Installing a heater in a pool without a main drain?

[quaco]

My first question on this site!

Didn't see the answer anywhere else, so thought I would ask afresh ...

Are there any issues with installing a pool heater when there is no main drain? My folks' pool has never been heated. Years ago, the main drain was plugged because there was some leakage in the pipes down there, and it's been doing fine with just the skimmer.

They discussed heating it some time ago, but got the response it wouldn't be wise since there's no main drain. Is this true?? If so, is there a way to use a pump down in the deep end?

Feel free to ask for any specifics. I'll try to answer them if I can!

Thank you!

 

[mknauss]

That is a new one. I would have no idea what a heater and main drain would have in common! You need water flow through the heater to satisfy the pressure switch in it. Other than that, it does not care were the water comes from!

Now, in the past, there may have been a thought that you need to pull the cold water off the bottom of the pool, but dispersal of heat is pretty good. There are some people that advocate adding deep returns for the heater. But in Los Angeles, were you never really get cold, I would not think it really matters.

Take care.

 

[mknauss]

Do consider using a solar blanket/cover if you plan to heat the pool. It is very difficult to retain your heat unless you cover it. Evaporation at night is what cools the water in your pool. So by nearly eliminating that with a cover, you can retain a significant amount of your heat.

 

[quaco]

That is a new one. I would have no idea what a heater and main drain would have in common! You need water flow through the heater to satisfy the pressure switch in it. Other than that, it does not care were the water comes from!

Thank you. Your logic makes complete sense. I will confirm with my parents that I've not gotten something mixed up here because, as you've noted, it really shouldn't matter!

 

[quaco]

Now, in the past, there may have been a thought that you need to pull the cold water off the bottom of the pool, but dispersal of heat is pretty good. There are some people that advocate adding deep returns for the heater. But in Los Angeles, were you never really get cold, I would not think it really matters.

Do you think it might make any sense to add some sort of PVC tubing going into the pool (i.e., not built-in) as deep returns for the heated water? Not the most attractive, but might make it more evenly distributed. (Then again, if you're swimming in it, you're mixing it up anyway.) Just a thought.

 

[ka8yiu]

We just had a heater installed in the last month. Our main drain had also been closed off before we bought the house. Our installer knew if the drain, and never said anything about it. So far, so good.

 

[PoolGate]

The returns are more important than the drains. Where are the returns located?

 

[mknauss]

Do you think it might make any sense to add some sort of PVC tubing going into the pool (i.e., not built-in) as deep returns for the heated water? Not the most attractive, but might make it more evenly distributed. (Then again, if you're swimming in it, you're mixing it up anyway.) Just a thought.

I would not put something like that in = not very attractive as you say! If your returns have eyeballs in them, or you can change them out to eyeballs, you could point the returns down and that would help - but as you said - swim in it. That will mix it up. I do not thing you will notice that much difference anyway.

 

[borjis]

A lot of that depends on the pool shape under the water.

My first plaster pool, (vertical walls) definitely needed the deep end return pointing
at an angle down to keep cold spots from happening.

But my second vinyl lined pool with angled walls did not need that.
Both jets are pointed horizontal mainly to push debris into the
skimmer and somehow I've never had cold spots in the deep end.

 

[Brianf60]

We have a heater and no main drain. So do my wife's parents. The only issue is sometimes the deepest parts are a little colder. At least until the kids are in for 5 minutes. They circulate the water very well!

 

[quaco]

A lot of that depends on the pool shape under the water.

My first plaster pool, (vertical walls) definitely needed the deep end return pointing
at an angle down to keep cold spots from happening.

But my second vinyl lined pool with angled walls did not need that.
Both jets are pointed horizontal mainly to push debris into the
skimmer and somehow I've never had cold spots in the deep end.

Walls are pretty vertical.

Deep end is, I think, 12 feet. But really, most of our swimming is on the top. They want to get more exercise and some cold spots in the bottom wouldn't hamper that.

The eyeballs are a good idea!

The returns are more important than the drains. Where are the returns located?

I think there's only one return -- always has been just the one -- and it's about four feet down one side in the deep end. There's also a refilling return in a different spot, again about four feet down one side.