If you don’t have a heated pool, our very long winter and rather cold start to summer might have you wondering if it’s time and whether or not you have a swimming pool that cannot be heated?

You’ll be happy to know the short answer is no.

It’s true that the bigger the pool the harder the pool is to heat, but all that means is that we throw more at it.

In our bag of tricks, we can do the calculations on one heat pump vs two, or look for other factors that will get you the heat you need without an energy cost you can’t afford.

Things to consider when researching your best pool heating options

There are a number of factors that impact how hard it is to heat a pool.

For example, it does become harder and harder the colder the environment.

Another factor is when you choose not to use a pool cover or solar blanket because this contributes to massive heat loss.

And while shading is nice on those hot summer days, over-shading indoors requires a heftier approach to pool heating.

All those sorts of things add to the pool being harder to heat.

But there’s generally not a pool that we can’t heat; it just means we need to throw more kilowatts of heating into it.

And the same works with solar. It’s just kilowatts of heating.

The first thing we do at Adelaide Pool Heating is visit your pool to have a look at its situation, take measurements, and then run them through a series of equations we use.

This means that shortly after our visit, you’ll know where you stand and you’ll have a clear set of options to consider.

Avoid those fast, low quotes for pool heating – there might be an unwanted surprise in store

As Anthony explains in the video on this page, he recently went to go see a person who had been given a quote for a heat pump, but it was going to be almost undercover in a situation where the heat pump wouldn’t work efficiently.

We see this a little too often.

People judge a quote by the upfront cost and fail to account for ongoing running costs.

In the case Anthony discusses in the video, one of the main issues with the competitor’s quote was that the heat pump was going to be in an enclosed area.

The problem is, heat pumps are like the opposite of air conditioners. Air conditioners remove heat from inside and dissipate outside the house, likewise, pool heat pumps are taking atmospheric warmth and expelling cold air.

When these pumps operate in enclosed areas, the cold exhaust means less and less ambient heat is available and the pumps need to work harder and longer, running up costs and shortening their working lives.

In short, the hotter the atmosphere, the more efficiently a pool heat pump can work.

If it is surrounded by colder and colder air, it’s going to run out of capacity because instead of “cruising” it’s racing.

“It’s like driving your car,” says Anthony. “I can get from here to Melbourne on maybe a tank if I drive comfortably, but if I’ve got my foot to the pedal, I will have to fill up on the way.

“I’ve seen heat pumps freeze over because they’ve been in enclosed areas. And I mean fully freeze over; creating a lot of noise, a lot of struggle with componentry, because they’ve been in tight spaces.”

This is just one example that demonstrates the difference between an experienced installer and someone without such knowledge.

Every pool can be heated; it’s just that the solutions will differ

Our advice is to make sure your pool heating service provider has experience, successfully installing systems that provide the promised heat levels within promised energy consumption levels.

As Anthony says, you don’t spend $8,000 to $10,000 on a pool heating system on a whim, you need it to work and to not drown you with exorbitant running costs.

He says a good pool heating system is an investment in your family, and it needs to be considered seriously.