Pool Heaters: Heat Pumps vs. Gas Heaters

heat pumps vs gas heaters

From liquid solar cover to natural gas heaters, there are multiple ways to heat your pool and extend your swim season. But is one method better than all the rest? Well, that answer depends on your budget, warmth preference, and location. In this article, we take a deep dive into the two most common types of pool heaters: gas heaters and electric heat pumps.

Gas Pool Heaters

Jacuzzi gas pool heater

Pros:

  • Fast heating
  • Heats in cold temperatures
  • Controller compatible
  • Cheaper upfront cost

Cons:

  • Higher operating costs
  • Requires more frequent repairs
  • Not suitable for indoor pools
  • Not environmentally-friendly

A gas pool heater may be the best choice if:

  1. You have an attached spa that you want to heat to over 100 degrees
  2. You plan to heat the pool early in the spring, and late into the fall, or year around.
  3. Adding a 30-50 amp breaker requires a “Heavy-Up” to your electrical service.
  4. Your gas meter is located very close to your pool equipment pad.
  5. You already have a 500 gallon propane tank (LPG) installed on the property.

Electric Heat Pumps

Hayward electric heat pump

Pros:

  • Fast heating
  • Low maintenance requirements
  • Safe to operate
  • Easy installation

Cons:

  • Operates at temperatures above 50ºF
  • Slower heat up time
  • Professional installation required
  • Higher upfront cost

A pool heat pump may be the best choice if:

  1. You want a more eco-friendly pool heater that doesn’t emit carbon oxides.
  2. Your pool is usually closed when daily outside temperatures dip below 60ºF.
  3. Slow water heat-up is not an issue.

DIY Gas Pool Heater Installation

Both pool heaters, gas or electric, can be mostly installed by the homeowner. For safety reasons, you should hire an electrician for a heat pump, or a gas contractor for a gas pool heater connection. The DIY pool owner can do everything else, including purchasing, placing, and plumbing your pool heater.

Purchasing a Pool Heater:

When sizing pool heaters, take into account the size of the pool in square footage, an estimate of average wind speed, and whether you will use a pool cover. It also looks at what your optimum temperature rise will be, or how much heat do you need? 10ºF is easy, twenty is do-able, but if you need to raise the temperature 30ºF or more, you will need a large heater, and probably a gas heater.

Placing a Pool Heater:

You may need to make some room near the pool filter to accommodate a pool heater. They are not small, and generally need about a 5’x5′ space for ventilation, exhaust, and service access. Build or buy a suitable pad, so the heater sits dry and level above the surrounding earth. Avoid placing the unit beneath windows, or under overhangs or leaky downspouts. A sunny, dry location is best, without excessive plants, bushes or overhanging trees.

Plumbing a Pool Heater:

Once you get it placed on a solid pad, cut the return line after the pool heater, but before any chlorinator or salt system, and redirect the pipes in and out of the heater. You’ll need some basic PVC fittings, like couplings or 90’s, PVC pipe and PVC glue and primer. Simple plumbing for a DIY pool owner.

Ask yourself – if you had warmer weather, would you and the family swim everyday? If your answer is yes, perhaps an electric heat pump is the best way to heat your pool. If you only swim on the weekends, running a gas heater from Friday to Sunday may be the best option.

Ask yourself – do you want to get another month on each end of the season, or do you want the pool open during the colder months? Heat pumps are limited, in that they only work when the ambient air is 50ºF or warmer. If you want to swim all year round (or most of the year), and you live in a cold climate, a heat pump is not for you. In this case, a gas heater would be your best option, to maintain any temperature you desire up to 104ºF.


So, have you decided which pool heater is for you yet? Whether you pick a gas heater or a heat pump, your pool will be warm and inviting whenever you want to use it!

6 thoughts on “Pool Heaters: Heat Pumps vs. Gas Heaters

  1. S Patton

    I live in Los Angeles just 4 miles from the beach. I want to swim daily year round. I have an above ground 10,000 gallon pool. The average temp in the coldest month, January, is 69-49 degrees. Can a heat pump handle that? Would a bigger size help? (My gas line is 150′ over rough terrain from the pool.)

    • Yes, a heat pump would work well, although as temps get 50 or colder, it won’t work at all, and will have to run a lot to maintain heat during January, but less if you use a solar cover during the cold months.

  2. Anthony G. Smith

    Hi Bob
    I live in Florida, my pool is about 24′ x 15 ‘. In the wintertime l like to heat the water up 10 to 15 degrees. I have enough solar panels on the house to support the whole house electrical needs. Which heat pump would you recommend? Thanks

    • Hi Anthony, sounds like a small pool, maybe 15K gallons? You would not need a large heat pump for a small pool, especially if you want only 10-15 degrees, unless you live in north florida, where it can get cold at times. Heat pumps are sized by BTU’s like gas heaters, and range from 50K to 140K in size. For your pool, look for a heat pump in the 75K to 100K range. Such as the TropiCal T75 model, or the Raypak Classic 95K model. If your water also gets too warm in summer, you may consider one of the Heat/Cool models, known as Chillers.

  3. Bob Perry

    Hi Chris, I live in Atlanta so my pool is pretty warm in the summer but I would like to get a little more use out of it and more comfortable for an occasional party. My pool isn’t huge, maybe 18k gal and I am not looking to drastically change the temp – maybe 10 degrees. I would like to get a heat pump. I would prefer a smaller, cheaper one as I don’t require a major heat change nor do I need it heated quickly. Can you recommend a small, less expensive heat pump model that will just give my pool an added boost w/o being too obtrusive or costly?

    • Hi Bob, AquaPro has some smaller models around 100K BTU like the 1100E model https://www.intheswim.com/p/aquapro-heat-pump Or the TropiCal T75 or T90 could also be used. You can look for something in the 75K-100K BTU range. They do make 50K BTU models, but it might struggle with 10 degrees consistently, and be operating much more often than a larger unit, so costing more to run each month.

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