Electric Pool Heater For Swimming Pool Heating

An electric pool heater that is professionally installed will over time provide you with tremendous savings. Initially, an above ground or in-ground swimming pool heater that is electrically powered will cost much more than the traditionally used propane gas pool heater. Still, over time an electric pool heating system will pay for itself.

Electric swimming pool heaters are easy on the environment. The reason for this is because they do not burn fuel physically.

This feature makes them highly effective in reducing the carbon footprint found in the air.

An electric swimming pool heater consumes exceptionally low energy when compared to a propane gas pool heater. However, it has its disadvantages.

Disadvantages Of Owning An Electric Pool Heater

In the swimming pool and spa industry, electric swimming pool heaters are often referred to as heat pumps. This type of swimming pool heaters is designed to operate on the heat exchange principle throughout most of the year. A heat pump type swimming pool heater can generate a considerable amount of heating energy.

Because of this capability, this type of swimming pool heating system will keep your swimming pool or spa water at an amazingly comfortable temperature. Having this pool heating capability will allow you and your guests to enjoy your swimming pool or spa for hours. An electric swimming pool heater can offer you this comfortable pool heating very easily during the hotter summer months.

But during the colder weather season, electric swimming pool heaters or heat pumps must work much harder to generate adequate energy to heat your pool water. In most cases you will get some heat but not enough to heat your swimming pool or spa to a temperature that would be comfortable for you.

Unless you purchase an electric swimming pool heater that is seriously over-sized, you will be fighting a losing battle trying to heat your pool water. In some countries, swimming pool and spa owners/operators would have a gas-powered pool heater installed along with a heater that is electrically powered to compensate.

With these types of installations, the electric (heat pump) pool heater will be the primary pool heating system and the gas-powered swimming pool heater would be the back-up. There are times when a second heat pump would be used as well.

How does an electric pool heater work?

Understanding why electric swimming pool heaters have such a difficult time heating your pool water, we must understand the principle of how they work. As was mentioned earlier, a heat pump pool heating system operates on the heat exchange principle.

The heat exchange principle mentioned above is like that of an electric water heater or hot water tank. Electric heat pumps operate by capturing the heat from the surrounding and transferring it to the pool water.

Swimming pool heating is accomplished when the swimming pool pump circulates water from the pool through the heat pump.

A fan that is installed on the heat pump pool heater--draws in the outside air and directs it over an evaporator coil.

Liquid refrigerant located within the evaporator coil absorbs the heat from the outside air; thus, becoming a gas.

The warm gas in the coil of this type of electric swimming pool heater, then passes through a compressor. At this point--the compressor increases the temperature of the newly produced heat. When this happens, the gas passing through the compressor becomes super-hot which is then forced through a condenser.

When the colder pool water circulates through this electric swimming pool heater, the condenser will transfer the heat from the super-hot gas directly to the water. Once the circle is completed, the heated water is returned to the swimming pool or spa.

In the design of heat pump electric swimming pool heaters, the hot gas--as it flows through the condenser coil, returns to its liquid form. After which, the gas returns to the evaporator and the whole circle starts all over again. An electric pool heater will only work efficiently providing that the surrounding outside air remains between 45 and 50 degrees.

Why Should You Use An Electric Pool Heater?

Using a propane gas powered pool heater can be very costly because of two reasons. One, the average cost of gas pool heaters is between $1,500 and $2,500. Two, they can burn quickly through your gas supply. This is one reason using an electric pool heater (heat pump) is a lot cheaper on your pocket.

An electric pool heater or heat pump is not as widely used as a gas-powered swimming pool heater. The fact of the matter is the initial cost of the two.

The initial cost of buying and installing electric swimming pool heaters is quite expensive.

These types of swimming pool heaters can cost three to four times as much as the traditionally used gas swimming pool heaters.

Still, with their low running cost compared to that of the gas pool heaters, electric pool heaters will pay for themselves over time.

A swimming pool, spa, is a long-term investment that you and your family will want to enjoy year-round. Therefore, you owe it to yourself to have a swimming pool heating system that will always operate both efficiently and effectively, regardless of the time of year. To achieve this, you must know how to determine the size of your potential pool heater before purchase and installation. 

Heating your swimming pool or spa is a process you would want to get right from the very beginning. And because you want to reduce your carbon footprint and save money--you should seriously think about investing in an electric pool heater.

An electric pool heater should be professionally installed for safety.

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