Pool Heating

Owning a pool in New Zealand can come with numerous costs. Arguably, heating expenditure tends to take up a large fraction of your budget for your swimming pool care and maintenance. If you want to save money or find a more sustainable way to heat up your pool water, you will need to know a thing or two about swimming pool heaters.

In our discussion below, we will explore your different options and how you can compare pool heating
prices, so you know what will work best for you.

The Science of Pool Heating

Have you ever wondered how pool heaters work? How do they end up using a lot of energy in the first place? To help you understand, let’s try to take a closer look at how the system works.

Essentially, a swimming pool heating equipment keeps the water at an optimal temperature ranging from 77 to 85 degrees. It applies to both summer and winter days to prevent you from feeling cold after your usual swimming schedule.

You get to choose from three main types of pool heating systems, depending on your preference and the pools’ heating requirements. The first one is the gas heating system, which utilizes propane or natural gas to power the coils and heat the water to your preferred water temperature. Then there’s the
electric type, which of course depends on electricity to do its job. The last type, solar pool heaters, is undeniably becoming more and more popular among households thanks to its affordable running costs.

Pros and Cons of the Three Types of Swimming Pool Heaters

To give you an idea of which heater to use for your swimming pool, let’s check out the average annual running cost of each type (on a standard size pool) and their respective pros and cons:

•  Gas heater – $500-$2100 (depending on whether you use LPG or natural gas)
  • PROS
    • Easy servicing and maintenance
    • Affordable initial costs (system and installation costs)
  • CONS:
    • Less energy-efficient compared to the pump type
    • Expensive operational costs
    • Short lifespan

• Electric pump heaters – $250-$750
  • PROS
    • Eco-friendly option because it uses up lesser energy to heat water
    • Easy to find spare parts in case you have a damaged system
       Consistent performance and durable make
  • CONS
    • High initial costs (the price of the system plus installation)
    • Some systems tend to be noisy when running

• Solar pool heaters – $100-$200
  •  PROS
    • Inexpensive running costs
    • Affordable system price and installation
  • CONS
    • Hard to source spare parts in case the system breaks
    • It largely depends on the sunlight received in the area
    • It might not work for some parts of New Zealand

There you have it, the three types of pool heating systems. Do you know which one to choose for your household? If you’re not sure what system would work best for you, feel free to reach out to our team. We will help you figure out the best choice.

Pool Heater Shopping Guide – Things You Must Consider

Certainly, when you shop for a swimming pool heater, there are basic things you have to consider, including the pool size, your available budget, and climate in the area. You need to look into each factor if you want to maximize your investment and select the right type of pool heater. Let’s deep dive into each factor.

Size of Your Pool

Do you know the size of your pool? As a rule of thumb, if you have a large swimming pool, you should expect to use a large and powerful heater. Otherwise, the water won’t get heated enough, and your existing system might break down earlier than expected because it gets overworked.

So, for example, if you have a Torino-type pool and you’re located somewhere on the Northern side of New Zealand, you will most likely spend around $5.5 to heat your pool. You may need to use a 200-300 BTU heater to reach your ideal temperature for the pool water.

If you prefer using the solar-type pool heater, you will need to coordinate with a specialist to determine which system would work best for you. Take note that besides the solar heater’s panel size, you will need to consider the amount of sunlight your area gets each year. You will also need to take into consideration the elevation in your location.

Your Available Budget

Earlier in the discussion, we specifically noted that the installation and operational costs differ depending on what sort of heater you prefer to use. You will need to think about those factors when you decide on the system you will install.

In addition, we also recommend looking at the maintenance and repair costs. If you use a solar heating system, you might have to spend a bit more on repair and maintenance than when using the other two types.  However, if you think the solar heater’s operational and installation can offset the future fees you need to settle in case the system breaks, then it’s genuinely a worthy option for you.

The Prevailing Climate In Your Area

You must factor in the climate in your location when you choose a heater type. That’s because the efficiency of the system might get affected if your area has a fluctuating temperature. Also, if you’re leaning towards the solar pool heater, you should ensure that you have enough sun throughout the year. Otherwise, the system won’t function as you expect it to.

Saving Money When Using Your Pool Heater

Have you made up your mind about what type of heater you will install for your residential pool? Now, because each type has a different energy requirement and efficiency, you will have to make necessary adjustments if you want to save money while your heater is running.

