Titanium heat exchanger pool heater

[woodside]

We are considering buying one of these - has anyone got one and can offer us any running costs feedback? Our pool is currently unheated; 6m x 4m. 

[keithal]

Hi - I've got a pool heater of this type on my pool. Firstly some cautions in using the electric consumption figures that I get.
1. My pool is 9x4, is situated half way up Chipmunk Mountain - so breezy, and the pool also has a solar cover which is used any time the pool is not being used.
2. The heater unit I've got is now some 11 years old, so is not as efficient as a new one would be.
3. I aim to keep the pool between 26 and 29 degC.

I was staying in my house for the 4 weeks of February this year and the pool heater was run every day for about 6 hours. My  electric bill for those 4 weeks worked out at just over 150â,¬ for the whole house, cooking etc.

The running cost of such a unit depends very much on how much heat you can keep in the pool, an exposed windy site and an uncovered pool will use much, much more energy than a sheltered covered one, also the higher the water temperature the more energy you'll need to put in to keep it warm.

I'm looking at adding solar heating to my pool, to run in conjunction with the heat exchanger, the idea being to maximise the solar input and use the electric heater for top up. At the moment the costs of that are more than I can justify for the occupancy of the house. If I was living there full time that would be a very different matter, but I'd probably then be able to install a solar system myself anyway.

Hope this helps a bit.

[Windermeregolfer]

Hi

I will be interested in the replies to this thread as we complete on our new villa with pool in the next couple of weeks so need to research what we need.

I had thought of solar heating, it seems an obvious, a hotel I was once involved in had  solar panels as part of the heating for hot water and  it was amazing the contribution it made even on dull days.

Look forward to more replies

[keithal]

From the enquiries that I've made I don't think solar by itself is the answer.

In the winter even though it's sunny there isn't the energy available except from a huge area of panels to keep a pool warm - but that will also depend on how warm you need the pool! It's not an easy or straightforward decision as it all depends on what you want or actually need. It's also quite an investment so get as much information as you can, and if possible about your specific proposed installation rather than just generalisations. Installation costs, plumbing, electrics, support structures can be a very significant cost on top of the raw cost of the panels.

[woodside]

Thank you Keithal for your messages... Most helpful.  We are also looking at solar heating and are weighing up our options as to the best way forward.

[gattaca66]

Interesting thread, I've toyed with installing heating of some sort since moving in two years ago, just not sure if the end justifies the cost! One point that SHOULD be mph advised is the importance of a good quality pool cover, and using it whenever no-one is in the pool. Today, during this warmer spell, my unheated pool is at 31 degrees, heated only by the sun on the cover. This past winter the lowest it got was 22 degrees, although the winter before, a colder one, it fell to a low of 19 degrees.

I go in every day, and 19 degrees was just about bearable....but it was more of a challenge than pure pleasure! Anyway, friends who have a 'cheaper' cover reported their pool 3 or 4 degrees colder than ours throughout the winters, and 3 degrees lower today, so it's an important part of the heating equation!

[justthe6ofus]

I'm also very interested in this as I'm planning on building quite a large (by Fuerte standards) pool in the villa we're buying.

I read something about adding insulation during the build which I'd never even thought of - it's supposed to make quite a difference. Anyone heard about that/done it?

I know I can't build a 20 metre pool, that would be unrealistic, but I'd like something bigger than the average 7 or 8 metre. I've been warned about heating costs for a large pool and am very interested in seeing the options and getting decent costings figures too. There no point building a pool that I then can't afford to heat and so won't want to use!

In our experience, having the cover on overnight really makes a difference, but I must admit we never cover the pool during the daytime - once it's 'open' that's it for the day, so it's interesting to hear that it's worthwhile covering it between sessions (so to speak)

[justthe6ofus]

I was staying in my house for the 4 weeks of February this year and the pool heater was run every day for about 6 hours. My  electric bill for those 4 weeks worked out at just over 150â,¬ for the whole house, cooking etc.

Hi Keithal, Sorry if this is a daft/annoying question  - but do you have any idea what your usual average electric costs for the house are? (ie; without the pool heater on?)
I just have no clue what usual monthly costs would be on an average house in February so wondered if you can narrow it down at all?
Thanks.

