You could heat your pool with electric resistance heaters, electric heat pumps, or gas pool heaters. Then again, you could go green, save the environment and save some money by letting the sun do the heating for you.
So, how can you harness the sun and use it to heat up your pool? Well, the following are some ways to heat a swimming pool using the sun’s energy:
- Solar pool heaters
- Solar panels
- Solar pool covers
- Liquid solar pool covers
- Solar rings
Unlike these solar methods, resistance heaters, electric pool pumps and gas pool heaters warm pools quickly. Also, the temperature change they bring about is comparatively greater than those of the solar methods.
But then again, unlike electric resistance heaters, electric pool pumps and gas pool heaters, solar methods involve few to no operating costs. Plus, they are not harmful to the environment.
8 Ways to Heat a Swimming Pool
Solar Pool Heater
Solar pool heaters come as devices called solar collectors (also known as solar mats). These collectors are connected to a pool pump through inlet and outlet pipes.
As the pump pushes water from the pool through the inlet pipes and into the solar collectors, the pool water absorbs solar heat retained by the collectors.
On absorbing heat from the collectors, the pool water is warmed before it is pumped back into the pool.
The cycle goes on and on until you turn off the water pump or until the sun sets.
As we hinted in the introduction, the heating costs accrued by a solar collector are very low compared to the cost of operating an electric pool heat pump. This makes solar heaters the more cost-efficient option of the two.
Solar Panels
Solar panels will not warm the water in your pool directly like a solar collector will. You can, however, operate electrical resistance heaters and electric heat pumps using solar panels instead of grid electricity.
One of the upsides of using solar panels in place of grid electricity is that you will incur few to no running costs. Outside that, using solar energy is more eco-friendly than relying on grid electricity.
One downside to this option is the steep cost of installation.
Solar Pool Covers
A solar cover or solar blanket is perhaps the most cost-effective way to keep your pool warm. In fact, it is estimated that if you use a solar pool blanket alongside other heating systems, you can reduce your pool heating cost by as much as 80%.
Now, solar pool blankets can heat pools, but they are only mildly effective for that purpose. Their major role in warming pools is achieved through heat retention.
Solar covers help maintain pool temperature by reducing evaporation. They also insulate the pool and reflect heat back into the pool. As an added effect, they also reduce water loss as they reduce evaporation rate.
Beyond heat retention, solar covers can also heat a swimming pool by transferring the heat they absorb from the sun.
Liquid Solar Pool Covers
A liquid solar pool cover does basically the same thing as the usual solar pool covers. It preserves swimming pool warmth and prevents heat loss by reducing evaporation rates. A liquid solar cover, however, comes as fatty alcohol, which forms an invisible 1-molecule layer atop the water in the pool.
For full effectiveness, liquid solar pool covers must be added to the pool regularly. The good news is, they are anodyne and eco-friendly, so you can swim even when they have been applied to the pool.
The prime advantage of liquid covers is that they can be moved around easily.
Solar Rings
Like a solar cover (regular and liquid), a solar ring aids pool heating primarily by reducing evaporation. In fact, the main difference between a solar ring and a regular solar cover is size.
Solar pool covers are made to cover a large area of the pool. A solar ring, on the other hand, is suited for smaller areas. Of course, due to their size, solar rings are relatively easy to move around and install.
Electric Heat Pump Pool Heater
Electric pool heat pumps heat your pool with the warmth in the atmosphere. They pull heat from the air in the atmosphere. Then they transfer the absorbed heat to a liquid refrigerant.
When the heat is transferred to the liquid refrigerant, it turns into a gas. This gas is then compressed and heated further in a compressor before it travels to a condenser where it heats the pool water.
One of the drawbacks of an electric pool heat pump is that it is relatively ineffective when the atmospheric temperature falls below 45℉. Also, when you compare it to a solar heater, the running costs are pretty high.
Electric Resistance Pool Heater
Instead of absorbing heat from the atmosphere, electric resistance heaters generate heat from electricity.
Heat generation by electric resistance heaters is pretty straightforward: electric current runs through the heating element and is impeded by resistance. This impedance then generates heat.
With electric resistance heaters, the good news is their effectiveness is not affected by changes in weather. But the bad news is the high cost of operating them.
Gas Pool Heater
A gas pool heater generates heat from the combustion of natural gas or propane.
Gas heaters for pools work alongside pool pumps. The pump facilitates water circulation from the pool into the gas heater then back into the pool.
The heat generated from the combustion of the gas is absorbed by the pool water inside the heater. Afterwards, the heated water is driven back into the pool by the pump.
With gas heaters, you never have to worry about weather changes. Since they use non-renewable energy, however, they are not eco-friendly. Also, the cost of operation is pretty high.
Conclusion
There are many ways to heat your pool, and while some are energy-efficient, others are not. Also, the heating mechanism and experience offered by each option vary from one to another. If you want an encompassing heating experience, you should combine an option that can heat your swimming pool alongside a method that will reduce heat loss.
Those pool owners who aren’t going to enlist the help of a professional should check out DIY Tips To Make Your Pool More Energy Efficient before choosing or changing their heating mechanism.
Feature image: Nancy Karels; Image 1: Greg Rivers