Here are some of the most practical tips you can use to ensure that you don’t blow your budget for each month:

• When not in use, choose to adjust the temperature or switch off the system.
• Make sure to put a pool cover when you don’t intend to use the swimming pool. This helps reduce the evaporation rate of the pool water and save energy used.
• If you end up choosing a pump that’s smaller than what you need, you should use it less. This way, it doesn’t get strained, and you save energy at the same time.
• Consider investing in quality pool insulation to help maintain the ambient temperature.
• Consider changing the pool color into something darker because white pools tend to stay cool compared to black or navy colored ones.

Enjoy a Swim in Your Pool Anytime of the Year!

Needless to say, having a swimming pool in your home can cost you a bit of money. But, with the right heater in place and by practicing essential energy-saving tips, you can enjoy swimming any time of the year in your residential pool. We hope the short guide we prepared above can help you compute for the average pool heating costs in New Zealand and choose the perfect option for your household.

If you have more questions about pool heaters or if you’re ready to shop and install a system for your swimming pool, we’re available for a chat. Call us anytime you need help!

Summer is usually the most favorite time of the year for most people. It’s when the temperature is perfect for a beach or pool party. It’s the best time to let your hair hang down and relax. It’s when a lot of families go on vacation to other exotic places.

But what if your budget doesn’t allow for a family vacation this year? If you have a pool, you can go on staycation and spend time with your family swimming in your pool.

Did you know that you will need to regulate your pool’s temperature even during summer? You will need to keep your pool at a certain degree of heat or coolness. To do this, you will need a pool heat pump.

What Is a Pool Heat Pump and How Does It Work?

A pool heat pump is a machine that uses electricity without generating heat. Instead, it has a fan that draws in heat from outside air that the sun has warmed. The fan extracts the warm air and circulates it using an outer evaporator air coil. The liquid refrigerant inside the evaporator coil absorbs and transforms heat into a gas.

The pool heat pump warms the gas in the coil, which is then pumped into the compressor. This, in turn, increases the heat and creates an extremely hot gas that passes through the heat exchanger condenser.

The pool heat pump circulates the swimming pool water absorbed from the pool, which then passes through a filter and the water heater of the heat pump.

Once the liquid refrigerant gas and water from the pool is pumped through the heat exchanger at the same time, the hot gas applies heat to the water. The water is heated 3-5 degrees as it goes through this process and then warmer water goes into the pool.

As it flows through the condenser coil, the hot gas turns back into liquid and goes back into the evaporator, where the entire process starts over.

A pool heat pump works perfectly only when the outside temperature remains above 45-50 degrees Fahrenheit range. It uses more energy when outside air is cooler.

Here Are 5 Reasons to Use a Heat Pump to Heat Your Pool:

1. Cools Down Your Pool’s Temperature When it Gets Extremely Hot.

Most people don’t know this but a pool heat pump can actually cool down your pool’s temperature when it gets really hot. That’s why you need to use one even during hot season.

Yes, the sun can naturally heat up your pool in the summer. Unfortunately, there’s no way of controlling the temperature, which could turn your pool’s water scorching hot! Now, you don’t want to swim in boiling hot water, that’s for sure.

So, in this case, you may want to use a pool heat pump to lower and regulate heat in your swimming pool. That way, you can swim without the discomfort or worse, getting burned.

You will need a pool heat pump with a heat/cool feature for this. Some pool heaters may also double as water coolers. So, when your swimming pool water gets too hot, you can bring down the heat to the perfect temperature.

2. Heats Your Pool Back Up During Unexpected Rain or Storm.

Sometimes, rain and storm will surprise you. So, what will you do when unexpected rainstorms show up? Get that pool heat pump going! Now you won’t have to wait for your pool to have the perfect water temperature.

You can simply turn on your heat pump and your pool water will have the right temperature in an hour or so.

You can also set your pool heater to work in standby mode with a pre-set temperature so you’ll always have the perfect swimming pool water temperature. The pool heat pump will automatically sense the temperature change and heat up the water for you no matter where you are.

Imagine the convenience of coming home to an inviting pool with the perfect temperature every day!

3. You Never Miss Out on Throwing Pool Parties (Rain or Shine).

Have you ever planned a pool party that was cancelled due to rain? How inconvenient it must have been for you to go through all that planning and preparation and have everything rained out. Not to mention the disappointed guests and celebrants. Plus, all that expenses preparing for that pool party isn’t something you can gain back.

What if I told you that you can throw that pool party rain or shine, thanks to the help of a pool heat pump? Using a heat pump in your pool during summer can give you a lot of benefits. Now you can plan and throw as many pool parties as you want. Your guests will love that perfect swimming pool water temperature and they will surely thank you for hosting a fabulous pool party.

