Our founder Ken Adams has been associated with the pool heating industry for twenty years, his vast knowledge in the commercial and domestic design and installation of pool heating equipment is now made available to you.

Choosing the right equipment and source of energy to heat your pool or spa can be confusing.

Unfortunately a lot of pool heating suppliers and installers do not have vast product knowledge and too often install the wrong equipment - for example the heater supplied is undersized to do the job.

This web site will give you all the information you require to:

• Choose a quality brand of pool heating system that suits your budget

• Which energy to choose

• How to size your pool heating equipment

• How to save money

Brands of heating equipment:

Firstly consider the brand of the pool heater, is it a major well known brand or a cheap imported copy.

Does the heater come with a warranty?

Does the manufacturer have a service agent in your area?

Are spare parts available for the equipment?

Can you contact the seller to sort out installation problems?

Will the installer be able to fine tune the equipment?

Will the installer give you instruction on how to operate your heater?

Types of Pool Heating

• Gas

• Electric (element type)

• Electric (heat pump)

• Solar

Gas

The two major types of gas used for pool heating are:

Natural Gas - Supplied in gas mains and cheaper than LPG.

LPG - Propane - Supplied in cylinders either exchange cylinder or insitu filled by tanker.

Gas heaters are used in large numbers on pool and spas and give great flexibility because of their rapid heating ability and robustness.

Gas heaters can easily maintain any desired water temperature as typical sizing is based on providing heater capacity of achieving a 14 deg. C rise in water temperature in 24 hours.

Gas heaters are ideal for heating spas as most people require a quick heat in a short time.

Advantages

• Gas pool heating are generally cheaper to buy in comparison to other heating systems

• Gas pool heaters have very quick heat up time

• Gas pool heaters usually require less space for installation

Disadvantages

• Running costs are usually higher (except in spa heating where they are usually more economical where quick heat time is required)

• Cost of gas installation

Electric Heat Pump

Heat pumps work like an air conditioner only in reverse. The heat pump takes large quantities of air from the atmosphere.

The heat contained in the air is removed and transferred to the water from the pool water passing through the unit.

The characteristic of the heat pump of absorbing heat value from the air means that the unit has a low electrical input relative to its heat transfer, for example if the heat pump consumes 2 Kw of electricity it will produce approximately 6 to 10 Kw of heat energy. This efficiency ratio is referred to as C.O.P. (co-efficient of performance).

Advantages

• Running costs are usually two thirds cheaper (depending on electricity tariff)

Disadvantages

• Plant cost can be two to three times that of gas

• Fan noise

• Heater size

• In some cases three phase power is required

Electric Heating Elements

Element heating works similar to an electric kettle in that there is direct heat transfer between the immersed element and the pool water.

Advantages

• The small physical size of the units makes them ideal to use where plant space is restricted or where gas supply is not available and the special needs of a heat pump cannot be met

Disadvantages

• Usually have high running costs depending on electric tariff

Solar Heating

Solar heating systems work by direct heat transfer. The water from the pool is circulated through the collector, which is usually located on the roof.

Most systems utilise a digital controller, which sends water to the roof collectors whenever there is sufficient solar gain. These systems are usually supported with another form of heating (usually gas) to compensate when there is no solar gain.

The collectors or absorbers should have UV resistance (eg titanium dioxide) in the material to avoid deterioration. Beware some cheaper absorbers generally breakdown in a few years and require replacement. Look for a product that has a 10 to 15 year guarantee.

Advantages

• Running costs are minimal

Disadvantages

• Having enough roof space (unshaded) to install the collectors. As a rule the size of the collectors are equal or larger than the surface area of the pool

• In adverse weather conditions there can be no solar gain

At Preferred Gas Plumbing and Pool Heating Supplies we can assist in choice of product and size the heater to suit your needs.

We can deliver the heater to your door anywhere in Australia.

In some instances we can provide an installer who will guarantee that the installation is correct.

If you choose your own installer, then we can advise and assist with the correct installation methods.