Propane Heaters in Las Vegas versus Gas

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frankiedhammer

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Apr 14, 2018
1
Las Vegas, Nevada
Hello folks,

Does anyone know of anyone who has had a propane tank in the Las Vegas area to heat their pool. Based on the logistics of my backyard, it was recommended to me, but I don't know of anyone who has had this.

It seems practical, but I'm worried of the cost and if their are any city county ordinances to be aware of.
 
Frankie, your post has been sitting for a couple days, and as a new member, I didn't want you to feel unloved here at TFP...... so welcome! :wave: We try to give some posts a little time to sit and get a reply from someone in that area or who may have personal experience with the question. I grew up in Vegas and graduated there, but that 3.5 class reunions ago. :wink: So I'm no help with heaters. :) Hopefully someone else will be. Post back as much as you need to, and thanks for using the forum.
 
Hi Frankie,

I don’t live in Vegas, but I did stay at Holiday inn last night [emoji4]

Knowing exactly what size heater you are looking for, you can do some calculations to determine what propane would run vs. NG, if available.

Propane is about 2x as efficient as NG, but it costs more. NG can still be cost winner even though less heat is produced per unit (gallon, cu ft, whatever.

Call a local gas supplier for specifics to your area about tank rental vs buying, municipal requirements, etc. They could probably help estimate how big of a tank based on what size heater, how often it would run, etc. Call around as sometimes the cost of propane can vary if you pre pay, are on a top off plan, etc. Summer is usually a good time to fill up vs winter in the Midwest.

The link below will give you some back ground that may help.
Propane Vs. Natural Gas - A Comparison
 
Propane is probably the most expensive option to heat your pool, other than maybe heating your pool with #2 oil. Propane is a by product of crude oil refining so its price per gallon will for ever be tied to the price of oil.

I think Todd may have misspoken a bit up top propane is about 2x the energy density as natural gas, that has nothing to do with its efficiency. On average pool heaters are going to run between 80-85% thermal efficiency that's true for propane or natural gas. So for every 100 BTU's of energy you burn in the heater 85 get transferred into the pool water and 15 go out the exhaust as waste energy. There are gas burning boilers for home heating and domestic hot water that run around 95-97% thermal efficiency but I have yet to see that technology directly applied to a pool heater.

As for tank sizes you are looking at either (2) 240gal tanks side by side or a single 500 gallon tank to run a large pool heater reliably. If you got a smaller heater you might be ok with a single 240 but you will need to have it refilled pretty often. For reference a 400kBTU pool heater will burn 4.4 gallons of propane per hour. Depending on how much you are paying for the propane that works out to be anywhere from $5 to $15 dollars per hour to operate a 400kBTU propane heater.
 
CJadamec said:
Propane is probably the most expensive option to heat your pool, other than maybe heating your pool with #2 oil. Propane is a by product of crude oil refining so its price per gallon will for ever be tied to the price of oil.

I think Todd may have misspoken a bit up top propane is about 2x the energy density as natural gas, that has nothing to do with its efficiency. On average pool heaters are going to run between 80-85% thermal efficiency that's true for propane or natural gas. So for every 100 BTU's of energy you burn in the heater 85 get transferred into the pool water and 15 go out the exhaust as waste energy. There are gas burning boilers for home heating and domestic hot water that run around 95-97% thermal efficiency but I have yet to see that technology directly applied to a pool heater.

As for tank sizes you are looking at either (2) 240gal tanks side by side or a single 500 gallon tank to run a large pool heater reliably. If you got a smaller heater you might be ok with a single 240 but you will need to have it refilled pretty often. For reference a 400kBTU pool heater will burn 4.4 gallons of propane per hour. Depending on how much you are paying for the propane that works out to be anywhere from $5 to $15 dollars per hour to operate a 400kBTU propane heater.
Click to expand...

Jandy has a 95% efficient propane or natural gas model but it is twice the price of the other ones.

https://www.jandy.com/en/products/heaters/hie2
 
I stand corrected they do make a condensing pool heater. Even at double the cost of a standard heater that extra 10% efficiency will more than pay for itself over the life of the heater. Well as long as nothing brakes on it. There are a few more parts that can brake on a condensing unit. You also have to consider what to do with all the exhaust condensate it's really acidic and will destroy concrete. Even at 95% though propane still costs a lot to heat a pool.

That being said I have a condensing propane boiler in my house for heat and hot water and it works amazingly well.
 
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