Cut Those Swimming Pool Heater Bills
Simple First Steps
Heating a swimming pool can be an expensive business. But you can take some easy steps to reduce those costs significantly without losing any enjoyment of your pool, and you could make a saving of 70% or more for hardly any outgoings.
First, look at your circulating pump. You might think that the larger it is the better, but the opposite is in fact the case. A 0.75 hp pump will be perfectly adequate for an average size pool. If you have a larger pump than this, particularly if it is getting old, consider replacing it with a smaller one.
Secondly, examine the pipe layout. The goal is to minimize resistance to flow wherever possible. Shorter pipes with larger diameter, and fewer sharp corners, will mean less work (and less energy consumption) for the pump. You can use flexible pipe to improve flow through corners, or at least replace any 90 degree bends with 45 degree ones. A larger filter will also make a huge difference to flow.
These measures will give you an immediate saving of 40% in your energy bills.
Circulation settings are the next thing to examine. Many people leave their pool pumps running for hours and hours every day, when one hour is enough. The purpose of circulating the water is to ensure the pool chemicals are mixed properly . Once mixed they will remain suspended in the pool water without the need for further mixing.
Any debris in the pool can be removed by either skimming or vacuuming. Algae formation will not be significantly affected, because it is the chemicals that fight it, not circulation.
Set the pump timer to operate the pump in many small periods during the day. Remember, a single long period of operation will simply waste electricity.
If you introduce all these measures you will save at least 70% off your present utility bills. But we can do even better than that.
Lower Evaporation Wastage
About 95% of your pool’s warmth is lost by radiating heat and evaporating water at the surface. The heat lost to the air is obvious, but any water that evaporates has also used energy when being warmed or chemically treated. Fresh water to replace it will need to be heated and treated all over again.
Ugly though they may be, pool covers really are a sensible conservation measure. They will greatly lower the heat and evaporation losses, by as much as 95% depending on the type of cover material, and also keep the debris at bay.
These covers are made from a variety of materials, from solar bubble to insulated vinyl, and come in a range of prices from very to not so cheap. It is possible to install devices to help cover and uncover the pool, probably well worth the cost in saving effort and preserving the cover.
At least make sure that the pool cover is fitted at night, when the majority of heat losses occur.
Finally, if possible, put up a fence close to the pool to act as a windbreak and reduce evaporation losses still further.
Solar Pool Heater
Solar energy is a great way to heat your pool for practically nothing. It operates by pumping the pool water through a solar collector, where it is gently warmed and returned to the pool. It is very easy to modify an existing pool water circulation system, which already has a pump – you just add the solar heating loop. It really is free energy, if you design the system properly – which is very easy to do.
If you live in a very hot climate, where the pool water might get uncomfortably warm, you can pump the water through the solar collector at night to cool it down.
Building a solar pool heater is a simple, straightforward project for anybody to do, and we have a good quality instruction manual, available online, to help you along. The manual has a full guarantee, comes with plenty of step-by-step instructions, and is very clearly laid out.
It is well worth a look, and could be the key to both extending your swimming pool season and also saving a packet on utility bills using pool solar heating.











