How To Heat An Above Ground Pool
One of the saddest things for any pool owner is packing up and winterizing the pool at the end of the season. You may still crave a dip in the pool in October or November, but how could you with the water so cold?
There are a few different options for both above ground and inground pool owners when it comes to warming up your chilly water. In this article, I will go over some of the main pool heating options, the pros, and cons of each method, and finally, some frequently asked questions. After you find a good option, you can use this pool heater size calculator to figure out how big of a heater you need.
Portable Water Heater For A Hot Tub Or Pool
I recently purchased a portable hot tub – Intex PureSpa 6-Person Portable Inflatable Bubble Jet Ho t Tub. While looking at the specs and reviews I was concerned about the heating capacity of the unit. The 1,300 Watt heating unit only heats the water 1-2 degrees Fahrenheit an hour. Customer reviews also indicated they had a significant increase in their electrical bill. This information lead me to come up with a portable water heater solution. I am not a handyman by any means so suggestions and optimization ideas are very welcome. Please let me know what you think for my first Instructable.
How Do You Heat An Inflatable Pool Fast
Heating up an inflatable pool is quite easy, and you either need a sunny area or an electric heater. If you come to see the sun shining outside, then just leave your pool on an open field, and you are done after a few hours.
However, in all cold temperatures, you can heat your pool with a simple electric heater. Just place the heater in the middle of the pool hanging. Wait for a couple of minutes, and wallah. You have yourself a warm pool to swim on.
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Tips To Heat Inflatable Pool
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This shouldnt come as a surprise, and a bigger pool takes longer to heat up. Other factors like temperature and humidity can influence it too, but they arent as rigid. You can bypass this problem easily using a more powerful water heater.
Anyways here are the steps you can follow to heat up any inflatable pool.
Natural Process
Heating your pool water naturally is the least expensive process among them all. There are some drawbacks like you need a shining sun, a huge yard, and so on. Anyways, the steps are
- First, set up your pool in an open sunny area.
- Wait for the day to expand and the sun to shine bright.
- Leave your pool under the scorching heat for a couple of hours, or just wait for it to warm up.
- A solar heater can also help get better results. However, with this price, you can just follow the steps below.
Using a heater
If you dont have all the necessary options for the natural process, you can just use a water heater instead. Water heaters will help you warm up your pool water, even below freezing temperature. Check out the steps below
- Find out the volume of water in the pool, or just guess it.
- Buy an electric water heater according to the volume and hung it up in the pool.
- Make sure the water heater doesnt touch the walls, or your pool may get damaged.
- If you have an inflatable family pool, you need to use a big water heater in its place.
- Finally, leave the heater for a few minutes, and you are all done.
The 7 Best Ways To Heat Intex Pools
When it comes to heating an Intex pool or how to heat your above ground pool you have several options available 7 to be exact. Although there is no right or wrong way to heat your pool some methods are better and more effective than others.
The best heating options for Intex pools, above ground pools and Bestway pools are:
- Pool Heat Pump
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When Will The Swim Jitters Come To You
Before you start asking yourself how you can best warm up your pool, it is good to ask yourself how much you enjoy using the pool. When choosing the most suitable way to heat the water, there are different methods, some more expensive than others, some more efficient than others.
As mentioned, if you want warm water from mid-April to mid-September then the SunnyTent is a great solution. If you are a real water baby and want to be able to swim all year round, then it is worth considering choosing a heat pump, which heats up the pool water using electricity. With a heat pump you get a maximum swimming season, so in principle you could swim the whole year with a heat pump.
If the swimming bug only comes to you in the summer, it is not necessary to purchase a heat pump, because the sun will do most of the work in the summer. It is then only a matter of retaining the heat as well as possible.
So it is good to first ask yourself how far you will go to have a pool full of warm water and how often you actually use the pool.
Cheap Ways To Heat Your Pool
Looking for cheap ways to heat your pool?Keep reading, youve found them.
Maybe you installed your pool recently and havent chosen a pool heater yet. Or maybe youre just looking for some cost-effective ways to heat your swimming pool. Regardless of your situation, youll find plenty of solutions in the next few paragraphs.
In this post, we show you a few cheap ways to heat your pool thatll keep your wallet much happier during swim season. And who can resist the opportunity to save money and lower their pool heating costs?
So keep reading, and youll learn about a few cheap ways to warm up your pool, as well as what causes heat loss and how to prevent it. And the sooner you put these tips into practice, the sooner youll start spending less and swimming more.
