Table of Contents
Guide to choosing the best accessories to heat the above ground pool.
An above ground pool is always a great source of pleasure, fun, fitness and why not, refreshing hospitality. Of course, the maximum use occurs in the summer, as they are open-air pools, often not too large, but still sufficient for delightful swims with family or friends, as well as to entertain the little ones.
However, on the market, there are several systems that can extend the period of use throughout the year or on the coldest summer days, or on the long evenings of August and September, when the temperature drops a little.
To enjoy your own pool even in the less favorable climate, it may be sufficient to have a water-heating system, to be able to use it even out of season. These are systems that allow you to extend your private bathing even if the weather conditions are not mild.
Cold water can make the bathroom unpleasant, if not impossible, and heating the pool, in effect, means heating the water, greatly increasing well-being, and ensuring pleasant moments.
Let’s clarify right away that heating an above ground pool is not necessary to spend a fortune, or perform highly demanding works, both from a building and maintenance point of view.
By means of a pump or a heat exchanger, rather than a cover or a solar or electric heater, even at low costs, excellent results can be obtained for all pockets.
Solutions for heating above ground pools
We then review the various methods available on the market to make the water in our tank more enjoyable from a climatic point of view, considering the different options as follows:
- Heat pump : efficient and not particularly expensive solution over time. It works thanks to a principle that heats the pool water by taking energy from the air, using a pump, and transforming it into heat.
- Solar heater : mode that connects to the water filtration system, so that the water arrives directly from the pump in the solar collectors, developed to heat large quantities at medium temperatures, collecting and exploiting the heat of the sun.
- Electric heater : works with the same connection as the previous one, ie the filtration system, but this time the heating is due to electricity. On the market models in steel or titanium are available.
- Heat exchanger : in this case, a connection is made to the ducts of the house boiler, so that the already hot water coming from that source can heat, even if gradually, even that of the pool.
- Bubble cover (or solar dome) : these are practical and economical covers that, thanks to the greenhouse effect, repair and heat water and the environment. Also in this case, the inexhaustible and free source of energy is the sun.
- Solar panels : still an ecological and economic principle to exploit the light and heat of solar rays, also distributed thanks to special mats.
Heat pump for heating above ground pools
Rather burdensome at the time of purchase but without a doubt very economical in the long term (a characteristic that often makes it prefer to the other options), even the heat pump is installed in the filtration circuit. For the installation, the system does not provide specific skills and is appreciated for this feature, especially for the larger pools.
Valid for both underground and above-ground tanks, the heat pump costs approximately $500 (but some models and brands can even exceed 3000), and provides a rapid and comfortable rise in temperature. The measurement is sized based on the volume and coefficients relative to the area where it is positioned as well as, of course, the dimensions of the tank.
The heat pump does not burn any fuel, and is ecological, guaranteeing good and high results with reduced energy consumption. From this last point of view, it is the preferable solution with respect to the use of a gas boiler or an exclusively electric system.
Solar heater for above ground pools
Economical, easy to place and install, the solar heater is undoubtedly reliable but as can be imagined, it has high levels of efficiency only in particularly sunny areas and regions with a good basic climate. Furthermore, it foresees the need for space to install solar collectors, thanks to which its heating principle works.
In this case too, operation is very simple: the water, introduced by the pool pump thanks to a branch or an independent secondary system, is heated in a circuit of polypropylene pipes, and then re-circulated by means of vents. The pipe circuit on which this system is based constitutes the so-called solar carpet, where the water is actually heated, and which can also be connected in a dome, to increase its thermal effect.
The automatic adjustment of the system takes place via a valve, usually 3-way, which uses the filtration pump to circulate water in the sensors. The latter must absolutely not be fed during the night, nor in the event of unfavorable weather conditions, such as days with snow, rain or very low temperatures.
The bad weather would lead to the opposite effect, cooling the water even more! The method optimizes the effectiveness of the system only when the weather conditions are ideal.
A manual adjustment is possible, usually realized through a heating kit composed of solar mats to be unrolled on a flat and sunny surface, of the roof or, more comfortably (but with less intensity), of the garden or of the ground.
This cover is made up of soft bands, which are cut and adapted to the surface of the pool in which they are to be laid, and then connected, via collectors, to the filtration circuit or by means of an independent hydraulic path aimed exclusively at heating the water in the tank.
Electric heater for above ground pools
Adaptable to most swimming pools, both in shape and size, the system provides a power, between 3 and 12 kW, able to cover many of the water-heating needs of each tank. It works by means of a ” resistor ” which, when electric energy passes, causes a voltage drop, warming up and, consequently, increasing the pool water temperature.
