Electric Pool Heater

Using electricity for heating your pool works out cheaper than using propane gas because energy consumed is less. Further, you are helping to keep the environs relatively clean because you are not burning any gas.

Nevertheless, the system has its own limitations. Here, let’s examine the advantages and the limitations of using such a system and find out the best system for heating your pool. You will also come to know where to look for the best offers of electric pool heaters on the Internet, enabling you to make substantial savings while buying such a pool heater for your pool.



The principle of operation of electric pool heaters, often referred to as heat pumps, is to suck out heat from the surrounding area and transfer this heat to the pool-water. The air that is sucked in is compressed; thereby raising its temperature while water is circulated thru a heat exchanger to gather this heat. In the not so cold months of the year, there is plenty of thermal energy present in the air and the same is captured in this way to heat pool-water. But, the problem arises during peak of winters when you won’t get enough heat to raise the temperature of pool-water because all around the air is much colder for getting started.

Of course you will get some heat but that won’t be enough to raise the temperature of water to a comfortable level unless you install a very big and powerful electric pool heater. Now, the problem is that it will be more powerful than what you would require for the rest of the year. Plus, the cost goes up in direct proportion to its size.

Operation of an electric pool heater is much cheaper than a propane gas heater. They burn too much of gas and annually you’ll be spending about $3000 just have a warm pool. That’s the figure for Florida and if you happen to be in living in colder climate, you may expect more. Well, there are a few things you can do to bring down your heating cost without making any changes in the system, yet it works out more economical to have an electric pool heater.

You must be wondering that despite having a low cost of operation what keeps people away from having heat pumps. The main reason for their not being so popular is that their initial cost and the installation expenses are quite high. Their initial cost is three to four times that of a gas-powered heat pump. Now, a majority of buyers won’t find that very encouraging. But, the operational or running cost of these heaters is very low as compared to the gas-powered heaters. The savings thus made compensate for the initial cost and in about five years. Therefore by fifth year you are beginning to make savings by using such heaters. A swimming pool in itself is a long-term investment and the cost of heater should be added to that to derive long-term benefits.

Now you can appreciate that there are good and strong reasons favoring the installation of an electric pool heater, bur it has a big drawback as it unable to delver the desired results all the year round. Whereas, gas heaters give the desired level of performance for any part of the year, be it summer or peak of winters. That has prompted many users to have a combination of both the types of heater, wherein primary source of heating is an electric heater that provides most of the energy with gas heater being used in the coldest months to raise the temperature to a comfortable level.

The above solution is again not viable for everyone as everyone is not likely to use the pool all thru year. Some people just wouldn’t like to use a pool in cold weather even if the pool water is hot to the desired extent. And, mind you, for such people the amount of energy consumed and the expenses incurred for raising the temperature of water is not an issue.

In the long run it is right to conclude that an electric pool heater is a very viable proposition for heating pool water as it offers very efficient and effective means of heating pool despite initial high cost that pays for itself in a reasonable time after which you are really saving money. To bring down the cost of installation, I’ll let you know of a website that offers the lowest price for all the pool equipment and accessories. They guarantee the lowest prices in the real sense of the word, for if you find a lower offer, they will further lower their price.

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.



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.

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.



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.

Swimming Pool Heater Problems? Don't Use Unlicensed Contractors

The construction of a swimming pool should be made with the help of a civil contractor but the installation of a heating system for the pool is another story. Doesn't matter do you have gas or electric pool heat, it is certainly not the job of a civil contractor. Most of the people utilizing the services of unqualified contractors for installation of heating system do not seem to realize the risk to which they are exposing their lives.

An R.M.G.A. or Rocky Mountain Gas Certification does not qualify any pool contractor to undertake installation of a heating system for your pool. You have to make sure that your new 20K-100K swimming pool heating arrangement is installed as per defined standard specifications.

It’s in very rare cases that you can avoid having a change of your gas meter when building a new swimming pool. Here’s why. Any house with an area of 1500sft to 300sft is installed with new gas meter by the provider company. This meter is designed to take the load of accessories required by normal household. For an average household this requirement will be in the range of 250-500 cubic feet per hour. Now that you decided to add a heater for your swimming pool that consumes as much of gas as all the appliances put together of your home, how do you expect the meter to behave. All probability you have a pool heater that burns erratically. Does that set the alarm bells ringing? Don’t get over alarmed as in most of the cases it can be fixed.

Sooner or later an improper installation is going to have problems. You may be able to take care of a few of the problems created but quite a few will remain unresolved.

If the pool is not getting the required amount of heat supplied as a consequence of low fuel pressure, it will take a too long for water to get heated up, sometimes even a few days. The results to high gas bills, repeated pilot light outages, carbon built up accompanied with frequent repairs of costly equipment, which if not repaired in time may cause serious accidents or even death. All this necessitates the services of a licensed plumber or a contractor for installing gaspiping system. It is always helpful to call in your local gas pipe specialist for advice and a check of the system installed by the contractor. Generally they won’t charge you for that and confirm if the pool heating system has been installed properly.

