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I live in Southern California and want to install a pool heater to extend the swim season (for my kids). I've been wondering how heat pump pool heaters compare

I live in Southern California and want to install a pool heater to extend the swim season (for my kids). I've been wondering how heat pump pool heaters compare to the more common natural gas heaters (both in terms of cost and effectiveness).

_aavaa_ 4y ago
See the other comment with the YouTube video. He argues at one point that it's more efficient to burn the gas for energy and power the heat pump with it, then it is to use the gas for heating directly. I imagine that might hold for the pool too. Though it would probably be a little less efficient since the water temperature would probably be higher than the air temperature inside the house.
iancmceachern 4y ago
The key with something like this is combining it with your house hvac. Assuming you have a heat pump based AC for your house (a safe assumption in so cal), you simply use the hot side of your houses AC heat pump circuit, heat that you normally just vent out to the atmosphere, and use that waste heat to heat your pool. Basically you put a heat exchanger where the radiator (hot side of the AC) was. Instead of putting the heat into the air through aluminum fins and fans, you put it into water flowing in copper pipes, then circulate that water into your pool. This way you heat your pool for free (at least no more than you were paying before to cool your house). The bonus is that the heat exchangers with water sinks are super efficient.
- jrussino 4y ago
  I saw an episode of This Old House where they installed a setup like that: https://www.thisoldhouse.com/heating-cooling/21017234/how-to-heat-a-swimming-pool-with-an-air-conditioner https://www.thisoldhouse.com/heating-cooling/21017234/how-to... This company sells the product they're using: https://www.hotspotenergy.com/pool-heater/ https://www.hotspotenergy.com/pool-heater/ It seems like a good idea to me, but from what I can tell it's quite uncommon (why?).
  - iancmceachern 4y ago
    I think it's because the pool stuff is sold and installed by the pool people (with no need for a certified HVAC person), and the HVAC stuff is installed by a HVAC person with no need for plumbing. It's like why you get certain procedures from the cardiologist in the cath lab, and some procedures by a cardiac surgeon in the OR, sometimes the same procedure.
bergenty 4y ago
So cal gets cold?
- jrussino 4y ago
  It's all relative, right? It doesn't get cold enough to build a snowman, but it gets cold enough to make a 5 year old shiver in a swimming pool.

_aavaa_ 4y ago

See the other comment with the YouTube video. He argues at one point that it's more efficient to burn the gas for energy and power the heat pump with it, then it is to use the gas for heating directly. I imagine that might hold for the pool too. Though it would probably be a little less efficient since the water temperature would probably be higher than the air temperature inside the house.

iancmceachern 4y ago

The key with something like this is combining it with your house hvac. Assuming you have a heat pump based AC for your house (a safe assumption in so cal), you simply use the hot side of your houses AC heat pump circuit, heat that you normally just vent out to the atmosphere, and use that waste heat to heat your pool. Basically you put a heat exchanger where the radiator (hot side of the AC) was. Instead of putting the heat into the air through aluminum fins and fans, you put it into water flowing in copper pipes, then circulate that water into your pool. This way you heat your pool for free (at least no more than you were paying before to cool your house). The bonus is that the heat exchangers with water sinks are super efficient.

jrussino 4y ago
I saw an episode of This Old House where they installed a setup like that: https://www.thisoldhouse.com/heating-cooling/21017234/how-to-heat-a-swimming-pool-with-an-air-conditioner https://www.thisoldhouse.com/heating-cooling/21017234/how-to... This company sells the product they're using: https://www.hotspotenergy.com/pool-heater/ https://www.hotspotenergy.com/pool-heater/ It seems like a good idea to me, but from what I can tell it's quite uncommon (why?).
- iancmceachern 4y ago
  I think it's because the pool stuff is sold and installed by the pool people (with no need for a certified HVAC person), and the HVAC stuff is installed by a HVAC person with no need for plumbing. It's like why you get certain procedures from the cardiologist in the cath lab, and some procedures by a cardiac surgeon in the OR, sometimes the same procedure.

bergenty 4y ago

So cal gets cold?

jrussino 4y ago
It's all relative, right? It doesn't get cold enough to build a snowman, but it gets cold enough to make a 5 year old shiver in a swimming pool.