Natural Gas Pool Heating Systems

It’s estimated that there are over 10 million homes in America that have swimming pools. That fact alone should tell you how much those in the USA like to swim in their backyard pools. People like it so much that they want to use their pool for as many months as possible and one of the best ways to do this is by heating the water with natural gas pool heating systems. If you are a swimming pool owner that is thinking about adding a heater to your swimming pool you would be wise to consider a gas-operated one. In this article, we will talk all about these popular swimming pool heating devices. That will include the benefits and the drawbacks of installing and using them.

Advantages of Heating Pools with Natural Gas 

One of the reasons that natural gas pool heating systems are so popular is because of the many advantages they offer to swimming pool owners. Here are some of those:

There is no faster way to heat a swimming pool

Gas heaters are known for generating a high amount of BTU’s when working and that is what makes them the fastest type of pool heater that’s made. If you stand next to a pool return you will be able to feel the heated water coming into a swimming pool when they are running (the waters not hot enough to scald you). On a warm to moderately cool day, they are known to be able to increase the water temp in an average size swimming pool at least 4 to 6 degrees. That is an impressive feat for these highly capable water heating devices. 

They do a great job of heating a pool even in the cooler months

Natural gas heaters heat so fast that they can even put heat into pools when the weather is much to the cool side. This is opposed to heat pumps which struggle to work when the nighttime air temperature gets below 50 degrees and solar pool heaters that don’t produce heat fast enough to be able to warm a pool during cool weather periods. That’s what makes these the pool heaters of choice for those that want to significantly extend their swimming season. In locations such as Florida, Texas, and Arizona, this often means being able to swim all year round. 

Gas heaters are simple to operate

Another benefit of natural gas pool heating system is they tend to be very simple to operate. Swimming pool owners love the fact that they have such choices as being to set the temperature on a gas heater’s display and then it will maintain the desired pool water temperature on its own. Newer pool heaters are even starting to add such features as being able to be controlled remotely by smart devices and some even have built-in energy savings modes.

These heaters cost about the same to install as other types of heaters

The initial cost and installation for gas heaters is about the same as that of solar pool heaters and even slightly less than heat pumps. That means there is no significant difference in money savings when installing a gas heater as opposed to installing other types of pool heaters. Like the other styles of pool heaters, there is also little to no maintenance costs during the lifetime of a natural gas heater.

It is important to note though that solar swimming pool heaters are natural energy savers as they get free power from the sun. While installation costs might be similar between solar and natural gas, you might still find more benefit in choosing solar if you’re thinking of overall savings. 

There is a large selection of them

There is also a very large selection of gas heater types and sizes available. That means anyone can find one that will effectively operate on their swimming pool no matter what size their swimming pool is. As was mentioned, swimming pool heaters can also be bought with very basic controls that will keep their cost down or fancier controls that trade price for more convenience. You can even find gas heaters that have strong ABS plastic outer shells or outer shells that are made out of corrosion-resistant. So, you have many choices as a pool owner when you decide to purchase a natural gas pool heater. 

Disadvantages of Natural Gas Pool Heating Systems

Most people who own a gas pool heater will tell you they are very satisfied with them. That does not mean, however, that they don’t have any drawbacks to owning them. Here are a few of the undesirables of natural gas pool heating systems.

Efficiency is a problem

If you decide to heat your swimming pool with a gas heater you have to look at doing that as a luxury. That’s because you will spend some money on the gas to operate them. They are without a doubt the costliest form of pool heater to operate. Much of this has to do with the fact that even well-designed gas pool heater models lack a little inefficiency. Most people who own and operate gas pool heaters consider this an acceptable tradeoff for being able to use their swimming pool longer. Looking for the most efficient type of gas heaters in the swimming pool marketplace can make up for this somewhat. 

If run in the cooler months they can evaporate water out of a pool

One of the bad things about running warm water into a swimming pool during the cooler months of the year is it there is a big difference in temperature between the pool water and the air. This results in some of the water inevitably evaporating out of a swimming pool. This loss can be significant over time so in the cooler months, the hose will have to run water into a pool more often. It must also be said that much of this evaporation can be overcome by simply placing a solar blanket on your swimming pool at all times when you are not using it. These covers are a pain to take on and off but well worth the trouble to stop water from evat of your pool. 

Gas heaters can be dangerous if not installed right

Some people refuse to install gas heaters because there is a scary element to having a gas heater around. Although the chance of them exploding and causing a big problem is virtually zero, you still have an active gas line running to them. There is always the possibility of a mishap in this situation. Natural gas pool heating systems that are installed indoors must also have their exhaust properly vented to the outside to keep hazardous carbon monoxide from building up around a swimming pool heater. Despite all of this, gas heaters are considered relatively safe devices when they are properly installed by qualified pool professionals and gas technicians.

Need a gas professional to run a line to them

One of the other problems with natural gas swimming pool heaters is that part of the installation process requires a gas line to be run to the heater. This is not something that most pool professionals are authorized to do. That means a separate service will have to be made to the site by a gas technician to hook up your new heater. This can delay getting to use your heater waiting for the gas line installation and your pool heater supplier will also not want that heater fired up until they get back to the site. This is so they can make sure the heater is functioning properly and has no leaks. This can cause even further delays in being able to use your new pool heater.

They can be ruined by poor water chemistry

Here is one of the absolute biggest drawbacks to all types of natural gas pool heating systems. They are extremely sensitive when it comes to poor water chemistry. That’s because when the PH of the water in your swimming pool becomes too much to the acidic side or too much to the basic side this creates corrosive water. Why is this a big problem for gas heaters? That’s because the inner workings of your gas pool heater are made of metal and this will eventually wear these parts down and erode a hole in them. So once you install a gas pool heater, you or your pool maintenance person will have to keep a much closer eye on your swimming pool’s water chemistry. This can ruin your swimming pool gas heater or cause an expensive repair much faster than you might think if you are not careful here. 

At Wayne’s Solar, we offer an alternative swimming pool heating solution that we can promise is better in so many ways compared to natural gas pool heating systems. For your solar pool heating and solar water heating needs, we are here to help. We service Port Orange, Palm Coast, New Smyrna Beach, Deltona, Daytona Beach, and surrounding communities. For inquiries, you may reach us at 386-673-9720. Request a quote – it’s free!