Choosing a Heat Pump

Pool Type

Surprisingly, Fibreglass Pools are the warmest of all. Concrete Pools are tricky, as they conduct heat/cold through the concrete to the soil, so effectively you are heating the water, the concrete & the soil surround. Vinyl in-ground pools are not too bad, but any portion of a Vinyl Pool that is out of the ground really drains the heat from the water quite quickly.

The importance of a Pool Cover

If you choose not to use a cover on your pool at all, please expect to be recommended a larger size Heat Pump as a cover slows down heat loss dramatically. A simple Solar Blanket (one of the bubble wrap covers) works really well at retaining heat on an outdoor pool. On an indoor pool a Thermal Blanket is the recommendation. If a cover is not possible, please consider the use of Liquid Blanket. This is the fallback option as it does retain some heat in the water as well as slowing down water evaporation.

The Pool Environment

This plays a huge role in determining the size and model of Heat Pump required. The warmer the ambient air, the smaller the Heat Pump. The colder the ambient air, the larger the Heat Pump. This includes night time as well as day time. Therefore, where you live & the typical weather temperatures for your location play a huge role in choosing a size. Wind is often an over-looked factor. Wind can rip the heat our of pool water. Choosing a larger size can combat these issues.

Sun on the water of the pool helps a lot as well as access to sun-warmed ambient air. Indoor Pools are notoriously difficult to heat as they usually have neither. Again, a larger size can overcome this problem.

What Type & Model of Heat Pump Would Work Best For Me

Type of Heat Pump:

The position of the Heat Pump may determine the type of Heat Pump you purchase; a front venting or top venting model. Heat Pumps must be able to ‘breathe’; have enough ambient air to draw in for the heat exchange process and then enough open air space to vent out the cold air.

Front venting models draw in warm ambient air pre-dominantly from the back, requiring 300-500mm clearance from any obstruction. They vent the cold air out in front (horizontally) and require up to 3m (dependent on the obstruction; solid or partial) open air clearance out in front.

Top venting models draw in the warm ambient air from the back, left & right sides, requiring 200-500mm clearance from any obstruction. The cold air is is vented up (vertically) requiring up to 2m (dependent on the obstruction; solid or partial) open air clearance above.

Failure to provide the right ventilation may result in reduced efficiency and increased noise. Summerwave have Installers & Technicians who are happy to assist with choosing the right position for your preferred Heat Pump model to maximize efficiency.

Front Venting Heat Pump                               VS                                     Top Venting Heat Pump

Model of Pool Heat Pump

Once you have a type of Heat Pump in mind (front or top venting) you need to choose a model. Most people choose a model based on one of three things:

• Efficiency – this also impacts on your Carbon Footprint. The more efficient a Heat Pump the less power is drawn to do the same job, therefore the smaller your Carbon Footprint.
• Power – are you restricted by the power you have available? Do you want a 3 Phase power unit? Do you only have Single Phase power? Do you only want a plug-in model even if it means it is not as efficient?
• Size – In Pool Heat Pumps, bigger is better. Bigger means it will use less electricity to heat the pool. However, if you have loads of PVC Rooftop Solar Panel to offset your house electricity, it can potentially cost you nothing at all to heat your pool. In this instance there may be no advantage to go bigger than what you need, simply stay with the size that is right for your pool and your requirements.

Please call our expert team or drop us an email. We would love to assist you with the right type, model and most importantly; size! We really do have a model to suit just about everyone.