What Are Heat Pumps
Heat pumps are simply pool heaters. In fact they are the alternative to pool heaters. So instead of using natural gas or propane heaters you can switch or intstall a heat pump. Heat pumps use no gas and much less energy to heat your swimming pool. A heat pump combined with a solar blanket is the best and least expensive (not to mention energy efficient) way to heat your swimming pool.
How Do Heat Pumps Work
Heat pumps don’t create heat like most gas heaters do. Instead, they use electricity to capture heat and apply it to your pool water. Your swimming pool pump moves the water through the filter system and then into the heat pump. Your heat pump uses a fan that captures the air outside and passes it over an evaporator coil. From there, liquid refrigerant in the evaporator coil absorbs the heat from the outside air brought in from the fan and becomes a warm gas. Then that gas runs through a compressor, which increases the heat. Then that heat passes through a condenser. From there the condenser moves the heat from the hot gas to the pool water that is passing through the heater. The now heated pool water then returns to the swimming pool. The hot gas, as it flows through the condenser coil, returns to liquid form and back to the evaporator, where the whole process begins again.
Heat pump pool heaters work efficiently as long as the outside temperature remains above the 45ºF–50ºF range. The cooler the outside air they draw in, the more energy they use. However, since most people use outdoor swimming pools during warm and mild weather, this usually isn't an issue.