With that said, here are 7 cheap ways to heat your pool. Let the savings begin.
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Hot Splash The Worlds Smallest Pool Heat Pump
The Hot Splash is the Worlds smallest pool heat pump.
It is designed for small above ground pools with a water volume of up to 10m3
The Hot Splash heat pump outputs 3.3kw of pool heat for only 0.6kw of electricity used
The Hot Splash is incredibly easy to install and is a plug and play heat pump
Please click Hereto see more details on the Hot Splash pool heat pumps
How To Heat Your Pool With Solar Pool Heaters
The sun is natures FREE pool water heater. Your pool water absorbs sunlight and warmth just by sitting out in the sun.
An average pool will heat up about 0.7° per hour under the noontime sun. But the downside to that sun? Evaporation.
Evaporation can cause the same pool to lose 5°F for every quarter inch of water evaporated.
Solar pool covers, aka solar blankets, are large sheets of insulating plastic that look like bubble wrap and lie on top of your pool water. They not only capture the energy of the sun, but they also keep heat in by reducing water evaporation, especially at night.
The heat your pool gains during the day are lost at night. A solar blanket keeps some of that heat from dissipating and cuts evaporation by about 95 percent.
When water evaporates from your pool, you also lose the chemicals in that water. A solar blanket can prevent 35 to 60 percent of your pool water chemicals from disappearing into thin air.
Depending on where you live, a solar cover may not keep the water as warm as an electric or gas heater. However, it still can reduce water evaporation and help retain heat.
Here are our picks for the best solar covers for any size pool.
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Other Effective Ways To Heat Your Pool
Though a gas heater is the fastest way to heat your pool, it is not cost-effective, especially for pool owners with a limited budget. There are other methods you can use to heat your pool if you dont have the required capital to install a gas heater.
How to heat your inflatable pool using solar heaters
The solar heater is one effective method of heating your inflatable pool. Solar heating is commonly used in heating inflatable and above-ground pools. This method is very effective, cheap to construct and maintain, and does not require any form of fuel or power, only theSun is allowed in the system.
Solar heaters come in various styles, prices, structures, and functions. Solar heating systems are effective in heating and maintaining the heat in your pool. It is the most eco-friendly method of heating your inflatable pool. A detailed list of the various solar heater and their features.
Heating inflatable pools using a solar water heater
Heating Your pool with sunlight is very attractive, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly. A solar heater is mainly used for residential purposes like the running of a home heater. But It can also be used for the running of a pool heater.
The solar heater only depends on the amount of sunlight and the number of solar panels installed on the roof, the more the panel, the higher the energy for heating your inflatable pool.
Pros
Cons
Heating inflatable pool using Solar panels
Pros
Heating inflatable pools using solar dome
Pros
Cons
Pros
What Is The Cheapest Option To Heat An Above Ground Pool
Although solar heaters are generally viewed as the most expensive pool heater, they are great affordable options for smaller above ground pools. Solar heaters are the cheapest option if you factor in the ongoing costs.
When it comes to larger pools, a gas heater will almost always be the cheapest to purchase initially. But keep in mind that they are pretty expensive to run.
If youre looking for a new pool, make sure to read my recommendations for the best above ground pool too.
Do you have any questions regarding pool heating options? Feel free to reach out I am happy to help! Also, be sure to check out my related heater articles below.
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Now Which Color Solar Cover Is Best
Clear solar covers allow more of the suns heat to penetrate the water and increase water temperature by about 15 degrees and prevent up to 95% of pool water and chemical evaporation. Dark blue solar covers are great for heat retention. So if you have a gas heater or pool heat pump, your heater wont need to run as long with a dark blue cover.
If you have a large pool, or if you often swim, removing the solar blanket can be a little bit annoying. You can cut the solar blanket into smaller panels and remove the pieces one at a time.
Or it might be worth investing in a solar cover reel.
How Do You Heat An Indoor Pool
Indoor pools can be heated by all the options above, although, according to SPATA, solar heating is uncommon.
The choice of heating system will normally take into account the need to heat the air and possibly the domestic hot water, they say. ‘Heating of the swimming pool air will help reduce moisture evaporation from the swimming pool and provide a comfortable atmosphere for occupants of the room.’
To avoid excessive humidity, ‘swimming pool room heating should be complemented with a form of moisture control, such as a dehumidification system, or a combined heating and dehumidification air handling system,’ they add.
