In order to extend the swimming season, many people are purchasing swimming pool heaters which are an ideal way to regulate and maintain the warm water temperature that many are after.
When it comes to choosing a heater, there are three types: gas, solar and geothermal heaters.
Each type comes with its own advantages and disadvantages enabling the prospective buyer to determine which type of pool heater to choose.
Gas Heaters: These run on natural gas or propane and require either a natural gas or propane tank hookup.
To successfully heat the pool, the gas pool heaters need to burn fuel via a combustion chamber, where the heat is then sent into the pool water, which then raises the temperature.
Gas systems can be very expensive to employ if they run constantly.
However if the home owner only requires the use of them sporadically, for instance to heat the pool when guests occasionally arrive, or if the pool is located at a holiday home, then they are ideal for home pool owners.
However, even though a gas system may be efficient to use, it the fuel intake requires a bit of investment.
The average cost to heat a swimming pool is anywhere between $1000 to $1500 per year.
Solar Heaters: A solar pool system works by the sun's rays to heat the pool.
An already existing pool pump will run the water through a separate heater that is generally situated on the roof of a house or building.
A downside to the solar pool heaters is that they will only work through the daylight hours, and operate best on sunny days.
They may not increase the temperature of the water sufficiently, and consequently they are not effectual during the cold temperatures, or cloudy days.
A solar pool heater can be as little as $100 to install.
Geothermal Pool Heaters: Heat pumps are highly efficient and only take a little amount of money to operate.
Because the heating systems take little electricity to operate, the efficiency usually falls around 300 to 600 per cent.
Because of this, a prospective buyer can expect to heat their pool for a cost of around $250 to $500 per year.
However, even though the pumps may come with a more expensive price tag to begin with, in the long run they produce low cost results.
In terms of effectual use, heat pumps generally have a bigger advantage over the gas pool heaters, and quite often, they are cheaper too.
However, on the other hand, people who are interested in gas heaters will find that they are less expensive to begin, but may cost more for the pool owner, depending on how often the pool is used.
Solar pool heaters on the other hand are generally regarded as the most cost effectual.