In our 3 pool stores we have a selection of heat pumps, oil/gas boilers and electric heaters to keep your pool temperature warm. The swimming pool heat pump is by far the most popular as its offers a very efficient form of energy to heat your pool and can provide quite significant cost saving over the gas/oil boilers and electric heaters.
A heat pump can offer the efficiency of upto a 5:1 ratio meaning for every £1 of electricity you use to heat your pool the heat pump gives you £5 worth of heat to your pool. If you compare this to the other forms of heating your pool –
- A Element Electric Heater £1 IN approx £1 OUT
- A Condensing Boiler £1 IN approx 90p OUT
- A Standard Gas/Oil Boiler £1 IN approx 80p OUT
How a Heat Pump Works?
The basic principal is that using fridge technology, the Heat Pump extracts energy from the outside air and turns it into heat; this heat is then transferred to the pool water through a heat exchanger, the waste cold air is discharged from the side or the top of the unit.
What type of pool will a Heat Pump heat?
A Heat Pump will heat all types of pool, Above Ground, Inground, One Piece, Liner and Concrete Tile. Heat Pumps are recommended for use with the pool in the summer season, May-Sept, or you can size them up for April – November (extended Season Model). There are units available to work throughout the year for indoor pools, but because the outside temperature is so low you require a much larger unit especially designed to extract heat down below freezing.
What’s A Heat Pump’s life expectancy?
A good quality Heat Pump should last over 20 years, we only source reliable US and European Heat Pumps.
Do Heat Pumps require an annual service?
No, we recommend that you service them after 5 years then again every 5 or 6 years, this gives a huge saving over conventional boilers which require an annual service.
Do Heat Pumps suffer if your chemical balance is incorrect?
Most good quality Heat Pumps now come with Titanium Heat Exchangers, this special metal is much more resilient against low PH, again most units with Titanium come with very long warrantees on the Heat Exchanger, other heating systems DON’T have Titanium so are more likely to fail.
Heat Pump Sizing Table
| Pool Size (ft) | M(sq) | Gallons | Litres | Summer
May-Sept |
Extended Season
April-Oct |
| 18 x 8 | 13.4 | 3,500 | 15,250 | 3kw | 4.5kw |
| 20 x 10 | 19.0 | 5,000 | 22,500 | 4.5kw | 6kw |
| 24 x 12 | 27.0 | 7,000 | 31,500 | 6kw | 9kw |
| 26 x 12 | 29.0 | 8,000 | 36,000 | 9kw | 12kw |
| 28 x 14 | 36.0 | 10,000 | 45,000 | 9kw | 14kw |
| 30 x 14 | 39.0 | 11,000 | 49,500 | 14kw | 20kw |
| 30 x 15 | 42.0 | 12,500 | 56,250 | 14kw | 20kw |
| 32 x 16 | 47.0 | 14,500 | 65,250 | 20kw | 24kw |
| 36 x 18 | 60.0 | 18,000 | 81,000 | 24kw | 30kw |
| 40 x 20 | 74.0 | 22,500 | 101,250 | 30kw | 32kw |
N:B – It’s always best to go up a size to give you extra in reserve. The above sizing graph assumes the following conditions:
- The pool is 3ft – 6ft deep with an average depth of 4.5ft
- It is located in a sheltered location
- The use of a Gold/Blue 500Micron Solar blanket
- Low wind speed
- No water table
- Average outside temperature 15°C (59F)
- Humidity 60%
- Desired water temperature 28°C (84F)