‘The heated, dehumidified air can only be efficiently distributed around a pool hall by forced air draft, either through a ductwork system or simply by “blasting” the air into the room and recovering it from the same point.’
If you’re not too sure about an indoor pool but like the idea of somewhere sheltered nearby, our pool house ideas have lots of inspirational options.
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Can Above Ground Pools Be Heated
Is the water in your above ground pool a little cooler than you prefer? Or are you looking to extend your swimming season a bit longer into the fall?
Don’t think that just because you have an above ground pool you can’t enjoy the same heated water and longer swimming season that inground pools can have as both inground and above ground pools are easy to heat with a pool heater!
While one of the most common ways to heat an above ground pool is with a solar cover/blanket, it may not be the most efficient as these rely on the sun or warm weather and there are plenty of options available for external heat sources to keep your above ground pool warm regardless of where Mr. Sun is during the day. Just like inground pools, above ground pools can have both heat pumps and gas heaters added. Plus installation is a fairly simple and straightforward process.
How Do You Pump A Pool With A Hot Tub
If you have a pool and hot tub combo, you may be wondering how to pump the pool with the hot tub. Its actually quite easy to do! Simply follow these steps:
1. Turn the top valve to the Pool position.2. Turn the bottom valve to the Spa position.3. Turn on the gas to the heater.4. Come over to the heater and hit the Spa button.
After youve completed these steps, your pool will be in spa mode and the heater will be turned on. You can now enjoy your pool and hot tub combo to the fullest!
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How To Warm The Kiddie Pool
Its simple to warm the kiddie pool, all you need is 2 garden hoses and possibly a pair of pliers.
The first step to easily warming the kiddie pool is getting access to the water hook-ups for your washer and dryer. This may require you to pull your washing machine away from the wall.
When you have access to the water hook-ups, turn off the hot water. Then remove the washing machine hose from the hot water hook-up. I like to place it inside my washing machine so I dont get water everywhere.
Replace the washing machine hose with a garden hose attached to the hot water hookup. Put the other end of the hose in the pool and turn on the hot water.
The water will most likely be really hot, so you will also want to add cold water with another garden hose or have the pool partially filled with cold water.
Make sure the kids know not to touch the hot water coming out of the hose. Depending on your hot water settings the hot water it could burn them.
Once the pool is filled as much as you would like and at that perfect temperature youre ready for a fun pool day. Now your little ones can enjoy playing in the pool and not freeze! Most hot days find me in the pool with my little man!
Dont have washing machine hookups? Dont worry there are several other ways to heat your inflatable pool.
Whats A Liquid Solar Pool Cover
These are made from a fatty alcohol substance that forms a thin layer on top of the water and helps prevent evaporation. You cant see it, you cant feel it, and its safe to swim in.
If you want to see a liquid solar pool cover in action, be sure to check out our other video.
Liquid solar covers are easier to use than a solar blanket youre just adding liquid to your pool instead of reeling in a blanket. But solar blankets are about 25 percent more effective at keeping heat and water in the pool.
Whether you use a liquid or a blanket solar cover, they help retain heat and stop evaporation, especially at night. and how they work.
Now lets talk about some next-level solar heating options. If you have an above ground pool, you may want to consider heating the water with a Solar Dome.
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Solar Covers And Solar Rings
Solar covers are made up of UV-stabilized plastic which helps in trapping and retaining the heat from the sun.
The stronger the suns rays are, the more effectively it retains heat to warm the pool.
The cheapest solar cover type is bubble solar cover.
Cover the pool with a solar cover at night and when you are not using it. Solar rings are a passive pool heating device and an alternative to solar covers and solar reels.
Solar rings are different from solar reels. Solar reels are used to simplify the applying, removing, and reapplying of solar covers. Solar rings are round-shaped two sheets of heavyweight UV-resistant vinyl.
The base material of solar rings is the same as that of solar covers but is much easier to handle.
Some of the solar rings have a magnetic outer surface that aids in keeping the rings attached together to prevent overlapping. Remove the cover or rings once the desired temperature is reached and also check for algal blooms.
Best Ways To Heat An Intex Pool
- |March 1, 2022
Wondering how to heat an Intex pool the fastest, most efficient way and without breaking the bank?
This article will break down the most popular methods for heating an above-ground Intex pool, including upfront costs, running costs, and other pros and cons.
Quick answer: Gas heaters are the most popular and widely used option, and the one we recommend for long-term heating. Pair this with a solar cover and youve got yourself the best overall package.
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