Above Ground Pools

[posnick]

Who has a heated ABG pool? Looking for feed back on NG heaters mostly. I am in the process of ordering a 27' pool and stuck between Jandy, Hayward & pentair.
Cheers

 

[BILTIT]

Subscribed, I built a 45 gal drum water heater using a diesel forced air heater which works fairly well with my 18x10 pool but will be looking at nat gas heaters when we decide to go to a bigger pool.

 

[ducati]

I put in a Hayward a couple years ago. Has worked flawlessly so far but it does cost a lot to heat the pool. With our glorious carbon tax it is not great on the gas bill for sure. I would say it costs slightly more to heat the pool than it does to heat my shop in the winter other than maybe July and August in peak heat.

I did buy a solar cover which helps a lot. Basically it looks like bubble wrap but it really helps the sun heat the pool up. On a hot day it can increase the temp by 5-6 degrees.

 

[52weekbreak]

At first thought this was a weird thread to start just before December but Christmas is coming. There are a ton of heaters out there at various prices, capabilities and efficiencies. If you have a spot to put it, a solar heater can provide a real boost and they are quite cheap and work off circulating water anyway. The pool cover is also a big saver of heat radiating out and can, as mentioned Ducati above.

Like a hot tub, if you can insulate to reduce heat wicking out the bottom and possibly sides that would also be helpful. I would check into putting a 1 inch rigid foam underneath the pool and whether you can do anything with the sides depends entirely the construction.

Pools are fun for families but a PITA keeping clean and can cost a small fortune to heat. An above ground seems a smart way to go as it can be fairly easily removed once you are done with it. My brother installed a pool at his place in Ontario (pic is below). Kind of made going there like visiting an all inclusive as there was a separate bar and outdoor kitchen cabana etc. but it is pretty obvious that he didn't really have any budget concerns.

https://www.amazon.ca/2-2X10-SunQue...ocphy=9001283&hvtargid=pla-634307748397&psc=1
The pool cover is also a big saver of heat radiating out and can, as mentioned Ducati above.

 

[skegpro]

At first thought this was a weird thread to start just before December but Christmas is coming. There are a ton of heaters out there at various prices, capabilities and efficiencies. If you have a spot to put it, a solar heater can provide a real boost and they are quite cheap and work off circulating water anyway. The pool cover is also a big saver of heat radiating out and can, as mentioned Ducati above.

Like a hot tub, if you can insulate to reduce heat wicking out the bottom and possibly sides that would also be helpful. I would check into putting a 1 inch rigid foam underneath the pool and whether you can do anything with the sides depends entirely the construction.

Pools are fun for families but a PITA keeping clean and can cost a small fortune to heat. An above ground seems a smart way to go as it can be fairly easily removed once you are done with it. My brother installed a pool at his place in Ontario (pic is below). Kind of made going there like visiting an all inclusive as there was a separate bar and outdoor kitchen cabana etc. but it is pretty obvious that he didn't really have any budget concerns.

https://www.amazon.ca/2-2X10-SunQue...ocphy=9001283&hvtargid=pla-634307748397&psc=1
The pool cover is also a big saver of heat radiating out and can, as mentioned Ducati above.

Wow, did he work at GM?

 

[ducati]

The foam around the outside is a good point as well. I was looking at doing that this year but just didn’t get around to it. Next year I will likely add foam to each section and try to avoid the heat loss through the sides. I can do about half the pool that way, the rest of the pool has a deck built around it so it would be really tough to do without tearing the deck apart.

 

[skegpro]

Do you guys use these pools in the winter?

 

[lilduke]

Do you guys use these pools in the winter?

Lol this is Canada. You need a indoor pool for that..

 

[Couch]

Heat pump is much more efficient. Picked one up at costco 6 or 7 years ago and still going strong - only service was to replace the thermocouple.
Going to pull the liner next spring and add in 1" sm around the sides. Keeping a good solar cover on it when not in use is a big help - would be great if there was an inflatable cover available.

 

[ducati]

Do you guys use these pools in the winter?

Late May/Early June to late September or early October for ours.

 

[posnick]

was looking at heat pumps as well but they cost 75% more money. i ordered a resin pool and am running salt water with a Jandy heater. Good time of yr to buy thx to black friday/weeks as i saved $500. No problem storing it till spring! had a pool at my last house and used it nearly everyday. In the grand scheme of things, they arnt that expensive. Hoping the monthly heat cost is under $500

 

[52weekbreak]

Haha. No he worked for a company that did an IPO. He did OK. The house that went with the pool was pretty ridiculous - 7500 square feet on two levels - 30 X 40 home theater room with a 10 foot screen blah blah blah. It was lots of fun going there and he kept the place for 11 years before moving back to Alberta to be close to his grandkids.

.

Wow, did he work at GM?

 

[52weekbreak]

I don't know if this is helpful but their are rolls of insullation you can buy that roll out like a blanket. Maybe this would be easier to put aounr the outside of the liner? I have been considering getting a roll to put on the inside of my garage doors. The metal hardware always frosts up so i was thinking maybe if they covered by this stuff I could avoid the icing at the bottom of the door...

https://www.insulation4less.com/Insulation4lessProduct-62-Prodex-Total-10M.aspx#fragment1

The foam around the outside is a good point as well. I was looking at doing that this year but just didn’t get around to it. Next year I will likely add foam to each section and try to avoid the heat loss through the sides. I can do about half the pool that way, the rest of the pool has a deck built around it so it would be really tough to do without tearing the deck apart.

 

[higher n you]

I run a Hayward pool heater in mine year round. Get the digital not the dial. Went through several used ones off Kijiji and constantly repairing. Haven’t touched the Hayward in 2 years of constant year round use. Best price was pool supplies Canada and free shipping.

 

[posnick]

Ordered the entire package from them. Will be here before xmas. You have your pool open in the winter? Must be indoors??

 

[TylerG]

Ordered the entire package from them. Will be here before xmas. You have your pool open in the winter? Must be indoors??

going to have to call you Griswold!

 

[eclipse1966]

when we had our pool we had both a heater and black coil irrigation pvc pipe coiled into 4 sections with approx 5 coils per section mounted on the roof (back side where no one can see it). With that system our heater rarely worked for the exception early spring and late summer. Easy and cheap to maintain!

 

[higher n you]

Ordered the entire package from them. Will be here before xmas. You have your pool open in the winter? Must be indoors??

Was just in the process of installing a new liner few weeks ago. Full and holding lol