Once you have made the decision to buy a pool heater you then have to decide which of the types available you will go for. The main types are gas, solar and electric (mainly heat pumps) but even within these there are a number of choices to be made.
Gas Pool Heaters
These are the most common type and they have the advantage of being able to provide heat faster than other options as they are more powerful. Heaters for above ground pools such as the Pentair MiniMax (Click Here for info) are usually around 100k BTU whilst heaters for in-ground pools such as the Jandy LXi {Click Here for info) will typically have models with a capacity ranging up to 400k BTU. This is particularly useful if you heat the pool intermittently and therefore need to raise the temperature quickly.
Gas pool heaters are available to use natural gas or propane. Clearly natural gas would be the best choice if it is supplied on site or LPG might be a good option if you already store it for home heating. If you don't have a source of gas already available a gas heater might not be your best option.
Gas heaters are produced in both electronic ignition and millivolt models. Electronic models are micro processor controlled with electronic spark ignition like a modern boiler. Millivolt models use an older technology which uses a permanent pilot light and therefore is slightly less efficient. The heat from the pilot light is used to generate a small amount of electricity (about 500 millivolts - hence the name) which powers the controls. The former is the preferable option but it requires an electricity supply, if this is not possible a Millivolt heater is appropriate.
The major negative with gas heaters, especially those using LPG, is that they can be costly to operate.
Electric Pool Heaters
It is possible to buy a direct electric heater but these are really only suitable for small above ground pools.
These days the electric heat pump is becoming an increasing popular choice a good example is the Jandy Heat Pump (Click Here for info). Heat Pumps work by transferring heat from the surrounding air into the pool water, rather than generating heat themselves. In practice this means that you get several times more heat energy output than electricity energy consumed. Heat pumps are therefore more friendly to the environment than gas heaters, as well as costing less to run. In addition it is anticipated that they will have a longer useful life that gas models.
Of course there are disadvantages to heat pumps. They do not have the power of a gas heater and are slow to heat a pool, they work best when used to maintain a constant temperature. They also need a minimum air temperature of 45 degrees to work efficiently.
Solar Powered Heating Systems
These work by pumping the water through solar panels which are designed to collect solar energy. As a general rule the area of solar panels needed is the same as the surface area of the pool. Solar heating will probably be more expensive to purchase and install than other types but should have a longer lifetime and be less costly to operate. In addition it is the most environmentally friendly way of heating your pool.
There are more things that you need to address with a solar system if it is to work satisfactorily. These include the local climate, finding the best location, heeding local building codes and making sure the system is safe. In particular you are dependent of the weather so you need to be sure that your pool will be useable for the period you require.
Gas Pool Heaters
These are the most common type and they have the advantage of being able to provide heat faster than other options as they are more powerful. Heaters for above ground pools such as the Pentair MiniMax (Click Here for info) are usually around 100k BTU whilst heaters for in-ground pools such as the Jandy LXi {Click Here for info) will typically have models with a capacity ranging up to 400k BTU. This is particularly useful if you heat the pool intermittently and therefore need to raise the temperature quickly.
Gas pool heaters are available to use natural gas or propane. Clearly natural gas would be the best choice if it is supplied on site or LPG might be a good option if you already store it for home heating. If you don't have a source of gas already available a gas heater might not be your best option.
Gas heaters are produced in both electronic ignition and millivolt models. Electronic models are micro processor controlled with electronic spark ignition like a modern boiler. Millivolt models use an older technology which uses a permanent pilot light and therefore is slightly less efficient. The heat from the pilot light is used to generate a small amount of electricity (about 500 millivolts - hence the name) which powers the controls. The former is the preferable option but it requires an electricity supply, if this is not possible a Millivolt heater is appropriate.
The major negative with gas heaters, especially those using LPG, is that they can be costly to operate.
Electric Pool Heaters
It is possible to buy a direct electric heater but these are really only suitable for small above ground pools.
These days the electric heat pump is becoming an increasing popular choice a good example is the Jandy Heat Pump (Click Here for info). Heat Pumps work by transferring heat from the surrounding air into the pool water, rather than generating heat themselves. In practice this means that you get several times more heat energy output than electricity energy consumed. Heat pumps are therefore more friendly to the environment than gas heaters, as well as costing less to run. In addition it is anticipated that they will have a longer useful life that gas models.
Of course there are disadvantages to heat pumps. They do not have the power of a gas heater and are slow to heat a pool, they work best when used to maintain a constant temperature. They also need a minimum air temperature of 45 degrees to work efficiently.
Solar Powered Heating Systems
These work by pumping the water through solar panels which are designed to collect solar energy. As a general rule the area of solar panels needed is the same as the surface area of the pool. Solar heating will probably be more expensive to purchase and install than other types but should have a longer lifetime and be less costly to operate. In addition it is the most environmentally friendly way of heating your pool.
There are more things that you need to address with a solar system if it is to work satisfactorily. These include the local climate, finding the best location, heeding local building codes and making sure the system is safe. In particular you are dependent of the weather so you need to be sure that your pool will be useable for the period you require.
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