Pool Heating: Solar vs. Gas-Fired

What’s pool heating, and what kinds of pool heaters are available?

Pool heaters maintain the comfortable temperature of a pool when you’d like the water to be warmer than the air. There are those who like jumping into the ocean in the dead of winter, and those who prefer to wait until summer to swim, and even then the sun’s heat is not enough; they want the pool to be warm, like a bath. To each his (or her) own. And luckily, there are a few kinds of heaters to choose from.

Overall, the reason one choice is preferable to another has to do with your energy costs, your “green”-consciousness (or your desire to possess more efficient heating systems), and the climate you live in. If you live in a very hot climate, you probably don’t have a need for immediate, rapid heating of the pool – that is, you’d accept a gradual heating process if it meant paying less for energy and consuming less fossil fuels.

The basic options that we’ll be discussing are standard gas-fired heating systems and solar heating systems. To understand the benefits and drawbacks to each kind of heater, you also need to understand how they work on a fundamental level. Check it out.

Gas-fired: This is the standard and most popular heating system. Though it would be easy to say that gas-fired heaters have been inefficient gas guzzlers over the years, it would be incorrect if we’re talking about many models currently available. There are a number of high-efficiency pool heaters out there that run on propane or natural gas. You can check on the US Department of Energy’s website for information about these heaters.

So, how do they work? First of all, gas-fired heaters burn natural gas or propane. The combustion produces heat that will heat the pool water. Water is pumped through a filter to remove debris. It is then pumped by the heater’s combustion chamber. The heat transfers to the water. The warm water is pumped back into the pool. The cycle continues.

Gas-fired heaters are most efficient when they are not on for a long time, but when they are heating water over a short time. This is possible because these heaters work very quickly, so they don’t have to be left on for long to achieve desired results. Consider the costs, though.

We’ll take New York as an example: If you don’t use a pool cover, heating a pool with a gas-fired heater from May 1 to August 31 at 78 degrees Fahrenheit will cost $1448; at 80 degrees, $1904; and at 82 degrees, $2384.

Solar: This system uses the pool’s existing pump to drive water through solar collectors where it is heated. The system can run on automatic sensors that notice a change (such as a dip) in temperature. This activates the system to keep the pool water at a desired temperature even as the air temperature falls.

Water passes through a filter, and is then pumped through the solar collector plates. Heat is transferred from the plates to the water. The warm water is pumped back into the pool.

Solar heaters are generally considered the most efficient way to heat a pool. There is no fuel cost involved, and the energy is free. Additionally, no greenhouse gases are produced as a bi-product of solar heating.

Hybrid: This system uses a solar heating platform as the primary source of heat. It reverts to a gas or electric heating system as backup if the solar heater is not performing as fast as desired, or if it can’t collect the required amount of energy to properly heat the water.