It is always installed in the filtration network, between the pump and the vents, and has the advantage, compared to the previous system, of always and constantly heating, without being inhibited by external factors such as, in the previous case, by unfavorable external temperatures.
On the other hand, it is certainly less economical over long distances, since the operation, as it is said, is dictated by the electric current that it consumes considerably to allow the correct power. Those who decide for this solution must keep an eye on their bill, since the energy used is a lot. To try to stem from spending, one could opt for an alternative that combines this method with a solar panel system, to be used, for example, on fine days, with a considerable saving on electricity.
Compatible with rigid above-ground pools and which are never dismantled even in bad weather, the electric heater can be sized according to the desired temperature and, of course, also to the flow rate and volume of the water in the tank.
It represents an excellent method to increase the temperature quickly and a good solution, for example: for swimming pools that are not frequently used. The installation of the motor body must be carried out close to the filtration system and, in addition to occupying less space than other systems, it is very simple to implement and has no need for maintenance.
Heat exchanger for above ground pools
Another system that allows to heat the pool water quickly is the so-called heat exchanger. This is a solution through which existing plants are used, which can be gas boilers, but also heat pumps or solar panels. Through the exchanger, the hot water of the ” primary circuit ” is exploited, that is to say, that deriving from the domestic heating system.
Taken to the ideal temperature in a short time, it overheats a coil contained in a cell of the exchanger system, making the pool water ( ” secondary circuit ” ) reach the same degrees, to which it is connected by the same path.
The system is suitable for use with chlorinated and salt water, and this feature also allows it to be used in hydro-massage pools, therapeutic pools and spas, both domestic and non-domestic. Composed of removable elements, the exchanger is a solution that, as can be understood, does not involve large increases in energy costs since it is connected to existing and functioning systems.
Naturally, consumption varies according to the domestic heat balance, the volume and capacity of the tank, as well as the frequency of use. In any case, we can define it as an intermediate method, in terms of costs and results, valid both for the heating of the water of above ground pools, and for the classic underground ones.
On the market, there are stainless steel and titanium exchangers, materials that offer greater resistance to corrosion and guarantee long life. The main advantages are great reliability and rapid heating, in addition to the self-cleaning system with which the circuit is equipped, which cancels the maintenance.
Bubble sheet / solar dome for above ground pool heating
The first is undoubtedly the most economical method, while recognizing its simple and less durable nature. The bubble cloth represents a thermal covering, easy in its hold but of good effect to conserve the heat accumulated during the day thanks to the rays of the sun, and limit its evaporation.
It is supplied in a single sheet of the total length of the pool, above which it is rolled up during use, usually by means of a special roller to facilitate opening and closing operations. The covering by means of a bubble cloth is made of 400 micron polyethylene, and assembled by welding and reinforced stitching, which guarantee its robustness, tailored to each tank, with eyelets every 70-80 cm on the winder side for fixing.
In addition to avoiding thermal dispersion at night, as well as combining the advantage of avoiding deposits of foliage, dirt and insects, it also reduces the use and quantity of water treatment products. Usually, the tarpaulin is sold in combination with an additional anti-UV protection sheet, in addition to the maintenance belts, to keep it at its best when it is positioned on the winder.
It requires a couple of recommendations, although they may appear superfluous: it is always a good idea to remove the cover before performing a shock chlorination, sanitizing treatment, putting it back no sooner than 48 hours later, to avoid deterioration. Furthermore, you absolutely must not swim under the cover nor, much less, walk or lie on it.
The inflatable solar dome works with practically the same principle as the cloth, allowing you to use the pool in winter, at night, when it rains or in any case when the temperatures are too low. Not only does it protect, but above all, it keeps the tub warm, thanks to the produced greenhouse effect.
It is made to measure according to the real measurements of the pool and the perimeter area, and does not require building interventions or bureaucratic permits.
With an absolutely affordable cost, it consists of an electric inflator that, in just a few minutes, creates the protective and heating dome, lying on the surface of the water, with a transparent, elegant structure and a suggestive effect.
In some models, it is also available with the roof, which gives it greater strength. As an alternative to inflatables, on the market you can also find telescopic and modular pool covers that can be lifted, to be positioned independently, without too much building expertise, adaptable to all forms of pools.
These are components in aluminum and polycarbonate alloy, with simplified assembly, which differ from the inflatable dome also because, once installed, they represent a definitive solution, not removable. The modular structures make it possible to use the pool both totally closed and to open it by inserting the compartments into one another, overlapping them and making them slide along the tracks, with great simplicity.