Looking for a Pool Heat Pump?
If you’ve been considering a heat pump, you’re one step closer to having a pool that you and your family and friends can enjoy year-round. But before making the move, you probably also have questions about choosing and installing your pool heat pump. We’ll provide some education in this post that should make it easier to understand what you need to know and where you need expert assistance.
Choosing the right heat pump
When looking for a heat pump for your pool, take these issues into consideration:
- How you are going to heat the water. Different methods will affect your energy bill differently, and will also provide heat at different rates.
- Whether you have an above-ground or in-ground pool.
- Your pool size and preferred temperature. Get a heat pump that is too small and you’ll be wasting energy as it runs too hard to keep your pool warm. The higher the pump’s BTU’s, the faster it can heat the water.
- How easy it is to use. The less complicated the interface, the better. You want a heat pump that can automatically do its job.
Other factors to look at include its noise level (which is rated in decibels). And there’s the coefficiency of performance (COP), which lets you know, on a scale of 3.0 to 7.0, the energy efficiency of the pump. The higher the number, the better.
While many pumps are made to be durable, you also want to make sure you work with a provider that will provide regular maintenance to keep it working at peak performance and has access to replacement parts.
Pool heat pump installation process
When installing the heat pump for your pool, you want to make sure you are:
- Placing it on a sturdy concrete base that has been sized correctly
- Giving enough clearance to the sides and above
- Situating it for easy plumbing and access to the controls
- Placing it in an area that will maximize its efficiency
You’ll also need to address two other major factors that may affect placement: the plumbing and power. As for plumbing, more straight runs are better. And with regard to power, an expert electrician will make decisions based on the power source and the need for a dedicated circuit.
Overall, this is something you want to trust to a professional who knows what they’re doing.
When to run your heat pump
Now that you have your heat pump, you want it to do its job while maximizing efficiency. You expect your pool to be at a comfortable temperature on demand. But you don’t want to overspend on your electric bill. Here are a few tips about running your heat pump:
- To maximize energy efficiency, it’s best to run your heat pump during the day. This is when the air is warmer, so it will take less work for the pump to reach your desired temperature setting.
- However, when you run it depends on when you want to enjoy the water. If you like to take laps in morning, then running the heat pump at night will make sense.
- If you also want to use the pool during the day when the temperatures are consistently chilly in the winter months, even into the late afternoon, then you should also run the pump on a staggered basis throughout the day.
Get your free pool heat consultation
Florida Solar can provide and install a heat pump that uses the best of both worlds. And we will size your pool pump correctly.
A hybrid solution like the Omni-Swim combines direct and indirect solar thermal with solar electricity as a power source. And you’ll have a pool you can enjoy throughout the year.
Call us at 727-300-1515 or just fill in our form to schedule your free pool heat consultation.