A pool heat pump does more than heat swimming pool water – it also cools down your water temperature so you’re bound to have the perfect pool party.

4. You Can Swim Anytime You Want (Night and Day).

Owning and using a pool heat pump will give you the convenience of going swimming anytime without worrying about weather conditions. Whether it’s too hot or too cold, your pool water temperature will always be perfect. So you can swim anytime, night and day.

Imagine spending time with loved ones underneath the stars with pool water that’s perfect.

Using a water pump lets you go swimming anytime, 24-7 – now that’s a great way to spend quality time with family and friends or just staying fit or relaxing after a long day at work.

5. You Avoid Unnecessary Overspending on Your Family’s Entertainment and Spend More Quality Time Together Swimming in Your Pool.

Owning a swimming pool can be the answer to your family’s entertainment needs and desires as you spend more time swimming and less time going to malls or going to the beach. It’s cheaper and healthier in the long run!

Using a pool heat pump lets you enjoy your vacation and days off as your pool water temperature is regulated for your enjoyment whenever you want.

Your family and friends will surely love you for giving them a way to relax and unwind anytime.

Conclusion

Swimming is a wonderful way to relax or exercise. Owning a swimming pool is a great way to encourage healthy habits while providing entertainment for family and friends. Creating the perfect temperature for your pool water is the best way for you to enjoy spending time in your pool.

Now that you know how a pool heat pump works and its many benefits, you should definitely ask professionals to install one in your pool. Have fun!

The first question many people ask when first considering a pool heating solution is this.

In fact, the cost is the only downside considered my most people.

The simple answer to this question is, that every pool heating solution is different.

There are many factors that influence the cost of a pool heating solution.  The type of pool heating solution you choose will affect the initial price, and then each solution has different ongoing energy and maintenance costs.

The other things that influences the cost are:

• The size of the pool
• The temperature you wish to heat your pool to
• The outside temperature your pool heating system will operate in
• How many hours a day you will need to operate your pool heating system
• Whether your pool is insulated or not
• The use or non-use of pool covers

Because of the constant improvements in design and technology, today’s pool heating solutions have developed into highly efficient systems.  Depending on the system you choose, the cost of day to day running can be anything from the price of a cup of coffee daily, to no ongoing energy costs at all.

This makes the option, of installing a pool heating system, more accessible to a larger number of pool owner.

If you would like to consider the options available, please don’t hesitate to contact Pool Heating Ltd on 0800 766 543.

You could be forgiven thinking that “Efficiency” is a new catch phrase. When considering anything to do with power consumption or heating – having equipment with a high “efficiency” rating is an important factor.

When looking at heating your swimming pool one of the highest concerns associated with heating is the cost of power. Making sure that you have efficient pool heating makes all the difference!

There are various ways of having a heat efficient pool system. If you are just starting to look at ways of heating your pool you probably will have come across solar heaters, pool covers, heat pumps – both electric and gas or water temperature management systems. If your heating system is installed properly, then you can enjoy your pool all year round and relax in the knowledge your pool is energy efficient.

If you have a poorly installed heating system then not only do you get less enjoyment out of your pool, but your ongoing running costs are higher than they need to be and you will likely find that your maintenance requirements increase over time due to parts being over or under heated or having more strain than necessary put on them due to inefficiencies.

If you have a commercial pool then the costs involved in running a heated, power efficient pool can be crippling. If your commercial pool is an indoor pool, then you will know that indoor pools present unique challenges. Indoor pools create an environment where air quality can be difficult to control – everyone can relate to walking into a pool complex and feeling warm and the air heavy with humidity and smelling of chemicals and machinery. Another top challenge is energy cost, as aggressive air filtration and swings in temperature can lead to spikes in energy use and poor insulation can cause energy leakage.

All of these issues will affect your business’s bottom line and by considering your pool heating efficiency you can help eliminate most of these issues.

Pool Heating NZ have the expertise you need to audit your current swimming pool heating and to advise you on how you can make your pool more heat efficient and make the difference for you. Call us on 0800 766 543 to talk to us about a pool heating solution that you need!

Running a household can be an expensive business. The cost of day to day living never truly reduces and managing what you spend your money on can be quite the challenge. So how do you possibly find the means to heat a swimming pool?

It is a common misconception that having a heated swimming pool will cost you an arm, a leg and possibly your first born child. However, this truly is a misnomer. Yes, like all things you can spend a lot of money heating your pool, however if you speak to us at Pool Heating NZ, we can help you get the best value for money out of your existing system or custom design a heating package that truly will save your hard earned cash while providing cheaper heating.

