Gas Pool Heater Sizing: How To Size A Pool Heater
- |January 30, 2021
So youre tired of swimming in cold water and have decided you want a heater for your pool. But how do you know which is the right one?
Correct pool heater sizing isnt an overly complicated process, and well walk you through how to determine what size heater will work best for your pool.
Important: This article is about sizing gas pool heaters, not electric heat pumps. If youre looking for the latter, please read our article on sizing a pool heat pump.
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Protect The Pool From Debris & Bugs
If you dont cover your pool, you risk leaving it exposed to a number of elements. Leaves, debris, and even bugs can fall into the water. This can risk damaging your filter. Also, as a solar cover maintains a steady temperature, it can reduce the chance of mildew developing inside the pool as a result of uneven temperatures.
What Size Of Pool Cover To Buy
Measure your pool from inside edge to inside edge to know the diameter, or LxW dimensions of your pool. In The Swims winter pool covers have a built in overlap that will fit a given size pool even after the water level is lowered for winter.
For example, our 16×32 winter cover actually measures 20×36. Safety covers for inground pools also have a built-in overlap a 16×32 safety cover actually measures 18×34. For freeform pool shapes, buy the rectangle cover that will fit the widest width and the longest length. Excess material can be trimmed, or folded underneath.
Winter pool covers from in The Swim are listed by Pool Size , so you just need to know the length and width of your pool, or diameter .
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You Can Remove Liquid Solar Cover But Why
Although we cant think of any reason why youd want to, the only way to remove liquid solar cover from your pool water would be to drain the pool and refill it, and no one wants to do that if it can be avoided.
The thing is, if you decided to stop using liquid solar cover for any reason, all you have to do is wait a while. The chemical naturally dissipates over a certain period of time, depending on how large your pool is and how much liquid solar cover you have to use.
For this reason, for as long as you want to use it, liquid solar cover must be added to your pool on a regular basis, so be sure to add it to your swimming pool maintenance schedule.
Water Warden Pool Safety Cover
** Our top pick for in-ground winter pool covers
The Water Warden Pool Safety Cover provides a series of differently shaped winter pool covers, from rectangular pools to center, left, and right step pools.
Included with the cover, which has a break-strength max of 4,000-lbs thanks to 2-ply strap webbing, is all the hardware you are going to need to put the cover securely into place.
The brass anchors can be left in year-round and wont interfere with your use of the pool during the summertime, and the Water Warden covers are available in a variety of colors, including blue, green, tan, and more.
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How To Save Money While Heating Your Pool Water
Now you know how each type of solar cover works, a few benefits of using them, and the best way to do so. But wait! Theres more! Weve got a few extra tips to help you save even more money.
- Run your filter during the hottest part of the day. This can help mitigate heat loss from evaporation. However, youll need to weigh this practice against power use during peak hours.
- Remove your solar blanket or rings before shocking your pool. The high concentration of chlorine will damage them.
- Prevent additional water evaporation due to wind by creating a windbreak around your pool. The higher the wind speed above your water, the more water will evaporate. Disrupt the wind with a pool cage, plants, patio furniture, or privacy screens.
- Run water features only when youre around to enjoy them. Vanishing edge swimming pools and waterfalls can double your water evaporation rate because they create more surface area by constantly moving the water.
Where To Buy A Pool Cover
When the fall finally rolls around, its not uncommon for people to ask us, Where can I buy a pool cover?
Most pool covers can be purchased from pool supply shops or major retailers like Amazon. You might need to locate a dealer if you want to get an automatic pool cover, but you should be able to buy a winter or safety cover without going through a dealer or salesman.
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Paver Pool Deck Anchors
A paver pool deck is made up of interlocking bricks, pavers, stone or ceramic tiles. They are placed over a concrete sub-deck or on a bed of crushed stone or sand. Pavers can be mortared in place, but often are placed tightly together with a steel band on the outer edge.
For mortared joints or very tight pavers, you can drill into the joint between 3 pavers, and place the anchor in the same way as for concrete decks. Always place anchors into a joint, adjusting strap length as necessary to reach the anchor. Drilling directly into a paver , risks paver cracking.
For pavers that have some movement, or for a more secure installation, the anchor-in-pipe method is used. A 3/4 x 15 aluminum tube, available from your safety cover dealer, is inserted through the deck and into the earth below.
