How can I optimise the heating of my swimming pool?

Having a backyard swimming pool in Sydney can be a godsend on those hot Summer days, however outside of Summer in Sydney the pool temperature significantly drops off leading to an unpleasant swimming experience. This is why so many pool owners have some kind of pool heater attached to their pool allowing them to extend their swimming season in to the shoulder months.

If you have a pool heater you will know all too well that heating your Sydney swimming pool can be rather expensive, below are a few tips and tricks to help reduce the cost of running your pool heater so you can enjoy swimming for longer without the hefty price tag.

Pool Heat Pumps

When it comes to maintaining you swimming pool at the desired temperature for the duration of the swimming season you can’t beat an electric inverter pool heat pump such as the Madimack Elite V3 range to economically heat your pool.

They are the most efficient pool heaters on the market, and when correctly sized you can be confident that your swimming pool will always be at your selected temperature for the duration of the swimming season meaning you can swim at a moment’s notice.

Harness the Sun’s energy with Solar PV panels

By installing a PV solar array on your roof you can run your pool heat pump for free whenever the sun is shining. Clarity Pool Management can recommend the right size heat pump based on the size of your solar array and the amount of sunlight hours in the shoulder months to ensure you won’t be out of pocket for any of the running costs related to heating your pool.

Choosing a solar PV installer can be tricky, with all of the government rebates surrounding solar installations there are a lot of cowboys in the industry. If you need the name of a reputable installer we know a few, reach out to us today and we can put you in touch with one of our partners.

Embrace the power of a solar pool cover

As detailed in our blog on the advantages of a solar pool cover, they greatly assist in creating and retaining heat in your swimming pool. When paired with an electric heat pump a solar pool cover will reduce your heating bill by approximately 50%, furthermore the upfront investment of a heat pump will be reduced due to the fact that the size of heat pump that you will require will be smaller than if you weren’t using a solar pool cover.

Think of it this way, when you’re trying to bring a pot of water to the boil on the stove you will notice that it reaches boiling point much faster when you have a lid on the pot. A solar pool cover works on the same principle.

Optimise the water flow to your heat pump

Heat pumps are most efficient when running at a temperature differential of between 1-3 degrees celsius depending on the season. Temperature differential is the difference in temperature of the water entering the heater vs. the water exiting the heater and returning to to your pool, the Madimack Elite V3 range of heat pumps make it easy for you to achieve this by displaying the temperature differential on the main screen on the front of the heat pump.

The temperature differential is driven by the water flow rate through the heat pump, by adjusting the heat pump bypass to restrict the flow of water you can increase the temperature differential, and likewise by increasing the flow of water you can reduce the temperature differential. You can also adjust the temperature differential by adjusting your pump running speed if you have a variable speed pump, if you would like to know more about the benefits of a variable speed pumps read our blog on the subject here.

The new Madimack Eflow Elite VS Inverter Pool Pump automatically adjusts its flow rate to obtain the optimum temperature differential 100% of the time in your Madimack heat pump.

During winter you will aim for a temperature differential of 1 degree, 2 degrees in the shoulder seasons, and a 3 degree differential in the summer. This ensures that the heat pump is not overworked which can lead to it going into defrost mode too regularly reducing heating cycles and negating any heat gains.

Consider environmental factors

One of the main causes of heat evaporation is wind, if your pool is exposed to the elements and experiences high winds you might want to consider installing solid fencing to create a windbreak, alternatively planting some hedges around the pool perimeter can achieve the same outcome. By reducing the pool waters surface exposure to wind will greatly reduce your expected heat loss meaning your chosen heating method won’t need to work overtime to make up for lost gains.

Contact Sydney’s best pool heating team today to discuss your pool heating needs. With Clarity Pool Management on hand, your Sydney pool will be at the perfect temperature every day!