Oil pool heaters

Oil pool heaters (or boilers) are less popular than some of the other more innovative, economic, and lightweight swimming pool heating systems now available.

Oil fired pool heaters fall into two categories, a dedicated oil heater that has the swimming pools water circulating through it (with inlet and outlet connections), or a boiler that uses a separate heat exchanger.

In the case of the latter, this may be an existing domestic boiler that is used to provide water and central heating to a house, and to which a heat exchanger is then added for the heating of the pool.

Alternatively, an oil pool heater (boiler) may be purchased solely for the heating of a swimming pool and used in a similar way to a gas or propane pool heater.

How an oil pool heater works

A stand alone dedicated oil heater works in the same way as a gas or propane heater, but it offers an alternative energy source when these two fuel types are unavailable. If a heat exchanger is used in an oil fuelled boiler system, it will work in a similar way to the heat exchanger in a heat pump system.

Advantages and disadvantages of oil fuelled pool heaters

Dedicated oil pool heaters offer a viable alternative to gas and propane heaters. They provide fast heating, controlled temperature settings, and total independence from the climate, ambient pool water temperature and air temperature. I.e. they are not impacted by existing pool conditions or outside influences. This means that they can bring a very cold pool to a satisfactory temperature at any time of the year in a very short period of time. They can also maintain a desired swimming pool temperature indefinitely.

Oil heaters that form part of an existing home central heating system and utilize a heat exchanger can be cheap to run, offer good performance, and require the addition of nothing other than the heat exchanger unit and some supplementary pipe work.

It is however important that the heat exchanger be as close to the pool as possible to avoid heat loss through the return pipe during water passage back to the pool.

Stand alone oil fired heating systems can adequately heat large pools

Oil fired pool heaters have a limited application when it comes to pool size and are only viable for medium to large in-ground swimming pools.

Oil pool heaters tend to be the second choice option when a gas or propane fuel source is not available.

Like the other fossil fuel fired pool heating systems, oil heaters are expensive to run. They require a fuel supply or feed, external ventilation (i.e. a flue), and they emit toxins and greenhouse gases into the environment.