumstances and site conditions, the collectors’ area may equal that of pool area. Sites which are shaded most of the day or face strong winds would naturally require larger collectors. As collectors consume a lot of space, it is often desirable to mount them on a ground frame or a suitable fence.


The following factors should definitely to be considered when installing a solar pool heating arrangement:
• Weather and duration for which sunlight would be available.
• Codes for building and safety.
• Area/Volume of the pool.
• Duration of the swimming season.
• Desired level of pool temperature.
• Efficiency of Solar collector.

Keeping the above diversified nature of factors in mind, it would be better to seek the help of a professional for designing a heating system for your pool.

You do not need any special skills for assembly and fitting of the heating system and should be able to do it on your own. All the hardware that you need is easily available at most of the hardware stores or garden shops. Nevertheless, it is helpful to seek professional help for getting done a first class job. All the needed materials and the expert guidance including the plans and instructions shall cost you below $200. That should be inviting enough to go ahead with the project.