In some parts of the United States, it stays warm enough to use your swimming pool year-round. However, here in North Carolina, you should close your pool for the winter unless you have a pool heater. Our team at S & H Pools has extensive experience in the pool industry, and we have installed, repaired, and otherwise worked on countless pool heaters over the years. In this article, we’ll provide an overview of the different types of swimming pool heaters to help you decide which one is right for you.
- Natural Gas – The first type of swimming pool heater we’ll cover runs on natural gas. Natural gas swimming pool heaters are the best at bringing your pool up to temperature quickly, so they are a great choice if you want to be able to swim at a moment’s notice.
- Heat Pumps – Other types of swimming pool heaters use heat pumps to raise the temperature of the water. Instead of burning natural gas, heat pumps move ambient heat energy from outside the pool into the water. Compared to a natural gas heater, a heat pump provides slower but more consistent heat, which makes it a good choice for keeping your pool warm all winter. However, because heat pumps draw energy from the outdoor environment, they won’t heat your pool when the temperature drops below 58 F.
- Hybrid Heaters – Hybrid swimming pool heaters, as the name suggests, use a combination of natural gas and heat pumps. This gives these heaters the strengths of both models—you can heat your pool quickly with the natural gas component and maintain the temperature over a longer period with the heat pump.
