The obvious benefit of having a warm pool is that it can be enjoyed right through the year, even in the cold seasons. Though this is a big perk, it is not the only one. Warm water is also an excellent mood uplifter that helps calm your body, reducing insomnia and stress. Increasing your pool water’s temperature is also beneficial to your physical health in the sense that it can increase your flexibility as well as your blood circulation.
Knowing the benefits of a heated pool, you are left with one question: What pool-heating method should you choose? There are various options available, depending on factors such as your pool’s shape and size, existing residential heating systems, how often you wish to swim, your preferred temperature and desired swimming seasons. Discussed will be the pros and cons of 5 different ways to keep your swimming pool warm.
Solar Panels
Heating your pool with solar panels is environmentally friendly and the energy is completely free!
The majority of your budget will only go to installation and maintenance. Instead of heat, solar panels produce energy. Combined with an electric heating system as a heat exchanger, solar panels can heat up your pool even quicker.
Pros:
- Little to no consumption costs
- Environmentally friendly
Cons:
- High purchase price
- Can only be fully utilized during warm seasons, when the sun is out.
Heat Pump
For years, heat pumps have been one of the popular pool heating methods for many families around the world. Incorporating a heat pump is a highly efficient, economical, easy-to-use, and durable method of heating your pool. Compared to a gas or fuel pool heating system, using a heat pump is much more environmentally friendly and offers a longer service life. Heat pumps do not rely on the sun for energy, which makes them a good alternative to solar heating. This method is ideal for heating larger swimming pools and easy to use.
Pros:
- Efficient use of electricity
- Long service life
Negative:
- Higher purchase price
- Noisy
Solar Pool Cover
Using a swimming solar pool cover will greatly reduce the cooling down of the pool water and can decrease heat loss by 50%. This is not necessarily a pool heating option, since its main objective is to keep your pool water warm as long as possible. The benefit of having solar pool covers lies in that your heating system does not have to be used as often.
How it works: UV rays from the sun pass through air bubbles on the solar pool cover and heat the water. As the rays enter the pool and heat the water, the solar pool cover entraps them, keeping the heat in the water and preventing evaporation.
Pros:
- Increased water temperature by roughly 5°C (for outdoor pools in full sunshine)
- Zero extra electricity cost used for heating
- Reduces evaporation by up to 95%
- Assists in pool maintenance
- Easy to use
Cons:
- A relative short lifespan (2.5 to 3 years)
- Should be stored in the shade when not in the pool (or protected with a solar protection sheet).
Liquid Pool Blanket
Using a liquid blanket became popular in the USA a decade ago and now the liquid pool cover or blanket is also available in South Africa.
Swimming solar pool covers are still more effective than liquid covers, but liquid pool blankets are invisible and therefore do not affect the beauty of a pool.
The waterguard liquid pool blanket is readily available.
Wind Blocks
Few people are actually aware that wind is most likely the biggest culprit when it comes to factors that can decrease your pool’s temperature. Installing hedges, a solid fence, or any other solid structure that will block off a sized area of your pool, can prevent the heat from stealing your pool’s heat. Just be mindful not to block your house’s view of the pool, since this can be a serious safety risk, especially if you have children.
Pros:
- Cost-effective
- Low maintenance cost
Cons:
- Can be a safety hazard
- Can be visually unappealing
People also ask:
What is the best way to keep a pool warm?
The best way to keep your pool water warm is to use a combination of solar panels and solar pool covers. Solar panels are environmentally friendly and use energy from the sun to heat your pool. Adding a solar cover to the mix ensures that the accumulated heat will not escape and thus will keep your pool water warm for longer.