A swimming pool can allow you to kick back and enjoy yourself outdoors with the rest of your family during the summer. However, when the days start to get a little shorter in the late summer, many Australian families find that it becomes too cold to use their swimming pool. However, by installing a pool heating system, you can warm your pool water so you can use your pool when darkness has fallen. Below is a guide which will help you to understand your options when it comes to choosing a pool heater.

Solar heating

As the name suggests, a solar heater harnesses the power of the sun to warm the water in your pool. This makes them a very cost effective option as you will not be reliant on electricity or gas in order to power your pool heating equipment. However, you should be aware that as the sun sets, the ability of the solar heater to warm the pool water will be slowly diminished. If you plan to use your pool late into the night or when the days are very short during the winter, you should consider also installing a backup pool heating system.

Heat pumps

A heat pump is designed to transfer heat from the atmosphere and into the pool water to raise its temperature. In a similar way to solar heaters, heat pumps do not require electric or gas power which will help to keep your energy bills down. A major benefit of installing a heat pump is that, unlike solar heaters, it does not need sunlight to operate. Providing that the atmospheric temperature remains relatively high, a heat pump will keep your pool water warm late into the night.

Electrical resistance heating

Electrical resistance heating work by filter your pool water over the surface of an element which has been warmed by running electricity through it. Although these are relatively cheap to buy and install, this appliance will use a large amount of electricity, which could result in a significantly bigger energy bill.

Gas heating

A significant advantage of installing gas heating in your pool is that it will warm the temperature of your pool water very quickly. Gas heating will also allow you to carefully control the exact temperature of the swimming pool water by setting a thermostat.

If you would like to find out more about the options you have when it comes to warming your swimming pool, you should contact a pool contractor near you.