What Pool Contractors Don’t Want You to Know | 2022

What Pool Contractors Don’t Want You to Know

How much time and $$$ does it really take to heat a pool? While the time it takes may have stayed relatively consistent, that cost to do so has nearly DOUBLED.

Let’s consider the time and money necessary to heat an average pool (15’x30’). The average 450 Sq Ft pool is ~ 15,000 gallons. With a 400,00 BTU Gas heater, it will take ~ 6 hours to bring the pool from 65 degrees to 85 degrees.

Here is the math…

15,000 gallons * 8.33 lbs/gallon = 125,000 Pounds of water

400,000BTU Heater @ 80% efficiency =320,000 BTU’s

125,000/320,000 BTU Heater = .39 hrs to raise the entire pool 1 degree

.39 * 20 = 7.8 Hours to raise 15,000 gallons of water 20 degrees

Natural gas heaters use about 1 therm per hour per 100,000 BTU’s. For a typical size 400,000 BTU pool heater, that’s 4 therms per hour. So, for one day of heating the pool from 65-85 degrees, that will result in 25 therms for the day.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statisicts, the cost of 1 therm of gas was ~$1.00 2 years ago. The national average is up 50% and it has more than doubled in other areas of the country. That means an average size pool will cost $50/day on average to reach warm swimming temperatures (Costing much more in winter time and less during summer)

What does this mean for pool owners?

What does it mean for those that are in the business of SELLING POOLS? The ones who are looking to best serve their clients will incorporate solar into their product offerings. If a pool owner were to keep their pool warm from April-October, they could see an annual gas expense of $3,600 for the year. A solar pool heating system will deliver the same heating performance during these 7 months with NO operating cost. With the average price of a solar pool heating running $5-10k, this yields a payback of 2-3 years. Considering most people build a pool with the intent of enjoying it many years to come, Solar pool heating is a no brainer.

If you build swimming pools, the cost of gas is may hurt your business if you don’t have cost effective heating solutions. What’s the answer? A solar pool heating system. After all, NOBODY enjoys a cold pool.