How does a pool heat pump work?
A pool heat pump is a modern, economical and high-performance heating appliance which has been increasing in popularity amongst private pool owners for many years. Both effective and eco-friendly, it will dramatically reduce your energy consumption.
What is the advantage of having a heat pump?
A pool heat pump uses renewable energy to heat the pool water, and guarantees a comfortable swimming temperature for extented seasons. One calorie of electricity consumed becomes several calories transferred to the water to heat it. Thus, your initial investment for pump installation is reimbursed over time, thanks to the energy savings made.
There are several types of heat pump (air-water, air-air, etc.), whih differ in terms of the environment they extract energy calories from, before transforming them. For pools, an air-water heat pump is most often used, which heats water using calories trapped in the air.
Understanding how a pool heat pump works:
In concrete terms, air-water heat pumps take in ambient air to extract its “calorific power” and transfer this to the pool water. This is possible even when the air is cold!
This eco-friendly appliance operates as a closed circuit using a refrigerant fluid, with 4 key components:
- Evaporator
- Compressor
- Condenser
- Pressure reducer
When ambient air is taken in, it is used to transform the refrigerant (by default in a liquid state) into gas via an evaporator. The fluid in a gaseous state is then pressurised in the compressor, thereby raising its temperature. The heated gas then passes through the condenser, where it heats the pool water.
In transferring its heat to the water, the fluid cools and returns little by little to its liquid state. Lastly, it passes through the pressure reducer so it can be transferred to the evaporator and restart the cycle again in a continuous process. A programmer is also added to the heat pump so that the desired temperature can be selected.