Heat Pump Recommendation/Sanity Check for Small Pool

[illdonkulous]

Hi all,

Long time lurker (and user of the TFP app) first time poster. Pool in my sig is what I'm trying to figure out how to tackle. My post is mostly to get a sanity check here. I'm a former CPO and did all my plumbing and programming (that part was new to me) for my pool. However, none of the pools I managed in the past were heated, let alone had heat pumps. I've been doing research, generally familiar with heat pumps and how they work.

Primary goal is to extend the swim season, with just over 2000 gallons and limited to using an existing 60 amp sub panel I'm trying to follow ajw22's advice from a thread I found during my research and:

Get the largest HP your budget and electrical panel can handle.

Since I have a pump, SWG, lights, and a number of other items already powered off that 60 amp sub panel (and no cost effective way of adding capacity out there) I'm limiting my search to 30 amp max. I also had a custom, spa-style folding cover made for the pool so I have additional insulation when things get chilly.

Part of me was wondering if it's a fool's errand after seeing 50-60 amp requirements for larger units, but I've encountered two newer, inverter heat pumps that may fit the bill. I have one of those cheap inverter mini-splits heating and cooling my detached garage and I'm consistently amazed by how well it works (and has lasted). The two units I'm considering are:

1. FibroPool FH285-i 85,500 BTW "Full Inverter" Heat Pump
2. Raypak CROSSWIND-65-I

I think I could wire them with my Omni but I feel like it makes more sense to try and take advantage of the inverter, which means I'll need to make sure that I'm circulating enough water through my VSP to trigger the flow switch, right? I can probably try to time that though automation.

While it's been around for a few years, I've seen only a few people post about the Raypak, not a lot of long term experiences being conveyed.

Any thoughts on the FibroPool product? It seems newer than the Raypak, and I thought they might be rebranding a cheap generic product but I haven't seen a similar form factor.

Anyway, thanks for any input or guidance!

 

[ajw22]

Welcome to TFP.

The FibroPool FH-285-i specs say it can do 85,000 BTU with 20 amps.

The Crosswinds 50-I says 45,000 BTU at 20 amps, and the 65-I says 61,000 BTU at 25 amps.

I am skeptical that FibroPool can do twice the performance of the 50-I with 20 amps.

The NEC says a circuit shall only be loaded to 80% of its breaker capacity. So, the maximum load on a 60-amp circuit is 48 amps. Take that into consideration when determining the size of the heat pump you can connect.

Heat Pump Basics - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[zicomor]

Hi there. New member here. I went through the same exercise as you a few months ago and ended up going for the Fibropool.

The choice of heat pump really depends on pool size, primarily surface area since most of the heat losses will be evaporative. If you plan on using a solar cover this will drop your energy needs (and cost) significantly but I personally did not want to have to rely on one. I also wanted to be able to run the heater year round, which is why I was looking at inverter models.

I have an 11,000 gallon pool. I was on the fence about the Fibropool, mostly because of the lack of reviews online. Raypaks are made by Rheem which is well known in the HVAC industry, but I did not think 65k BTU would be enough for my needs. I also considered the Dr Heater on Amazon but as far as I could tell there seems to be no support whatsoever.

I’ve now had the heater for a few months and it works very well. They’re a US based company from Missouri which means if you have any issues you can give them a call and talk to a US based person right away. I stressed tested the system after a cold front - it managed to hold the water temperature in the mid 80s despite air temperatures in the 50s overnight. Since then I’ve added a solar cover to keep the temperature at 86-88 degrees for the kids swim lessons.

As part of my research I looked at other units too including Aquacals, Haywards, Jandys, Pentairs, etc. These were several times the cost and many voided warranty if you did your own installation. They’re also hard to find online, you pretty much need to go through a distributor. For example, I was quoted close to 10K for an Aquacal inverter unit.

Hope this helps.