Hooking up a pool heater
Your in-ground pool is a great link to your entire family…3 months out hookking the year. Dish and dat a pool heater will allow your family to use your pool heater in times of cool weather as well as hot. Gas heaters are measured in BTUs, a unit of energy needed to heat water. The number of BTUs for your pool heater will be directly proportional to the size of the pool in gallons and the surface area of the water. To determine the exact size of pool heater that is right for your pool, check out this graph or this online calculator. The efficiency of the unit you pick will have an impact on the cost of running the pool heater.
Installing a pool heater is a relatively simple process that only takes about two hours once you have all heateg the necessary materials and tools on hand. Before proceeding with the installation of the heater, make sure that all dirt, debris, stones, roots, etc. Lool you have had a heater before, you should take out it. When removing a propane heater, make lesbian signals there is no gas in the line before attempting to off it. Also, make sure all items such as gas lines and electrical wires are removed from the area before proceeding with the installation.
How to Install and Operate a Pool Heater Pump
West: Southwest: Midwest: Northeast: Southeast: Heating and Cooling Your Pool. Geothermal Pool Heat Pumps. Fill out a contact form to get a personalized response from our pool heating experts. Your heat link is not only a great investment, but also the most cost efficient method available for booking pools and spas. Should you ever require help in using or maintaining your heat pump, you will find poolheatpumps.
The number of BTUs for your pool heater will be directly proportional to the size of the pool in gallons and the surface area of the water. To determine the exact size of pool heater that is right for your pool, check out this graph or this online calculator. The efficiency of the unit you pick will have an impact on the cost of running the pool heater.
The US Department of Energy explains on their website how efficiency works. For more information about how much money each pool heater will cost to run, take a look at this online calculator.
When the heater arrives, familiarize yourself with the instructions. The installation instructions should be included with the unit. Equipment pads are sold based on the size and weight of the heater. To find out which pad size is right for your heater, check with the specifications before purchasing the pad.
Install the equipment pad about 2 — 5 feet from the pool filter. Check the necessary clearances in the instructions to ensure that the heater is far enough away from all other structures, but place the pad no farther than necessary. Putting your heater farther than necessary from the pool or filter will require you to run extra lengths of pipe to hook the heater up, and will be more costly.
The output from the heater will be attached to the return line going back to the pool. Use schedule 40 PVC pipe for this. For more information, take a look at the online schematics found here. The gas line to the pool heater will have to be laid as well. Lou mentions a couple very important points in his videos. This natural gas pipe sizing chart will help you pick the right pipe for the pool heater. He also mentions that your gas meter may not be the right size, depending on the size of the pool heater.
West: Southwest: Midwest: Northeast: Southeast: Heating and Cooling Your Pool. Geothermal Pool Heat Pumps. Fill out a contact form to get a personalized response from our pool heating experts. Your heat pump is not only a great investment, but also the most cost efficient method available for heating pools and spas. Should you ever require help in using or maintaining your heat pump, you will find poolheatpumps. We are here for you! It might be necessary to have a licensed electrician or natural gas professional assist you so that your heater is installed properly and safely.
Remember that all pool heater models will require varying guidelines in regard to proper clearance and ventilation and all manufacturer specifications should be strictly adhered to. If you properly install and maintain your heat pump pool heater, it can easily last five to ten years or longer and maximize energy efficiency. We recommend having a qualified pool professional or electrician install the heater.
Especially for electrical wiring and hookups. Heat pumps need plenty of air circulation and work best outside with plenty of clearance surrounding the unit with no obstructions. Take care in selecting the location for your heater; on level ground near a pool pump or filter and ensure that air flow is restricted. Install the heater as close to the filter as possible and approximately 25 feet away from the swimming pool. Installing the unit any farther may cause heat loss since tubing is underground.
An "ideal" installation will have about 24" of clearance around the unit with no obstructions above. We have seen many exceptions and if you believe you have one, call us and we can go over it. If you're not sure where to install the heater pump, contact us to make sue that the capacity of the heater is adequate for your pool and the distance between the heat pump and filter. After you get the unit wired by a licensed electrician and plumbed, you are all set to turn it on.
This is where you will need to read your Owner's Manual as every pool heat pump has different controls. Ensure that all valves are open to allow water to get to the pool heat pump.
Sometimes valves may look open, but they are actually closed. Your heat pump will only run if your water pump is running. There are instances where the heat pump can still run if the water pump is off, but this is very rare and is only on select plumbing installations where siphoning occurs; this must be corrected.
When the unit is running in heating mode, make sure that the air being exhausted from the top is cooler than the ambient air. This is a sure sign that the pool heat pump is working. If the heat pump is still running when your water pump is off, turn your heater off and call us or the manufacturer.
This will sometimes occur if the heater is set well below the water level of the pool or the flow switch needs to be adjusted.
Most heat pumps will shut down below 50 degrees Fahrenheit and start up again once the temperature gets above There are some heat pumps that will go below 50 degrees Fahrenheit if they have an active hot Freon defrost. You can improve the performance of your heat pump during cool days by using a solar blanket on the water. In some unique cases the use of a solar blanket is necessary for the heat pump to properly maintain high temperatures.