Use an extra long drill bit to open the earth up to the full depth of the tube , and pound the tube into the hole with a piece of wood on the tube, so the hammer wont damage the tube.
When flush to the deck, pop-in a brass anchor into the top of the tube and youre done!
What Kind Of Budget Do You Have To Work With Do You Need Financing
Long-term financial planning is often an important part when considering the size of your pool project. Pools cost money to install, operate and maintain, so there is no magic number when determining how to plan for maintaining you pool long term. Its best to gauge your expenses on your usage, location and a maintenance schedule determined with your builder. Other payments to consider include general pool maintenance, covers, fencing, chemicals, cleaning and more. Your pool size will impact every aspect of the mentioned pool requirements. That is why you should understand what pool size or design will be most convenient for your budget.To help minimize your upfront expenses from your pool project, there are many finance companies that provide financing specifically for outdoor living and fiberglass installation projects. This type of financing can provide you with the pool you desire while freeing up money for maintenance and other related pool upkeep needs over the long term.
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How To Measure Your Pool For A Custom Pool Cover
Establish two points about five feet away from the edge of your pool. Points A and B should be at least half the length of your pool apart from each other and should not cut across your pool at any point.
In our example, the I30s is 30 feet long, so the distance between point A and point B needs to be at least 15 feet.
Next, youll need to mark some new points around your pool and then measure the distance between points A and B and the new points. Begin by marking point #1 at the inside edge of the pool’s coping halfway between points A and B. Then, continue marking new points on the coping all the way around your pool until you get back to where you started. The points should be about two to three feet apart. You can label your new points numerically for the sake of clarity.
Once you have done that, youll be ready to start measuring the distance between points A and B and all of the smaller points marked around the pools edge.
To measure your pool, start with point A and measure the distance between point A and each numerical point. Then, go back and measure the distance from point B to each of the numerical points around your pool. You can label the measurements as A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, B3, and so on.
What Is A Pool Pillow And What Does It Do
A pool pillow is merely a small, inflatable, vinyl pillow placed in the center of your pool between the winter cover and the water. The concept is incredibly simple, but its an effective method for winter pool cover maintenance. They can be used on both above ground pools and inground pools.
The pool air pillow floats in the center of a covered pool during the offseason. It acts as an ice compensator, managing the effects of rain, snow, and ice accumulation during the winter.
Placing an inflated pool pillow under the cover creates a void on the surface of the water. As ice, rain, and snow accumulate, pressure will increase, and ice will expand toward the space created between the pool air pillow and the pool cover.
A pool pillow also prevents rain, leaves, and snow from accumulating in the center of the pool. Instead, debris gathers at the pools outer edges where you can easily reach and remove unwanted objects.
Pool pillows should not inflate fully. Some capacity must be left to allow for compression when the device absorbs the expansion of ice.
Usually, ice would expand outward without the presence of the air pillow. Expanding places increasing pressure on the pool cover, pool walls, and your pool supplies and equipment. The expansion can eventually result in severe structural damage to your cover, liner, and walls.
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What Size Solar Cover Do I Need
You want to get a solar blanket that covers the entire pool so theres no room for heat to escape. To figure out the right size, measure your swimming pool from the longest and widest points. If you look at your pool like a clock face, generally youll measure from 12 to 6 and 9 to 3. When in doubt, bigger is better. Solar covers can generally be cut to fit.
Importance Of Pool Pillow Positioning
Positioning your pool pillow as central to the middle of your pool as you can is critical for success. Securing the pool pillow in a central location is the best way to ensure an even snow and ice distribution. This distribution is vital for protecting your pool liner and walls all winter.
A centralized pool pillow also keeps debris from accumulating in the middle of the pool cover. Pool owners have all experienced the difficulty of cleaning up excess waste we cant reach or the frustration of water accumulation weighing down and tearing your pool cover.
With a pool pillow, leaves and water will fall to the pools outer edges, making clean up easy. Underneath the surface, a correctly positioned pad prevents the occurrence of big chunks of ice, as a central location keeps frozen water broken up.
There are several options for keeping the pool pillow secured in the middle of your pool for the entire winter season. You can anchor the pad in the water, use velcro, or tie the device in place. If the pillow shifts after you put on the pool cover, use a pole to guide it to a different location.
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The 8 Best Pool Cover For Above Ground Pool In Winter Of 2021
The summer season is almost gone, and your next neighbor is already preparing to close his above ground pool. No pool owners, including you & your neighbor, dare to leave the swimming pool open for the entire winter season. If you do so, you need to pay for it.