Make sure to entrust the job to a qualified professional. Feel free to ask for references and do not hesitate to satisfy yourself by checking on the systems installed by the contractor. You may as well check with your states Department of Professional Licensing. It’s better to satisfy yourself now rather than having to regret it later. And, finally do not pay all the dues. Withhold a part of the payment till you are satisfied with the installation. Of course there are many big and reputed contractors but you can’t deny that there are quite a lot of others who are incompetent and get lost once they have been paid.

Solar Pool Heater - The Power Of Sun

Now you have another choice of a heating system for your pool apart from the conventional gas or heat pump heaters that you might have been using so far. Yes, now you can make use of solar energy for heating your pool throughout the year. The only condition is that the pool should be so located as to get sun for four to five hours a day.

This is the most important feature to make the proposal viable and you can have pool water at the required temperature all around the year. The capital or initial investment is high but then there is practically no maintenance or recurring expense. An excellent feature is that you will not be burning any fuel, thus you make a contribution for keeping the environments healthier. It has a long life, extending up to twenty years and comes with a warranty period of ten years.

The cost of the basic solar heating apparatus is just a few hundred dollars but the total expense, including the installation charges and the necessary accessories for an average sized pool would be in the region of about three thousand dollars. But, that's a one-time expense and its operation and maintenance expense is very nominal. Once you understand its principle of operation, you will be able to better appreciate why it works out so economical in the long run.



Any solar pool heating system comprises of three main items: a solar collector, a filter pump and a flow control valve. The mechanism of operation is very simple. The first step is to pump water from the pool to the solar collectors that raise its temperature, making use of sunrays. The heated water is then pumped back to the pool for you to enjoy. As anybody can guess a filter is provided to prevent the debris from getting into the solar collectors, which perform the function of heating water, whereas a pump is necessarily required for delivering water to the sun collectors and then again for flushing it back to the pool. The control valve, as the name suggests is for regulating the flow or volume of water to the system. This may be manual or automatic.

A solar pool heater may have either of the two types of solar collectors: the unglazed ones or glazed type. Yes, you guessed it right; an unglazed solar pool-heating collector costs less than the glazed collectors since it does not have a glass covering which form a part of the glazing material. Instead, it consists of heavy-duty rubber and plastic protectors that are treated for ultraviolet (UV) protection. Its performance is superb for indoor pools during cold climates. Whereas glazed solar collector have copper tubing on aluminum plates with iron-tempered glass covering. That is why it is more expensive. But it certainly is more efficient than the unglazed collector in collecting solar heat during very cold weather. As such if you are seriously interested in really using the pool for all the twelve months of the year, you should opt for a system that has glazed solar collectors. Obviously the service life of the collectors is governed by climatic conditions and the frequency of use. Both, the unglazed and the glazed collectors are provided with freeze protection that proves useful during extremely cold weather.

Heating systems that make use of solar energy are very much suited for heating any kind of a pool. Yet, you must study your requirements thoroughly before taking a decision. You should be aware of the size of the pool you have, because the specifications of the system and its cost will eventually depend on its size. You may give a prolonged thought to the idea of really using your pool during extreme cold weather. The most important factor you need to take into consideration is that the site gets enough of sunlight, particularly in winters.

In the absence of sufficient sunlight the system can't be expected to give optimum performance, irrespective of its cost. Once you have collected all your data, you should consult a professional. Any provider of such a system would be able to educate you further only when you have done a proper homework. An interaction with the supplier will certainly help you to decide the viability of the whole project.

Cost of Pool Heater - How Much To Spend?

Should you like to have an extended swimming season during the year, you would surely prefer to have warmer water in the pool during cold weather. That necessarily calls for a heating arrangement. Pool heaters can broadly be classified into three categories.

Lets make a small comparative study of three swimming pool heater types. The total cost depends on the size of the pool, which in turn decides the capacity and hence the cost of the system. Apart from the initial cost of the system, recurring expenses should also be taken into consideration to make a comparative study.

Option one is to install a gas pool heater. The cost is not too prohibitive. Depending on the size of your pool and the equipment you opt for, the cost may vary from $300 to $600 as the cost of the heater, whereas the recurring expense may be to the tune of about a hundred dollars per month. This expense would largely depend upon the frequency of use and the climatic conditions you live in. The colder the climate, the more will be this amount. Though one of the more expensive options, you will be able to get water temperatures raised by five to seven degrees in a matter of a couple of hours.



The next option is that of an electric pool heater. It works out more economical than the gas heater. Again depending on the capacity and the model the price may vary from $300 to $600. If used rather regularly, the bill of electricity would jump by about fifty to seventy-five dollars a month. Though not a very cheap offer, it works well and solves the purpose of offering hot pool water.

Last, but the least expensive and a very eco-friendly option is to have a solar pool heater for an extended swimming season. You may build one on your own or buy a system within a price range of a hundred to three hundred dollars. You may add another ten to fifteen dollars a month towards electricity expense as the pump in any case works on electricity. Of course this is the most economical option but the limitation is that it won't be able to work if there were no sun.

The best option would be to have a combination of a solar heater and an electric heater. That offers the facility of having a heater all the time, whether the sun is there or not, meaning you could switch on the electric heater at night and changeover to a sun heater during the day. The combination may not be as cheap as a solar water heater, yet it remains very affordable in totality.