For many people with a pool; a pool heater is a must-have. This is because the addition of a pool heater allows you to have a warm, comfy pool to dive into whenever you want and at the same time, significantly prolong your swimming season. The problem, however, is that there are different size of the pool and with these sizes come different amounts of water. This means that you should know the right size of the pool heater to buy for your pool that will increase the temperature and keep it like that.
Finding the right size of heater for your pool depends on several variables like the air temperature, pool size, preferred water temperature, the starting temperature, and how fast you would want the pool to heat. When you consider these factors carefully, you’ll be sure about the right size of the pool heater for your needs.
Bear it at the back of your mind that the size of the heater depends on how warm you would prefer your pool to be and how long you would like it to remain. However, here are some guidelines that will assist you in getting the right heater size.
Calculate the Surface Area
When you want to discover what size of pool heater to buy, you need to calculate the surface area of your pool. Many people usually assume that the gallon size of your pool is what you need to determine the size of your pool heater. Several websites make use of the number of gallons.
However, the wider the surface area of your pool, the more water to heat. This is because the heat would have more space to escape through. Therefore, you need a pool heater that will adequately compensate for the size of your pool and the surface area. To correctly determine the surface area of your pool, you multiply the length of your pool by the width.
Division of the Surface Area of Your Pool by Three
Once you have correctly calculated the surface area, the next thing is to divide it by 3, which will automatically give you the lowest BTU size endorsed for your surface area. If your surface area is 450 and you divide it by 3, your answer would be 150, which means the lowest recommended BTU size is 150,000 BTUs. Naturally, it is advised you go higher because it is best if gas heater is oversized rather than undersized.
Reflect on the Variables
Before making a decision, think about the different factors that would affect the effectiveness of your pool heater. Some of these factors include climate, frequency of pool usage, ownership of a solar cover, and many more. You can choose to get a solar cover as it helps to account for heat loss at night, which will come in handy if you like to swim at night.
A solar cover is a game-changer for your pool; your pool gets heated much faster when you use a solar cover and pool heater simultaneously. Sometimes solar covers are better investments that large heaters.
Calculator for Sizing Residential Gas Heaters
If you want an easier way to size up a gas pool heater for your home pool, Raypak has a calculator to do just that for you. This calculator considers many factors like your state or city of residence, preferred temperature, the average air temperature, and your preferred rise in temperature. You can also input more details about your pool and where it is situated to determine which heater is ideal for your pool and your location as well.
Apart from this, the calculator has other features like helping you determine the differences between a gas heater and an electric heater. This will assist you in comparing cost based on your location’s temperature level and energy cost to achieve your preferred temperature. The calculator goes the extra mile of breaking down the cost each month. This is a valuable tool that will help pool owners develop a plan for when the pool should be open and when they might want it closed to save energy cost.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the perfect pool heater size for a 15,000-gallon pool? First off, it depends on the weather and climate conditions of the area the pool is located. For pools in colder or wind-prone areas, you should look for a very large pool heater.
Otherwise, you’re your pool is 15,000-gallon large, you should consider using at least the Pentair 125K. Any pool of higher gallons (20,000 above) can accommodate the Raypak 150K BTU.
Which is better: bigger or smaller pool heater? There is no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to the size of a pool heater to use for your pool. What is important here is that you take time out to calculate the measurement of the pool to know which heater will fit. Meanwhile, there’s no doubt the bigger heaters heat faster and better than the smaller ones. No one is hurt if you do your calculations, as well.
Should I use electric pool heaters? When it comes to efficiency and reliability, electric pool heaters have proven to be better than their gas-powered counterparts. It also saves you a lot of time, but it can be very costly to use, install, and maintain.
What is the longevity of a pool heater? Depending on the manufacturer, type, or maintenance, a pool heater can last for as long as between 7 to 10 years.
Final Thoughts
It’s pretty easy to determine the right size of your pool heater once you correctly calculate the heater size and the BTC, bearing all variables in mind. Even better is the Raypak calculator that allows you to check out energy costs and determine the size of the pool heater for your pool size and location even faster. I hope this guide helps; any questions can be directed to us through the comment section, and we’ll get back to you promptly.