Heat pump vs Propane heater - upstate NY

[dwizum]

Hi all,

Considering a method to heat other than our solar panels for this upcoming season. I know very little about pool heaters and have done some googling and thread searching on here and am still a bit confused.

I live in upstate NY, it's pretty cold here - we would like to extend the season a few weeks on each end and get warmer water during the summer. Don't have a need to swim when it's in the 50's though so don't care about ultimate power. We have propane onsite, no natural gas. Electric service panel and propane tank are both far from pool so either way we'll have some install cost to run lines. Pool is approx 24k gallons, inground. Temp last year when the solar panels was high 70's or low 80's on warmer days, mid 70's on colder days. Would be great to have it at or above 80 through the season, and get another week or two on either end where we can get it from low 70s to upper 70s.

Are there any calculators or comparison tools that aren't biased? Do people in colder climates actually use heat pumps? It seems like they're lower-powered in terms of BTUs and many of the threads I'm finding on here are from people in warmer climates. How do I size either style of unit to my pool and my needs? How do I compare them? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Sounds to me like a heat pump would be ideal. You absolutely need to cover the pool though or else you lose all the heat you add overnight.

The choice of heater is really determined by what you want to do and what’s available on site. Gas driven heaters will raise water temps faster than a heat pump but gas, especially propane, is much more expensive. If your electricity costs are not too high, then a heat pump will be less expensive, albeit slower, to heat a pool. However, heat pumps are very efficient at maintaining a pools temperature. They do need a dedicated electrical circuit, usually about 50 to 60Amps (they are like A/C units essentially).

Can you describe your equipment pad plumbing (pipe sizes, pump size and filter) so that we can better understand your hydraulics? Some heat pump models can add a lot of head loss to the system so you want to make sure your plumbing and pump can handle it.

 

[ajw22]

Do you care more about efficiency or effectiveness? HP will be more efficient; propane heater will be more effective.

The two pictures below show the challange of a HP in your area.

A 140K BTU heat pump may raise the temp of your 24K gallon pool by 1/4 to 1/2 degree an hour during the warm hours of the day. You will not get maximum performance out of the HP most of the time.

I doubt the HP will do much for you in May. Once your pool gets up to desired temperature in June the HP should be able to maintain the temp if you are diligent about covering the pool when not in use. The HP may give you another 2-3 weeks in September depending on when it starts getting cold.

A HP will likely work fine for you when we have a warm summer. When we have a cold wet summer it will likely struggle.

Also, you will need to run your pump a large portion of the day if not 24/7 to allow the HP to generate heat when necessary.

A propane heater will give you the heat you want when you want it. You will just have to manage the propane cost versus the benefit of having a warmer pool. A 400K BTU heater should raise your water temp about 1.75 degrees an hour, whatever the air temperature is.

All heaters will struggle to raise pool water temperature above air temperature unless the pool is covered.

Syracuse NY average temperature

• ajw22
• Feb 23, 2019

Heat Pump Performance

• ajw22
• Feb 23, 2019

Pentair Ultratemp Heat Pump BTU Output by OAT