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Speak With One of Our Heat Pumps Experts
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All About Heat Pumps
- How A Heat Pump Works
- Why Buy a Heat Pump?
- What to Look for When Purchasing a Heat Pump
- Typical Heat Pump Installation
- Heat Pump Troubleshooting
Heat
Pumps are a wonderful way to raise the temperature of your swimming
pool in the spring and fall allowing for an extended swimming season.
Besides this they are a wonderful way to maintain the temperature of your
swimming pool throughout the season. Because heat pumps run on electricity
and transfer heat from the ambient air temperature you don't need to worry
about buying or running out of expensive fuels such as oil or propane
every time you want to heat your pool. But what exactly is a heat pump
and how does it heat your swimming pool?
How A Heat Pump Works
A heat pump works using refrigerant technology to capture the heat in the outside air and transfer it to the pool water. Refrigerant is used because of it's ability to absorb and transfer heat energy. The process that a heat pump uses to heat your pool water is as follows:
The fan circulates air through an evaporator air coil that acts as a
heat collector. The liquid refrigerant in the air coil absorbs the available
heat in the ambient air, transforming it into gas. The refrigerant gas
is then pumped into the compressor. When this warmed gas is compressed
it intensifies, or concentrates, the heat like a magnifying glass in the
sun. This intensely hot gas is then pumped into the heat exchanger condenser,
where the actual heat transfer takes place. As the pool water passes through
the heat exchanger, the hot gas gives up its heat to the cooler pool water.
The refrigerant returns to a liquid state and is pumped through the expansion
valve then into the evaporator air coil to start the process all over
again.
Why Buy a Heat Pump?
There are many reasons to consider purchasing a heat pump to heat your swimming pool:
Heat Pumps Cost Less to Run
Although heat pumps are generally more expensive to purchase than traditional pool heaters, their cost of operation is far less. This is because pool heat pumps transfer energy in the form of heat to your pool water instead of using fuels such as natural gas, or liquid propane, to create energy. Depending on the cost of electricity versus the cost of natural gas,or liquid propane in your area, heat pumps can cost anywhere from 2 to 5 times less than traditional pool heaters to operate. That means you'll make back your initial investment rather quickly and everything else will just be money in your pocket.
Heat Pumps are Safe & Easy to Operate
Heat pumps are the safest of all pool heaters because they operate without the aid of flammable gases such as natural gas or propane. Because a heat pump transfers energy from the ambient air there is no need to continually refill fuel tanks every time you'd like to use your pool heater.
Heat Pumps Last Longer and Require Less Maintenance
Heat Pumps are Environmentally Safe
With heat pumps transferring heat from the air, the only by product that is expelled from the heat pump is AIR!
Heat Pumps Give You Warm Water Affordably Whenever You Want It
Heat pumps can work in temperatures as low as 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Any colder than that and the chances are you won't be interested in swimming anyway! Once the desired temperature is reached in your pool, a heat pump will only come on when that temperature falls a few degrees below you desired temperature. At that point a heat pump will turn itself back on and bring the pool water back to your desired temperature. This way a heat pump only runs when it has to and ensures the water will always be just the right temperature!
What to Look for When Purchasing a Heat Pump
When
purchasing a pool heat pump it is important to by from a company that
offers experience, quality, and warranty service support.
Finding a company that offers the latest in advanced technology will ensure
you get a fully automatic, set-it-and-forget-it type swimming pool heat
pump. Find how different brands perform with regard to the capacity of
your swimming pool and make sure the heat pump you buy will operate in
temperatures down to about 45 degrees so you can extend your swimming
pool season from early in the spring to late into the fall. If you currently
run a chlorine generation system or some other alternative sanitizing
system in your swimming pool it would be good to find a model that contains
a titanium heat exchanger as certain chemical conditions can cause premature
failure of traditional cupronickel alloy heat exchangers.
Typical Heat Pump Installation
Heat pumps will typically be installed somewhere after your pump and
filter but before any chemical feeders in your pool plumbing. This set
up will ensure maximum efficiency of your 
heat
pump while preventing any premature corrosion due to high chemical concentrations.Also,
heat pumps will need at least a full 2 feet of clearance around the entire
unit and 5 feet of clearance in front of the fan that blows cooled air
out of the unit. This will maximize efficiency by making sure that the
intake fan is always drawing in the warmest air possible not just recirculating
cold air that has been passed over the heat pump evaporator coil once
already.
Heat Pump Troubleshooting
It is important to remember that the heat pump will naturally produce condensation. If the ground below your heat pump always seems to be wet it does not necessarily mean that you have a leak in the system as a heat pump system can produce up to 6-8 gallons of condensate per hour of operation. An easy way to test if there is a leak or not is to use test strips to test for the presence of chlorine. If there is no chlorine present the water is most likely just simple condensation.
If your heat pump fails to turn on your should first check to see if the power light is on. If it isn't you should check to make sure the breaker has not been tripped, and reset it if necessary. Another important thing to remember is that your heat pump will automatically turn off if there is not a sufficient flow rate of water to the heat pump. This automatic shut off is to prevent damage to your heater. So if your heat pump fails to turn on it may be a flow rate problem. Check to make sure that your pool pump is functioning properly and that your filter is not clogged.
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