If you have read any part of our site, you will know that there are a range of options available when you are wanting to heat your pool. Heat pumps, Solar, Pool Blankets are just some of the options. There are ways of making your pool the most heat efficient it can be that won’t cost you a lot of money.

Some heating options that we can talk to you about harness the free energy from the sun, others require a bit more technology but by incorporating the latest in pool heating technology we can provide you with cost savings.

For every $1 that you spend on heating your pool, our systems can provide you with around $3 of energy. That makes our average installation 300% efficient. If that doesn’t make you say, “wow”, then how about our next fact? If you install one of our heat pumps, their energy source is air which is completely renewable – you have no fuel costs and low energy consumption as they use up to 70% renewable electricity to run the system.

By engaging Pool Heating NZ to install your pool heating system, you will also save cash. There are no middle payments to middlemen when you deal with us. We pride ourselves on staying at the forefront of tried, tested, reliable new generation products.

If you have a smaller outlay in getting your pool heating system in place, and the product you have installed is energy efficient with a custom design specifically for your pool you can do nothing but save cash while heating your pool.

If you have been thinking about heating your pool so that you can have a longer season using it right into – and perhaps through – winter but also been worried about the costs involved, simply pick up the phone and give Pool Heating NZ a call on 0800 766 543 and we can walk you through how best to save you money while enjoying a comfortably warm pool.

No one wants to be jumping into a freezing cold pool, right?  And a hot pool always feels so luxurious, but did you know, that there is such a thing a too warm pool?

Different pools are used for various activities.  For example, a spa pool/Jacuzzi is supposed to be warm, and then ice therapy pools, need to be cold.  However, for swimming pools, there is an optimum temperature range.

What are some of the dangers of having your swimming pool too warm?
One of the biggest dangers is the negative effect it has on your body.  For every degree higher than the optimum range, an adult must consume an additional 1 litre of water every two hours.  Most people do not do this, and as a result, are at a huge risk of dehydration.

Other effects on the body can be even more severe.
During swimming, the heat from the body normally dissipates into the water, but if the water is too warm, the body is unable to cool itself down, resulting in spasms, and muscles that are unable to perform properly.

Our heart is our most important muscle.  A too warm pool can affect your heart, causing heart arrhythmia, because the organ can’t pump efficiently.  Lungs can also be affected as they are also muscles, resulting in lung failure, or worse, the inability to not swallow water, and aspirating into the lungs, causing a form of drowning.

Other issues caused by a pool being too warm, is that the pool becomes a breeding ground for viruses and bacteria.  A pool over 30°C is the provides the best climate for these pathogens to breed and reinfect unsuspecting swimmers, thus gastrointestinal illnesses increase.

Algae also thrives in warmer temperatures, increasing the need for pool chemicals and cleaning.

Now this all seems very dire, however, it need not be.  Keeping your heated pool between 25-28°C (+/- 1°) will provide a nice, comfortable pool, while not effecting your health.

Heating your pool can be extremely expensive if not done correctly.  How can you keep your heating costs down and the most efficient they can be?

The key to this is making sure that your pool heating system is the best suited to the size of your swimming pool and how warm you wish to heat it.  Having a heat pump that is too small, will mean it will need to work very hard to get up to temperature and stay there, using a lot of energy.  Inefficient heat pumps use more energy to produce less heat.

The other way to make your pool heating system the most efficient it can be, is to use a pool cover.  Not only do pool covers reduce the amount of heat that escapes from the water’s surface, most importantly, they reduce the amount of evaporation that occurs to negligible amounts.   Water evaporation accounts for 70% of heat loss from your pool.  If warm water doesn’t evaporate, you require less energy to heat the pool and the new water added.

The last way you can reduce your pool heating costs is by reducing the temperature that you are heating your pool to.  A change of even 1 degree can offer noticeable savings to your heating costs.

Would like to know how you can reduce your pool heating costs further and have the most efficient pool heating system?  Call Pool Heating Ltd on 0800 766 543 today!

It is hard to think that with the current beautiful, warm weather, we are about to slip into Autumn, and that winter is just around the corner!

There are things you can do now to start preparing your pool for the colder months of the year.

Do you normally use your pool during winter?  Or do you find it just far too cold?  Does your pool sit there being ignored while you pine away for the warm weather to hit again, so you can jump right back in?

There is no need to wait!

At Pool Heating Ltd, we are here to help you with all your pool heating requirements.  Did you know that you can extend your swimming season to include winter with the right heating solution?

Call us today on 0800 766 543 to discuss your pool heating requirements.