In this case, winterizing the pool is the best way to keep your pool water crystal clear for the spring or summer. And without pool cover, you cant winterize your pool. In addition, a winter cover can retain more heat compared to a solar cover.
In this round-up guide, we reviewed the top 8 best winter pool covers for above ground pools. All of them are long-lasting, can resist snow & ice, and come at a competitive price. So, lets take a look at those pool covers to wrap up your pool entirely.
It will be your ideal pool cover to winterize your above-ground pool as it can withstand snow, sleet, and ice.
Take Photos Of The Pool And Features
It is very helpful to also have corresponding photos of your pool. This will help us know what kind of features the cover is being fitted around and how to translate your drawings into a real-world cover. Snap multiple photos of your pool from various angles with the AB charting chalk still in place. If you have a balcony, second story, or even a drone , an overhead photo of the pool is also very useful.
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Invest In A Solar Pool Cover
While it wont heat your inground or above ground pool as much as a traditional electric or gas heater will, any type of solar pool cover will keep more heatand more waterin your pool.
But it doesnt have to be a one or the other choice. You can use any kind of solar pool cover in tandem with an electric or gas heater, which will help you save money on utilities, water replacement, and pool chemicals. For such a modest upfront investment, you cant afford not to have one.
Happy Swimming!
What Size Of Pool Heater Do You Need
Pool heaters allow you to open your pool earlier in the spring, and extend the swimming season well into the fall, but they are a large investment, so before running out to buy a pool heater you should spend a little bit of time doing research.
If you dont choose the size of your pool heater careful you could end up spending a lot of time and money down the line.
What you need to consider
Before buying a pool heater there are five basic things that you need to determine:
- The size of your pool
- Your heating needs and preferences
- BTU requirements
- Whether or not you use a solar cover
- Environmental considerations.
1) Size of your pool
The larger your pool, the more powerful your heater will need to be, so that means you need to calculate the volume of your pool. To do this, youll have to first find the surface area and then multiply that by the average depth.
To find the surface area:
- Square and rectangular pools: simple multiply length by width
- L-shaped pools: break the pool into two rectangles and multiply length and width of each and add the two answers together
- Round pools multiply the diameter by the diameter and then multiply the answer by pi
- Oval pools multiply the longest diameter by the shortest diameter for surface area
- Kidney shaped pools add the longest width and shortest width, and multiply that by the length
For all shapes of pool:
2) Your needs and preferences
3) Know your BTUs
Pool heaters measure their power in BTU .
BTU Needed to raise temperature
Orders
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Solar Sun Rings For Inground And Above Ground Swimming Pools
If a solar blanket seems like too much of a hassle to put on, take off, and store during the swimming season, you may prefer solar rings or squares. These can even be decorative because some of them have patterns and images such as palm trees printed on them, while others come in fun shapes such as flowers.
Solar rings are sold individually for around $25 to $35 each, or in sets for around $140 to $160 or more, depending on how many rings come in the set. The number you need to cover your pools surface will depend on the sizes of both your pool and the rings.
Tips For Buying The Right Pool Air Pillow
Be sure to use a specialized pool air pillow for winterizing. Makeshift substitutes such as floating flamingos or exercise balls will not work correctly.
These DIY alternatives may help, but they do not have the appropriate design for the job.
One of the most important aspects of a suitable pool pillow is the design. The pad must stay inflated and endure the entire offseason, so durability is of the utmost importance.
The best pool air pillows consist of heavy-duty vinyl material that resists puncture. A cushion made of soft material would puncture, deflate, and close the space between the device and pool cover. Look for a company that offers a warranty against product failure.
Here is an option from In the Swim that should be a good fit for most inground and above ground pools.
- Measures: 4 x 4 Feet
- Heavy-duty 16 gauge vinyl pillow may be round or square
- Air pillow absorbs freezing water as it expands
- Relieves above ground pool walls from stress of ice expansion
- Helps reduce the build-up of rain, leaves or snow on your winter cover
Pool pillows come in several different sizes. The best size pool pillow for you will depend on the size and shape of your pool. Some large pools may even require multiple pillows, especially in cold areas where they are susceptible to ice.
If you have a small pool, a 4 x 5 pillow may provide enough space to compensate for a reduced surface area.
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