The age ole debate. Which type pool heating system is best! While we all want to reduce our carbon footprint and keep our already sky high utility costs down, we definitely dont want to swim in a luke warm pool right?! Today we are going to give you our opinion about the differences between heat pumps and pool heaters based on our 27 plus years in the pool industry.
THE TRADITIONAL POOL HEATER
We will start with the old standby. The Natural Gas or Propane Pool Heater. The traditional pool heater just won't go away and with good reason. A traditional pool heater heats up a pool quicker than any other method of heating water out there. If your pool is 60 degrees and you want to swim tomorrow, set your pool heater to 80 degrees and it will be ready. Granted it will burn alot of fuel to get there and that fuel is not cheap anymore. So there is a cost to that quick fix. The biggest selling point to me for a natural gas heater is that it works all the time regardless of the outside temperature. This is key in the cold Wisconsin spring and fall. Up here a traditional pool heater will extend your pool swimming season by potentially a month by getting your pool heated up a fw weeks early in spring and keep it warm a few weeks later in fall. In Northeast Wisco our swimming seasons are short and we need to make the most of them, that is why at Pool Pros we only sell Natural Gas or Propane heaters like the Mastertemp Heater from Pentair.
MODERN HEAT PUMPS
While heat pumps have been around for quite some time they have advanced quite rapidly over the last few years. Heat Pumps are great at heating your pool during the season when the temps are above 60 degrees. The efficiency with which they heat the pool water is amazing as well. It cost a fraction to heat a pool with a heat pump than it does with a traditional pool heater. Now here comes the big ole butt! Like everything in life if it sounds to good to be true it usually is and the same can be said for Pool Heat Pumps. While Heat Pumps are great at heating a pool at an amazingly low cost during the season once it already warms up, they simply will not work when its cold. The ambient outside temperature around a heat pump needs to be 58 degrees for a heat pump to heat the water. At that temperature the efficincy or amount of time it takes to heat the water is very very low. So with a heat pump you can lose a few weeks of swimming at the beginning of the season and a few weeks at the end of the season since it is too cold outisde fo rthe heat pump to actually heat the pool water. So the heat pump while great during the season doesnt do anything to extend your already short swimming season here in Wisco.
MORAL OF THE STORY
Ultimately it is up to each client to choose what type of heating system is best for them but in Northeast Wisconsin Pool Pros highly recomends the traditional pool heater to get the most out of your already short pool season. If another contractor is pushing you towards a heat pump make sure you understand that by implementing a heat pump as your main pool heating source you will be losing potentially a month or more of swimming time each year!
SHAMELESS CALL TO ACTION
IF you have questions about your pool heater or heat pump or just want more info on fiberglass pools give us a call at Pool Pros. We are ready and awaiting your call. 1-920-771-0107.
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