Condensing pool heaters

A condensing pool heater takes the form of a gas, oil, or propane fired boiler and offers an efficiency level that is 10 percent to 15 percent higher than a conventional non condensing boiler.

This means that these boilers can achieve efficiencies of over 95 percent. This is important if you intend to heat your pool for prolonged periods of time, or if you need to consistently raise the pool temperature by a significant number of degrees to reach a comfortable swimming temperature.

Condensing boilers offer one of the best options for heating large below-ground swimming pools with significant water volumes and surface areas. Their high power outputs enable them to raise ambient water temperatures rapidly and to maintain them more cheaply than conventional boilers.

How a condensing pool boiler works

The big difference between a conventional boiler and a condensing boiler is in the way that the heat energy of the boiler is transferred to the water.

Condensing heaters use the boiler's exhaust fumes as the heat source and they utilize a heat exchanger to transfer the heat from the units exhaust gases to the pool's water. This makes condensing heaters more efficient, cheaper to run and results in the discharge fumes being warm rather than hot.

Why heat your pool with a condensing heater (boiler)

A condensing heater (boiler) can raise the temperature of a swimming pool quickly and accurately and maintain it at any given setting with little or no variation. Control of the unit is simple and a pool's temperature can be raised from an ambient level to any desired bathing level in a very short period of time.

Condensing heaters are generally considered to be superior to standard boilers and are cheaper to run. They also make use of the heat exchanger technology which works well with swimming pool heater applications.

Condensing boilers are available in a range of power outputs and some models can be linked together enabling any pool of any surface area and capacity to be heated. This makes them highly effective and versatile pool heaters.

Because it is the boiler's exhaust fumes that exchange heat with the pool's water, condensing heaters have a cooler running temperature and emit cooler exhaust fumes than conventional boilers. This means that their covers and casings remain cool and that protection from the heat of the exhaust fumes is not necessary. Consequently, cheap plastic money saving flues can be used with many condensing units.

As a rough guide, a 15 feet by 30 feet pool can be adequately heated by a 35 kilowatt condensing boiler, and a 20 feet by 40 feet pool can be heated by a 50 kilowatt condensing boiler.

Disadvantages of condensing pool heaters

A condensing pool heater is a large and expensive piece of swimming pool equipment and it takes time and cost to set up and plumb in.

Despite the condensers low temperature emissions, it does require a flue and there will be up to 2 litres per day (when in full use) of waste condensate that necessitates disposal. This condensate is harmless.

Condensing boilers, whilst cheaper to run than standard boilers, do have high running costs, but this is a price that you have to pay in order to have the power and heating practicality that this system offers.

Condensing heaters are prefect for medium to large pools, but less practical for smaller pools.