Heating or warming up a swimming pool with a pool heat pump is different from heating or warming it up with a traditional pool heater. What are traditional pool heaters? These are your electric pool heaters and heaters that use natural gas. The main difference for these types of heaters is that with your traditional pool heaters, they’re actually actively producing heat to warm up your pool, which is why their output is measured by BTUs (British Thermal Units). Pool heat pumps on the other hand simply transfer the heat from the air to your water, so computations and numbers like BTUs can be a little bit “off” as it is directly affected by the temperature of the air. The colder the air surrounding your heat pump, the less heat is being transferred to the water and vice versa.
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COP stands for Coefficient of Performance, which basically just means how much heating is transferred to your pool for every unit used. For traditional heaters, this number is around 0.75 which means that for every 100 units of energy used by the heating unit, only 75 gets transferred to the pool water and the 25 is lost. While 75% energy transfer sounds “ok”, it pales in comparison when compared with energy efficient pool heat pumps from Madimack. How so? Well, depending on the model, the average COP of the residential pool heat pumps can be anywhere from 8 to 10! This means that for every 100 units of energy that are consumed by the unit, 800 to units are transferred to the pool! Talk about efficiency right?
Without getting too much into the scientific computations, the easiest way to do this is to assume (well, it’s not really an assumption, this is a number supplied by the manufacturer) that it takes 1.16 Wh to heat one litre of water up by one degree. Taking this number, we know that it takes 11.6kWh to heat up a 10,000 litre pool by one degree Celsius in an hour.
To further simplify things, we have created a table that can give you an idea of how fast (or slow) different sized pool heat pumps can raise the temperature of your water so that you can have a rough idea of the size you’ll need for your pool before going to look at the specific models.
Now you may think to yourself, wow, that looks like a lot of power, and yes it does look like it until we apply the COP factor. Let’s take for example the Water Technix Paradise heat pump with an average COP of 14, so if we have a model that’s outputting 18KW, we’re actually only using 1.8KWh because of the COP factor of 14! (Output divided by the COP Factor)
While it may sound like a good idea to get something small to save on the upfront costs, it is worth noting that unless you have a pool cover, your pool can lose up to 2C overnight! So it is always good to pick a pump that will take a maximum of 4 hours to raise the temperature by 1C so that we can maintain overnight water temperature and we can consistently maintain perfect swimming temperature throughout the swimming season.
Note: What to get for your pool? Find the volume of your pool, and pick a heat pump model with heating increase of 0.25 and above. The higher the number, the faster your pool heats up. For example, if you have an 50,000L pool then the minimum recommended size would be the 18KW model (0.27c per hour). If the exact size / wattage isn't available, pick the next size UP.
This is where pool heat pumps throw in the towel versus traditional pool heaters. Pool heat pumps will take a while to heat up the pool to the desired temperature so some planning will be required on your part. So aside from making sure that your pool heat pump will be able to overtake the heat loss during the night, the overall size of your unit will be vital in how fast your pool heat pump will heat up your pool to comfortable levels.
Don’t get scared of getting oversized pool heat pumps, once your water gets to the required temperature, it only takes a little bit of energy to maintain your temperature (see table) so depending on the pool size and heat pump size, it will only take a few hours of operation to maintain your pool water’s temperature at a comfortable level. And this boils down again to the COP factor. Larger models tend to have higher COP factors so this means that when it comes to maintaining water temperature, they actually use LESS energy than a smaller unit.
Have a few questions about your pool heat pump? Thinking of getting one?
Odds are you’ll find the answers you need in this post
Whether you own a heat pump or are thinking about getting one, you’ve probably had a few questions at one point or another. “How do they work”, “how long do they last”, and so on.
That said, there are a few questions in particular that seem to pop up often. And those are the questions we’re focusing on.
We’re shedding light on the most common pool heat pump FAQS, and sprinkling in some pool heat pump troubleshooting tips while we’re at it.
So if you have a question about your pool heat pump, this post might just have the answer. If not, you could always ask a pool heat pump specialist.
A heat pump uses electricity to harvest natural heat. It all starts when the heat pump spins its fan and pulls in warm air. The warm air passes over an evaporator coil and reacts with a refrigerant inside the tubes. This reaction creates a warm gas which gets sent to a compressor. The compressor then compresses the warm gas into a hot gas.
In the last steps of the process, the hot gas travels to the heat exchanger where it heats up an inner titanium tube. As water travels through the outer PVC tubing of the heat exchanger, it’s warmed by the inner heated titanium tubing. From here, the heated water gets pumped into the pool, as more water gets pumped into the heater.
