Every spring swimming pool owners look forward to the day their pool water will be warm enough for swimming. The water warms during the warm spring and fall days but cools again in the longer chilly nights. It may take a month or more before the water is warm enough for a pleasant dip. But what if you could “save” your summer swimming season, lengthening it by several weeks, or even months? With a swimming pool heater you can do exactly that!

In the spring and autumn months and in areas with cool summers you can warm the water in your pool with a pool heater. Considerably more heat is lost from above ground pools since they do not have the earth to insulate them and add warmth from the soil. A lot of heat is lost through the exposed sides of an above ground pool.

There are three main types of swimming pool heaters to choose from.

The most popular, most efficient, least costly pool heaters are the natural gas / propane heaters. Most models can be fitted to whichever form of gas is prevalent in your area. The Jandy Jandy LXi heater is a great example of a highly energy efficient, easy to install gas heater. Gas heats water the fastest and is best when you need to raise the water temperature a number of degrees. Today’s natural gas / propane heaters carry energy efficiency ratings between 81% and 95%, making them the most popular type of pool heater. Thermostatic controls ensure that the heater only runs when the water temperature falls below the set level. Consider hiring a professional plumber to install your gas pool heater to insure that all connections are properly made and that all safety precautions have been taken.

Electric powered pool heaters, usually called heat pumps, pull heat from the air to warm your pool’s water. The AquaPro Pro 600 is an excellent example of a high efficiency, high quality heat pump. It works like your home air conditioner in reverse. Therefore, a heat pump requires an air temperature of 50 degrees Farenheit or above to work effectively. Electric heaters, or heat pumps, are usually more expensive to operate but may be used at night, in combination with a solar heater, to maintain the heat that was gained during the day.

Solar pool heaters, the third main type, are rapidly gaining ground as pool owners become more environmentally conscious. Solar pool heaters operate by passing your pool’s water through black tubes that have absorbed the sun’s heat. The heat is then transferred to the water and returned to the pool by your existing pump. Since it utilizes your pool’s existing pump and filtration system, there is no cost to operate a solar pool heater, but the initial installation cost can be comparatively high. With a solar pool heating system virtually all of the cost is upfront. Over the life of the system you would quickly find it to be the least expensive type of pool heater system to own Another possible downside to a solar heating system is the space required to house the solar panels either on the ground or on a roof. The usual recommendation is that the solar array should have an area equal to the surface area of the swimming pool. If you live in an area where summers are very hot, a solar heater can be run at night to cool overheated pool water. For in ground pools, Enersol Solar heaters are an excellent choice, carrying an 18 year warranty, one of the longest in the industry.

Whether you have a pool heater or not, a solar pool cover, or solar blanket, is a great advantage to have. Solar covers are made from thin but very durable plastic sheets with insulating bubbles of air between the layers. They resemble the packaging material “bubble wrap”. A solar cover floats atop the water and conducts sunlight into the water to heat it. At night, the cover insulates against heat loss. A solar cover will increase the effectiveness of any other pool heating method by holding in the heat that is gained during the day. As an added benefit, it will also reduce water and chemical evaporation and prevents dirt and debris from entering the pool while it’s covered, reducing maintenance and stress on your filtration system.

To assist you in putting the cover on and off, a solar reel is available and can be permanently attached to the sides of your above ground pool.

As you can see, there is a swimming pool heater for just about every situation. A number of pool heater models have been introduced that utilize new materials to make them more durable and new technologies that make them more energy-efficient. In choosing the right heater for your pool you will need to factor in the availability and price of fuel, the size of your pool that determines the size of heater you need, and how much and how fast you want to raise the temperature of your water. Get your pool heater today. Start swimming sooner and keep swimming longer.

Tags: AquaPro Pro 600 heat pump, Enersol Solar pool heater, Jandy LXi Low NOx heater, swimming pool heater