Heat pump recommendations

[Dpooltest]

I have a semi inground, 16x24 in Long Island NY. I am looking for heat pump recommendations and installers. I don’t have gas or oil, but I have a breaker in the panel next to pool. Pool used late May to sept/ oct
Thanks!

 

[ajw22]

What size is your breaker you plan to use for your HP?

How many gallons in your pool?

Heat Pump – Raypak

Raypak Pool & Spa, Residential and Commercial Hydronic Products -

www.raypak.com

AquaCal | Swimming Pool & Spa Heat Pumps | Pool Heater

We provide quality products, services, and maintenance for swimming pool heaters.

www.aquacal.com

Gulfstream Heat Pumps - Superior Pool Heat Pump Technology

Welcome to Gulfstream Heat Pumps, where superior pool heat pump technology meet American craftsmanship. Elevate your pool comfort today!

gulfstreamheatpump.com

 

[Dpooltest]

Pool is about 10400 gallons, 16x24x4’, panel is 60amp, has 15amp for timer, 20 amp gfi outlet, and a blank panel for heat pump,

 

[ajw22]

60 amp panel is going to be questionable when HPs require 40A-60A depending on the size HP. And you can only load a breaker to 80% of its rating. So 60A breaker should get a maximum load of 48A amps.

Before you go too far down the road you should have a licensed electric do a load analysis of what is connected to the panel plus whatever HP you want to get.

 

[Dpooltest]

I reached out to my electrician, who recommended that 60 amp would be fine for my setup when initially installing ( I’ll speak to him and get more details this week )
In the mean time, are there brands that are good, or things that I should look for?

 

[Dtkokay]

Make sure that the heater is plumbed with a bypass so that you can divert water around the heater if needed, such as for repairs to the heater.

My pool has only been running for 2 weeks, but I have an Aquacal brand heat pump, the Heatwave Superquiet model. It’s a combo heater and chiller. I don’t know if that’s a good brand, but my PB seems to spec good equipment.

 

[Newdude]

Allen linked the frequently preferred brands for you. Obviously you want the most BTUs which should be 140k for a heat pump. On LI you will need it as overkill as possible due to the early/late season low temps. It would have worked great this weekend in the 70s but for the next week + we are back with highs in the 50s and it will barely work if at all. Extra BTUs will allow you to heat faster for the short period of time during the day when it’s warm enough.

a solar cover is an absolute must. The first fall I had mine I thought it was neat to have the yard so foggy from the steam. Then I saw the electric bill and the 1st bills savings paid for the cover.

 

[Dpooltest]

So my electrician who installed, said I could put the biggest HP if I wanted and be fine. So assuming I could go with one that is 20/30 or 40 amp, which runs the range of 50k btu to 120+ what size do I really need?
I called a couple installers and one recommended a ~50k Btu, another said 80k will only take the chill out, and I was reccomeded over 110k.
New dude, what part of NY are you in, what size heat pump do you have?

I’m confused I thought the HP would need less BTU than an gas heater, I obviously don’t want to undersize, but I’m not sure what info is most relevant

thanks.

 

[ajw22]

1 BTU will raise 1 lb of water 1 degree. It does not matter where the BTUs to heat the water come from.

The more BTUs the happier you will be during the shoulder months that have cold nights and cool but sunny days when you want to swim in a warm pool. Lack of BTUs means there will be more conditions where you can't reach the heat you desire under the weather conditions.

Pentair has a Heat Pump Calculator to determine the appropriate size Heat Pump for your location. Pentair seems to do honest calculations based on the physics and efficiencies of each type of pump and energy source.

To get the most accurate cost comparison you should change the default electric kwh, natural gas price, and propane price to actual prices in your area.

 

[Dpooltest]

Does anyone have any experience or thoughts on AquaComfort, Nirvana, or TTI Fabrication heatpumps? Each pool builder has there own, one sells AquaCal (which I see was one of the original recommendations). Most sites (and builders) recommend a 50 -80k BTU size HP.

 

[ajw22]

They are pretty much a commodity using the same type of AC system parts. It is easy for companys to stick their own brand on a HP. Buy whichever you are most confident with their warranty and support.

The more BTU's the better for faster heating and less runtime.