Heat Pump Pool Heating
Pool heat pumps extend your swimming season sustainably using solar energy from the air.
Domestic and commercial pool and spa heat pumps are very efficient with 1kW of power generating 6 to 7 kW of water heating. They don’t take up roof space which can be used for solar power panels.
Pool and spa heat pumps have titanium heat exchangers making them suitable for both chlorinated and salt water.
If you have heat pump hydronic heating, you may adapt your hydronic heat pump for pool heating in summer. Add a titanium pool heat exchanger to transfer heat from your hot hydronic water to your pool water.
Pool Heat Pumps or Gas Boilers
Pool heat pumps do not have the power of a large gas boiler, so they take time to heat your pool. They can’t recover the heat loss from a chilly night very quickly.
Therefore, set your heat pump timer to run inside the settings of your pool filter pump using your daytime solar power.
Water is a good store of thermal energy and by reducing the heat loss overnight, your heat pump will be able to maintain your pool heat satisfactorily.
Pool heat pumps operate very effectively when it’s cold and wet outside and in the shoulder seasons when combined with a pool blanket. A pool heat pump also works well in shaded areas or located under a house provided there is good air flow.
Pool Cover
Use a cover over your pool or spa to retain heating particularly during the shoulder seasons when nights can be quite cold even though days are warm to hot. For southern and inland Australian locations, the surrounding air can be 20 degrees less at night during the shoulder seasons. It doesn’t take long for a pool at 28 degrees to lose heat when the temperature difference is 20 degrees.
Water is a good store of thermal energy and by reducing the heat loss overnight, your heat pump will be able to maintain your pool heat satisfactorily.
If you have a spa pool, you may consider adding a small gas boiler to boost your spa heating quickly from the lower temperature maintained by your pool heat pump.