[keithal]

Using a solar pool cover REALLY makes a difference during the day. If the cover has been on all day and you then get in the pool you can feel the much warmer layer of water that was in contact with the underside of the cover - and that is free heat. Covering at night is pretty much essential during the seasons when you are heating the pool as an open cloudless night sky is great at getting rid of the heat that you've spent the day building up! Also it pays to cover the pool as much as possible when it's windy as you can rapidly loose heat from surface evaporation. Generally the only time I'd leave the cover off all day is during the hottest (sunniest) season, as the cover that I use can actually get the pool too hot. You don't want it going over 30 degC as then the chemical usage starts to get silly and you wind up swimming in weak bleach unless you want green algae - which can develop almost overnight in the right conditions.

It's difficult to give a figure for electric costs without the pool heater as it depends if the house is empty or occupied and what the occupants decide to do - running the dishwasher after every meal for example or using the washing machine each day, but round about 65 to 80 euro would seem to be an average, for my place which is a 2 bedroom semi-detached bungalow. Also bear in mind that even if the house is empty you'll be needing to run the pool pump for some hours each day to make sure the water gets filtered and cleaned. if you don't then you'll find the pool can very quickly look more like a dirty duck pond with plenty of green water and slime.

[justthe6ofus]

Really helpful Keith, thanks very much.
It helps even to get very rough figures - I'll put them all together and at least have an idea/average.

[keithal]

I don't think you'd get a great deal of benefit from insulating the pool walls in Fuerteventura as there isn't the ground water conducting heat away as there would be in many other parts of the world - particularly the UK. The ground surface will warm up quickly in the sun but the lower levels will stay cooler but will probably act as insulation by itself. All the pool heat pumps I've seen have been air source models not ground source probably for the same lack of ground water reason .

The lack of ground water and rain is one of the problems with building in Fuerte, once you disturb the ground it takes ages to settle again, which as well as the dust issue is why you'll see contractors spraying water on ground that they are making up.

You'd really have to talk to the pool contractor about that as another issue might be having something in the pool foundations that could move, since you'll have pipework buried in the ground for connections to skimmer, sump and the jets.

[StefanV]

Anyone here who can recommend a supplier for a good pool cover?
Thanks!

[keithal]

Stefan - Wizard Pools - that's where I got mine from and I'm very pleased with it.

[gattaca66]

Yes, Wizard Pools for a good quality thermal cover. Just adding info to the discussion, we run our pool pump from 09.00 to 16.30 each day, and the pool is 10x3 metres, 35 cubic metres. That's long enough, with the right chemicals, to keep it crystal clear. Our electricity costs for a four bed detached villa, daily used dishwasher and washing machine but no pool heater are around â,¬80 per month. If people with pool heaters report higher costs, that's probably a guide to the cost of running the heater!

[justthe6ofus]

Our electricity costs for a four bed detached villa, daily used dishwasher and washing machine but no pool heater are around â,¬80 per month. If people with pool heaters report higher costs, that's probably a guide to the cost of running the heater!

VERY helpful for me as that's exactly what I'm buying! (4 bed detached, and we use d/w and w/m daily too) Thanks!

[ashworth]

To heat our 10 x 4 (50sqm) pool to 26 deg which is 5/6 hours a day in the winter months with a pool cover on at night costs about 100 euros a month. At the moment it is not needed as it is getting to that temp due to the hot weather and will not be needed again until early November. Must have a cover or you will loose 5c in the winter nights. In the day leave the cover on if it is not being used as this helps heat the pool.

[Windermeregolfer]

Thanks for the great info and tips on pools and pool heating much appreciated, we will be in touch with Wizard Pools in the next few days.

[StefanV]

Thanks for the great info and tips on pools and pool heating much appreciated, we will be in touch with Wizard Pools in the next few days.

Same here! Thank you.

[woodside]

A big thank you too for all information given.  We already have a thermal cover which is enough right now for a comfortable dip.  The titanium option for us is looking good but we have an appointment tomorrow to discuss solar heating - both for the winter months.  Will update further once we have weighed up options...

[SheilaW]

We've thought about it but really it would only benefit us for three months of the year. And during those three months there are quite a large percentage of days when you wouldn't really wouldn't want to go for a swim unless it was some sort of fitness thing. It's great to get overhot in the sun and plunge into a cool pool. Stripping off in a cool garden, having a warm dip and getting out into the cool air just doesn't have the same appeal to us.

[woodside]

Think you may have missed the point here Sheila... I was requesting information regarding running costs and useful information, not opinions on bathing preferences. Thanks for your interest though.