When it comes to a refreshing dip in the swimming pool, you probably don’t want the water to be ice cold. Even on the hottest, sunniest days, unheated pool water can be extremely uncomfortable for swimming. So, unless you live in an extremely warm climate and only use your pool in the middle of summer, you’ll likely want some sort of way to heat your pool and allow the water to retain that heat. Inground pools can make use of the surrounding earth as natural insulation, but do above ground pools retain heat as well? In this article, we’ll go over the various methods available for heating your swimming pool and keeping it warm enough to swim in.
Gas Heaters
Gas heaters are the fastest way to heat your swimming pool water but are also the most expensive. Natural gas is used to generate heat that warms up the water being pumped through the heater. Gas heaters usually cost less upfront but will end up costing you more than other heating options in the long run. But if you’re looking for a quick way to heat your pool, gas heaters are your best option.
Heat Pumps
Heat pumps are much cheaper to run than gas heaters, but they do the job more slowly and they require cooperation from the weather. Heat pumps run on electricity and rather than actually generating heat themselves, they extract heat from the surrounding air. If temperatures drop below about 50 degrees Fahrenheit, they become much less effective at being able to bring up the water temperature.
Solar Heaters
Solar heaters actually require the sun to be shining to work properly at heating your pool water. Solar heaters are cheaper to run than gas heaters or heat pumps as they use solar energy to heat the water. Swimming pool water is pumped through the solar collectors using the pool’s water pump and is warmed as it passes through the warmed piping. In warm climates solar heaters can also be used to cool the pool water by running them at night or when the sun isn’t shining.
Solar Blankets
Solar blankets don’t actually heat your pool water, they act to retain heat that has already been collected. This makes them perfect for areas which experience a lot of sun and weather that heats the pool water naturally. That said, solar blankets can be used with any other type of heating system to bring down the cost of running your pool. Simply cover the pool with a solar blanket when the sun goes down and heat will be slowed from dissipating into the air.
Wood Burning Heaters
This old school technology has been gaining popularity as of late. Wood burning pool heaters usually make use of large copper pipe coils which are heated by the wood fire. Water is heated by pumping it through these coils and back into the pool. Wood burning heaters obviously have their limitations, but if you have access to large quantities of wood, they may be a cheap way to keep your pool warm.
To learn more about the benefits of above ground pools, download a brochure.