And at that point, the heating process repeats until the pool reaches the target temperature specified on the heat pump.
[Learn more about how heat pumps work]
Of all the pool heat pump FAQs, this could be the most important in terms of making a purchase. The size of the heat pump you need for your pool largely depends on two major factors: your location, and the size of your pool.
Usually, the bigger your pool, the bigger your pool heater should be. And depending on where you live, a bigger, or smaller heater may be ideal for maintaining your desired temperature.
You can learn how to size your heat pump in this post, or use our heat pump sizing calculator.
The cost of heating a pool with a heat pump ranges from $50-150 per month, the lowest of nearly all pool heating options. And compared to gas and electric resistance at $300+, it’s easy to see why energy efficiency matters.
But, no matter what kind of pool heater you have, using a solar cover can help improve your heating efficiency drastically.
Even without a lick of maintenance, a pool heat pump easily lasts 10 to 20 years. But, with good maintenance, a pool heat pump can literally last a lifetime.
[Learn 7 ways to extend your pool heat pump’s lifespan]
Most problems that affect aged heat pumps can usually be avoided altogether with regular service and maintenance. Think of them like cars.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of Commercial Heat Pump. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
If you take good care of your car and service it on the regular, it treats you well. But neglect your car and forget your oil changes, and you’re in for loads of costly repairs down the road.
A heat pump can heat a pool by 20 degrees Fahrenheit in 24-72 hours. The precise heating rate depends on the size of the pool, outdoor temperature, and whether or not a solar cover is used.
The coldest temperature most heat pumps will function at is 50 degrees Fahrenheit. But heat pumps with certified low-temperature performance, like the Oasis Platinum Ultra Quiet, can function all the way down to the 30s. This feature can be especially helpful for pool owners up north looking to extend their swim season.
Keep in mind that although a heat pump will still heat down to its cutoff temperature, heating effectiveness is often affected.
Pool Heat Pump FAQs (Troubleshooting)
A pool heat pump that runs but doesn’t heat can mean a few things. So, here are a few answers to go with your pool heat pump FAQs.
Here’s what to check for:
When a heat pump keeps shutting off, it usually means one of two things: an electrical, or water pressure issue
If your heat pump is displaying any error codes related to “FLO” or ” LO/HI”, then the issue is related to water pressure. Most of the time, fixing these problems involve troubleshooting your pool pump or a part in the heater. Learn more here
Now, if your pump is running and not displaying error codes, then power it down and inspect the electrical setup.
First, walk over to the heat pump and check the electric terminals for any corrosion or damage. From there, check the wiring leading from the pump to the breaker for any wear. Last, check the breaker and confirm that it’s sending adequate power to the heat pump.
Learn more about troubleshooting your heat pump.
Among the full collection of pool heat pump FAQs, this one may be the most common, both online and in the real world.
There’s a good chance that what you’re seeing is just natural condensation. Every heat pump will “sweat” and produce a small puddle every now and then. This usually happens when the heat pump is doing a defrost.
That said, it isn’t impossible for a heat pump to spring a leak. And luckily there are plenty of ways to test where the water is coming from, which we explain in this post.
In most heat pumps, the “FLO” error code indicates a water pressure issue. It can mean that water flow is being restricted, or that none is being detected at all.
Sometimes, water flow issues can be caused by a blockage in the pool system, originating anywhere from the filter to the pump and skimmer baskets.
So the best course of action is to start small: clear out the skimmer, then the pump basket. From there, check your filter to make sure it’s clean and allowing water flow at the correct pressure.
If everything checks out, and the pump is definitely receiving enough water, then the issue is likely a defective water pressure switch. Luckily this part is fairly inexpensive and simple to replace.
[Find pool heat pump parts here]
Pool heat pumps use small amounts of electricity to harvest and magnify natural heat. Gas pool heaters burn gas or propane to produce heat. Ten guesses which one is more affordable per month.
Learn more about these two heaters in this post: Heat Pumps vs Gas Pool Heaters
C.O.P stands for Coefficient of Performance, which is a number used to rank a pool heat pump’s energy efficiency. Specifically, it represents the amount of energy a machine produces per unit of energy that it consumes.
For instance, a heat pump like the Oasis Platinum Ultra Quiet features a COP of 6.5. This means that for every unit of energy the heater consumes, it produces 6.5 units worth of heat. High energy efficiency like that has a major impact on lowering your swimming pool’s energy bill.
Learn more about COP.
We this post offered some helpful answers for your questions on pool heat pumps. Naturally, we couldn’t cover every question ever asked about pool heat pumps. But, that’s because we’ve answered a lot of them in the past already.
If you’re still trying to learn more about heat pumps, start here: