Gas Heaters for Heating Swimming Pool!

Gas heaters for heating swimming pool can be powered by propane or natural gas! And as well we know that there are now a lot of models of them with different performance of the efficiency to choose from. With a lot of gas heaters products in the marketplaces; you may be confused to determine the best one of them that can accommodate your requirement as well. Basically there are three important points to take into consideration; the size calculation, energy efficiency performance and cost of operation.

How do pool gas heaters work? Once the pump circulates and distributes the water of the pool, then the water will be drawn and directed to the heater, but the water usually will be directed to the filter first before directing into the heater. Then the heat will be produced from the combustion chamber, and will be transferred into the water (water heating process) that eventually will be returned into the pool. Most of them are usually more efficient to run in the short periods of time and able to heat the water quickly. Therefore, there are a lot of experts say that combustion pool heaters are great idea for heating swimming pool that are not utilized for a regular basis. Moreover, unlike solar models & heat pump systems, their performance is not dependent on the climate or weather.

Like mentioned before, there are 3 crucial issues that we have to consider carefully on choosing and using gas heaters for heating swimming pool, and below are pieces of helpful information about those points:

Size (BTUs) of power heating capacity

Below are simple steps to calculate the size output of gas heater that you should choose for your swimming pool:

1. First, determine the sq-ft large size of your pool!
2. Calculate the average ambient water temperature of your pool, especially in the pool heating season. Then  calculate “the desired temperature – the average ambient temperature = the temperature rise”
3. Use this simple formula to determine output size of gas heater that you must choose “temperature rise x sq-ft large size x 12” (according to energysavers.gov)!

Energy efficiency!

Newer products of combustions heaters for heating swimming pool usually have already been designed with a standard test to determine & calculate the energy efficiency. And generally, this calculation is based on BTU output of the unit.

Theoretically, the energy efficiency of heaters is the ratio & comparison of used energy output to the energy input. This means, 90 percent efficient heating unit will use $90 worth of useful heat for each $100 worth of fuel, so we can get the conclusion that the unit will waste 20 percent of the fuel.

Nowadays, most of pool gas heaters are offered at around 95 percent to 89 percent efficiency. How much money that you can save for each $1,000 in annual heating costs of your pool by using combustion heating unit with 95 percent efficient? Check the table below:

*For every $1,000 in annual pool heating costs (Source: energysavers.gov)

Cost of operation

According to energysavers.gov, the cost of operation to run a combustion heater can be determined by the location. The cost is relatively inexpensive for indoor pool but on the other hand, it could be slightly more expensive for outdoor!

The following is the estimation heating cost table to estimate annual heating costs of using gas heaters for heating swimming pool, based on the water temperature, using pool cover or not, and location:

Source: energysavers.gov

What else you should know on using pool gas heaters:

1. Make sure the unit is correctly installed! Improper installation can lead to the inefficiency that eventually will create a higher utility bill that we have to pay for each month. Choose a qualified HVAC contractor for the installation
2. Don’t forget also to the maintenance. Check regularly the performance of filter and heat exchanger to keep the system run efficiently. It is much recommended to sign a contract with a local professional maintenance company for the maintenance, at least once a year.

Read also how do patio heaters work?