Factors to Consider When Installing a Heat Pump in Your Pool
By installing a heat pump to warm your home's swimming pool, you'll extend the swimming season and get more use out of the pool. Thus, a heat pump is a worthwhile investment considering the pool will be sitting vacant fewer months than otherwise. To help you understand your heat pump, consider the following factors.
They Relocate Heat
Heat pumps work ingeniously, much like air conditioners. They extract heat from the ambient air and relocate that warmth into the pool water. The key to this process is the refrigerant that runs through the coils. Warmth naturally moves to something cooler, and the freezing-cold refrigerant-filled coils absorb the heat from the outdoors.
The now-warm refrigerant travels through the coils, and after being squeezed in the compressor unit, the refrigerant transforms into a hot gas. Finally, the heat transfers to the pool water in a heat chamber in which water flows around the hot coils, and draws out their warmth. The benefit of this process is that the electricity running the system does not generate heat, but only moves it around — it drives the fan and other components. Thus, pool heat pumps don't chew up massive amounts of electricity. They run pretty efficiently.
They Depend on the Outside Temperature
However, because heat pumps absorb warmth from the ambient air, they don't work as efficiently in frosty weather. Once the temperature drops below about 10 degrees Celsius, they can struggle to draw enough warmth from the air and can run continuously, trying to achieve the set water temperature. Check the operating temperature range of the model you're installing with your pool heat pump suppliers, so you'll know which months it will work for based on your local climate. With a heat pump, you'll be able to extend the pool season several months into autumn and spring, or else for the whole year depending on your region's conditions.
They Heat Efficiently and Gradually
While heat pumps run efficiently and consume little energy, they don't necessarily heat your pool fast. Over time, though, the pump will raise the pool water warmth gradually. How long it takes for your pool to reach the desired temperature will depend on both the starting air and water temperatures. If you need to heat the pool for an evening gathering, you'll have to plan ahead rather than turning on the heat pump at the last moment. Once you do that, your guests will be able to bask in a lovely warm swimming pool.
Contact a local pool heat pump supplier to learn more.
Share
