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How To Heat A Swimming Pool
Investing in your comfort by means of adding warmth to your swimming pool can bring you a huge amount of satisfaction. Essentially, heating a swimming pool will prolong the period you can enjoy your pool and this extends far into the cooler months.
Depending on the pool and your requirements, it may be a simple process to add heating to your swimming pool. If this isn’t possible a more complex procedure may be needed. Using an air/ground source heat pump can be cost-effective and allow you to use your pool all year round without the additional running costs of an oil or gas boiler. A more detailed approach to heat your indoor basement swimming pool would require a heat exchanger, AHU and ducting. Here at Aqua Platinum Projects, we can assist with any heating requirements big or small. Find out some of the best and proven methods to heat your swimming pool below.
The different ways pools are heated
Once upon a time a question such as how to heat a swimming pool would only be asked by the affluent. Heating a swimming pool was seen as a luxury, however, with the improvements in modern technologies, heating is today regarded as an integral part of any swimming pool system.
How to heat an outdoor swimming pool?
The typical way in which to heat a residential outdoor swimming pool would be an air source heat pump. Heat pumps work by moving the water into the heat pump via the filtration system. Essentially the process is similar to the way a refrigerator works, heat is drawn from the environment surrounding the heat pump which is then turned into heat for your pool. Using a heat pump is highly efficient, economical, easy to use, durable and environmentally friendly. A heat pump uses electricity to extract heat from the outside air and distributes it into the water.
How to heat an indoor swimming pool?
The heating of an indoor pool involves a more in-depth design as we introduce environmental controls and ducting which reduces condensation and introduces fresh air to control the humidity of the environment. A swimming pool heat exchanger allows heat from one fluid that then passes to a second fluid. This ensures the two fluids do not mix together or come into direct contact. The essential principle of a heat exchanger is that it transfers the heat without transferring the fluid that carries the heat. Heat exchangers and systems offer an energy-efficient and economical solution to maintain near-constant year-round water temperature in swimming pools.
How much does it cost to heat a swimming pool?
This is a question we commonly get asked, unfortunately, there isn’t a simple answer; there are so many variables that it is impossible to give a definitive answer. How much it costs to heat a swimming pool depends very much on what type of heater you have to the size and environment your pool is in. We estimate running costs for an indoor pool would be around £2,500 – £3,000 and an outdoor pool would be around £4,000 depending on pool water temp, air temp, surface area/volume of the pool and how long it is covered/uncovered.
The heating of a swimming pool – step by step
The selection of the heat exchanger should be based on the volume of the water. It must be large enough to heat the pool water to the desired temperature, but not be too large so it heats the water too quickly and causes an issue with the concrete shell.
The flow temperature of the primary heating should be known before selecting the exchanger to ensure you get the correct heat transfer.
When installing the secondary and primary pipework, they should be installed to create a cross-flow through the exchanger, this will maximise the heat contact and allow a more efficient heat transfer.
Both the primary and secondary pipe systems should have a commissioning set to allow the flows through both pipes to be checked and balanced in order to follow the manufacturer’s specifications.
On the pipework in preparation for the heat exchanger being installed, a temperature sensor will be installed that reads the true temperature of the pool water. This will control a 2 or 3 port valve on the primary side to allow the LPHW (Low Pressure Hot Water) to flow around the heat exchanger to begin the heat transfer.
Once the desired temperature is reached, the temperature sensor will allow the 2 or 3 port valve to close and stop the heat transfer.
A plant room installation – The Headland Hotel
Can’t wait to feel the heat in your pool? Contact us today
Aqua Platinum Projects is home to one of the largest teams of in-house swimming pool engineers in the United Kingdom. Their extensive knowledge and expertise in our niche industry allow us to produce pools of the highest quality in any setting. It is thanks to our innovative construction techniques and meticulously planned designs that we are at the forefront of the aquatic leisure industry, having won multiple gold awards for our stylish and inspiring work.
