Heat Pumps -An Efficient Way to Heat Your Pool

There's no two ways about it - most pools aren't at a good temperature for swimming in year round. When winter makes the contrast of a chilly dip unpleasant rather than a relief, having a swimming pool heat pump can be a total boon. Not only will you increase the value of your home by installing one of these, you'll also make room for a ton of great family memories, and provide a way to keep fit in winter without making yourself sick.

There are a number of ways to heat a pool, including the use of swimming pool heat pumps, gas or solar panels. Swimming pool heat pumps don't generate heat. Instead they use electricity to capture heat and move it from one location to another. As the swimming pool's water is circulated by the pump, it is passed through a filter into which a heat pump is incorporated. The heat pump's fan draws outside air in, directing it over an evaporator coil containing a liquid refrigerant agent. This agent absorbs the air, becoming a warm gas that then passes through a compressor, becoming hotter as its particles are pushed more closely together.

The now hotter agent passes through a condenser, which transfers the heat of the gas to the relatively cool pool water circulating through the other end of the heater, returning to the pool where it increases the overall warmth of the pool, even as the gas returns to liquid form and goes back to the evaporator for its next cycle.

All science aside, essentially what swimming pool heat pumps represent is a more energy efficient solution to the problem of keeping your pool warm year-round. They work better than other in ground pool heaters, such as those involving solar paneling, because they're less seriously affected by changes in weather and the absence of direct sunlight. While they cost initially more than gas pump heating solutions, their long term cost is less due to their higher efficiency levels, in addition to which they have a significantly longer life span.

It's obvious that as with any machine that involves gas, heat coils and such, heat pumps for swimming pools are not things that you want installed in anything but the most professional manner. Make sure that the job's being done by someone with all the proper credentials (yes, there are pool professional credentials), preferably someone recommended to you by friends or family. Poor installation can mean that the pool pump won't operate optimally - you're going need someone that understands the physics and energy requirements of inground pool heaters.

The second uppermost concern is whether, even if you can afford to front the initials costs of installation, you're really ready for the financial burden of such a heating system. You may need to regiment how long your Swimming Pool Heat Pump is on each day to ensure your children don't saddle you with a debt you can't pay at month's end.