Does a heat pump work in San Diego?

[jcarr22]

Hello Everyone --

We live in San Marcos, CA (approximately 35 miles north of San Diego) and want to extend our pool season a few more months (start April 1st/end Nov 30). Our pool is currently heated only using solar panels/solar cover, but I am considering installing a secondary heat source. We are on propane and just had a 9.3 kwH solar electric system installed. I've always heard that using a gas or electric heater is extremely expensive. In light of this, I've been considering purchasing a heat pump for our small, in-ground pool (11K gallons and no spa).

The problem I'm encountering while researching heat pumps is I can't find a definitive answer on how they perform in the SoCal climate. Temps at our house reach triple digits during the summer, but I was told by several pool professionals that a high outside temperature isn't the key to a heat pump performing well...it also requires high humidity levels.

I'm hoping there are TFP members (living in SoCal) who are willing to share their experiences with heat pumps. Any information/advice would be appreciated.

Conky

Hi! I realize this is a very old thread, but did you end up installing a heat pump. I happen to also live in San Marcos and am in the middle of build. I'd love to use electric to heat our pool and gas to heat our spa. We consistently run a $700 credit on our electric from our solar panels. Thank you in advance!

 

[jcarr22]

We just started construction on our pool and spa. Pool will be roughly 11.5 x 35 ft and the spa 8 x 9 ft. My question is if it's possible to use gas to heat our spa and use electricity to heat our pool. The price of gas has gone up quite dramatically in our area. Electricity is expensive too but we have 24 solar panels and we consistently over-produce with a $700 - $800 credit on our bill. It'd be great if we could use some of our excess electricity to heat our pool. I've read mixed reviews on heat pumps in our climate - hot and dry. Some say they work great. Others say they won't work because of lack of humidity. I'm about 10 miles inland. Has anyone install a heat pump here? Is there another electric option besides a heat pump? Thank you in advance!

 

[flynwill]

I would expect a heat pump to work great in San Marcos, particularly if you are just trying to extend the season a few months (or want to swim in February when a warm spell like the current one hits). One big thing to consider, particularly if you have a new build, is installing a motorized cover. A cover makes a big difference in the amount of heat lost to evaporation (which is probably were the "heat pumps don't work well in dry climates" story comes from). They will be slower. The biggest ones generally available are about 1/3 the capacity of the typical gas pool heater under ideal conditions, and about 1/4 to 1/5 the capacity if the air is colder than the pool water by more than 20 degrees or so.

Some of the automation experts will have to chime in as to whether on not it's possible to have both the heat pump for the pool and a gas heater for the spa.

 

[jcarr22]

I would expect a heat pump to work great in San Marcos, particularly if you are just trying to extend the season a few months (or want to swim in February when a warm spell like the current one hits). One big thing to consider, particularly if you have a new build, is installing a motorized cover. A cover makes a big difference in the amount of heat lost to evaporation (which is probably were the "heat pumps don't work well in dry climates" story comes from). They will be slower. The biggest ones generally available are about 1/3 the capacity of the typical gas pool heater under ideal conditions, and about 1/4 to 1/5 the capacity if the air is colder than the pool water by more than 20 degrees or so.

Some of the automation experts will have to chime in as to whether on not it's possible to have both the heat pump for the pool and a gas heater for the spa.

Thank you so much for the reply! Unfortunately I'm not sure we can swing a motorized cover since our pool isn't perfectly rectangle. Would love one though.