Commercial heat pumps are not new to the market, in fact they’re becoming the must pool heating system to have heating your pool. No only has it been the price of fossil fuels that has made them a lot more attractive to commercial pool owners, the technology has improved, their operating cost has dramatically dropped, this all leads to higher levels of efficiency and hassle-free pool heating.
How do they work?
Commercial pool heat pumps take heat from the surrounding air and move it via refrigerant gas and a compressor to a heat exchanger, releasing the heat into the pool water flowing around it. The cooled gas travels on through piping back to where it started and picks up more heat and so on. This is also called a “closed loop” because the gas keeps on travelling around it.
Super-efficient heating
Commercial pool heat pumps aren’t exactly cheap – the initial purchase cost of a commercial heat pump in Australia can range from $4,500 to $60,000, depending largely on the heating capacity (measured in BTUs) and the commercial heat pump brand in question. Although a pool heat pump is the most expensive commercial pool heating system, it’s highly efficient. The efficiency which is talked about in relation to heat pumps is also called the Coefficient of Performance or COP. This gives a relation between the amount of energy used to the amount of energy produced. To compare apples with apples, a common electric immersion heater (such as in a kettle) is around 90% efficient so would have a COP close to 1 but commercial heat pumps can be rated with a COP of 5 which means an efficiency of 500%, meaning that pool heat pumps actually produce more energy than they consume. This is because heat pumps don’t actually create heat (like an immersion heater does); they just move it from one place to another. As a result, their operating costs are the lowest of any pool heating system.
Commercial heat pumps do have quite a few moving and electrical parts, so it’s a good idea to have them serviced yearly to get the best efficiency and lifespan out the heat pump. Your user manual will normally have a recommended maintenance schedule. With proper maintenance, they should last 10 years or more. A proper water balance of your pool is vital as well, otherwise, damage could result and efficiency can drop.
Heating on demand
A heat pump will heat your pool water on demand, so you don’t have to worry about overcast weather as you do with a solar heating system. Usually, you would set the required water temperature and the heat pump will run as needed to keep to that temperature.
The last word
Are you looking for a heat pump for heating a commercial pool in the Perth WA? With our extensive range of commercial pool heat pumps from reputable brands such as AstralPool, EvoHeat, and Waterco, we, here at Pool Heat Pumps Perth, can help you find the right pool heat pump for your particular commercial application. Contact us today.