- [Narrator] Looking for the best way to heat up your pool?
There are three types of pool heaters that can help.
One is solar heating options,
two, DIY options,
and three, traditional pool heaters.
So let's dive in and check out the best ways
to heat your pool quickly and efficiently.
Check it out.
(upbeat surfer music)
(water splashing)
Before we continue,
if you're looking for help keeping your pool clean,
and clear throughout the season,
check out our free pool care cheat sheet
at swimuniversity.com/cheatsheet
It's a totally free, easy-to-use guide
to help you keep track of taking care of your pool.
Now, no matter which kind of heating method you use,
your pool's heat time depends on a few things.
What type of pool you have,
how much water it holds,
whether it's insulated or not,
and how much sun you get.
Speaking of sun, (water splashing)
let's start with solar heating.
The sun is nature's free pool water heater.
An average pool will heat up about 0.7 degrees per hour
under the noontime sun,
but the downside to that sun is evaporation,
and evaporation can cause the same pool
to lose five degrees Fahrenheit
for every quarter inch of water evaporated.
So here's where solar pool covers come in.
Solar pool covers, aka solar blankets
are large sheets of insulating plastic
that look like bubble wrap,
and lie on top of your pool water.
They not only capture the energy from the sun.
They also help keep the heat in
by reducing water evaporation, especially at night.
A lot of the heat your pool gains during the day
is lost at night,
and solar blankets keep some of the heat from dissipating,
and cuts evaporation by about 95%.
When water evaporates from your pool,
you also lose the chemicals in that water.
A solar blanket can prevent
35 to 60% of your pool water chemicals
from disappearing into thin air.
Depending on where you live,
a solar cover may not keep the water as warm
as an electric or gas heater,
but it can still reduce water evaporation
to help retain heat. (water splashing)
Now, which color solar cover is best?
Clear solar covers allow more of the sun's heat
to penetrate the water,
and can increase the water temperature by about 15 degrees,
and prevent up to 95% of pool water,
and chemical evaporation.
Dark blue solar covers, on the other hand,
are great for heat retention.
So if you have a gas heater or a pool heat pump
your heater won't need to run as long
with a dark blue cover.
Now, if you have a large pool
or you swim very often
removing the solar blanket can be a bit annoying.
You can cut the solar blanket
into smaller panels and remove the pieces one at a time
or it might be worth investing in a solar cover reel.
Now there are also liquid solar pool covers.
You can't see it.
You can't feel it.
And it's safe to swim in and helps prevent evaporation.
And if you want to see a liquid solar pool cover in action
be sure to check out our other video.
Liquid solar covers are easier to use than solar blankets
but solar blankets are about 25% more effective
at keeping heat and water in the pool.
Now whether you use a liquid or a blanket solar cover,
they both help retain heat
and stop evaporation, especially at night.
Now let's talk about some next level solar heating options.
If you have an above ground pool
you may want to consider heating the pool with a Solar Dome.
A Solar Dome collects the sun's rays
and circulates the pool water through warming channels.
Before returning it to your pool.
Solar Domes can raise the temperature of your pool
up to 10 degrees, especially over several sunny days.
They can be a bit more challenging to install
and require some extra connectors
if you're trying to position it where there's more sun
they're also not cheap.
But aside from the initial cost, it runs on solar
which means completely free heat
for your pool. (water splashing)
If a Solar Dome is a little
out of your budget or your feeling handy
you can try making your own cheap solar heater
with black irrigation hose and a sump pump.
A DIY solar heater is the same concept
as a Solar Dome,
you pull the water out of your pool through a sump pump
and into a large coil of black irrigation hose.
The water warms up
in the black hose and then returns to your pool.
If this option sounds interesting to you,
there's a lot of great DIY channels
on YouTube showing you
how to build your own black hose solar heater
for under a hundred dollars.
(water splashing)
Finally, let's talk about heater systems.
These are the most expensive pool heating options
but they're the most powerful.
A gas pool heater uses natural gas or propane
to heat your water.
Pool water passes through your heater
while a combustion chamber burns and warms the water
before returning it to your pool.
Gas heaters are probably the most powerful heating option.
They're very efficient and will heat your pool quickly,
especially if you live somewhere
where temperatures are cooler;
however, it's not a cheap system to install
and you have to pay for gas to keep it running,
Pool heat pumps on the other hand,
draw in warm air from the atmosphere
and use that air to heat your pool.
It's a low energy process that relies entirely
on your outside temperature.
So as long as the weather is warm enough,
around 40 degrees or higher,
pool heat pumps can be a good option.
And if you want to check out our favorite gas heater
and heat pump brands,
check out our pool heater comparison guide
at swimuniversity.com.
And regardless of how you heat your pool
we recommend getting some type of surface protection
like a solar cover,
so that you don't lose water and heat at night.
If you have any more questions (water splashing)
about pool maintenance,
go check out our free pool care cheat sheet
at swimminguniversity.com/cheatsheet.
And if you found this video helpful,
please leave a comment,
hit the like button,
and subscribe for more pool maintenance tutorials
throughout the season.
That's it, thanks again, and happy swimming.