HEAT YOUR POOL TO HEAT YOUR HOME

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"In your case, there's a considerable heat gain in your fiberglassed enclosure, even on cloudy days, and that warmth can be efficiently transferred to the pool. I suggest, though, that instead of the conventional airsource heat pump, we install a water-source model designed to utilize the warmth stored in wells, lakes, and streams. This type is approximately three times as energy-efficient as an electrical heating system. It's similar in operating principle to an air-source unit, but exchanges heat with water rather than air. In fact, we can use the warmed air in the pool room to heat your swimming pool, then — while we're at it — we can use the water in your pool to help warm your house!"

As you can imagine, that last bit of news really made us sit up and listen, and Mike — seeing our interest — went on enthusiastically: "Since the swimming pool provides a perfect heat sink, with a good amount of thermal storage capability, I'll design a reverse into the system. Heat from the pool can then be extracted and transferred — through air ducts — to your home. This will cause the pool temperature to drop by only a few degrees, and as soon as the house is up to temperature, you can go back to heating the pool."

Mike's proposal was pretty attractive to us, especially since we were depending on electric baseboard heat in our house . . . and that cost, too, was getting out of hand.

After making a few more calculations, Mike came up with a $5,000 estimate for the dual-purpose installation. We thanked him and told him we'd be in touch. Then we talked it over . . . juggled our budget a good bit . . . studied brochures on heat pumps . . . and finally decided to install the suggested system.

AN IDEA MADE REAL

Two days later, Mike and his assistant Bill arrived with our heat pump. The 22" X 27" X 44" unit is similar to an electric furnace in appearance. But before it could be hooked up, holes had to be cut — through concrete block — from the garage to the pool room. After that, the return and supply ducts were mounted side by side in the wall. Next, Mike designed a motor-driven damper and installed it in the ductwork to direct the air.

"When the pool needs heat," he explained, "the flow pattern will be such that heat from the air in the pool room will be transferred to the water. Then, when the thermostat signals that your living quarters require heat, the airflow will switch to the house circuit, and water from the pool will be delivered to the pump's heat exchanger, where the house air will pass over it and warm up."

Finally, aquastats equipped with sensors were plumbed into the pool under a deck board. These cut in the heater whenever the water temperature drops below 80°F, which I find a very comfortable temperature for swimming.

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