Guide to Maintaining Your Swimming Pool & Heat Pump Pool Heater

Your pool heat pump does not need a lot of maintenance.  Keep it free of debris; such as leaves or pine needles and occasionally ensure there are no rodents nesting inside or chewing on wires.

Follow these guidelines to avoid common problems and extend the life of your pool heater.  If you properly install and maintain your heat pump or pool heater, it can last five to ten years or longer.

Review the maintenance schedule and other recommendations in your owners manual.  Your pool heater will probably require routine maintenance approximately once a year.

Pool Chemical Balance

Check pool chemistry regularly to maintain peak operating condition of your heater

We strongly recommend that you monitor your water pH balance weekly and visit your pool professional regularly.  Good water balance is easy to maintain, but when pool water is out of balance, or at a low level (acidic) bad water chemistry can cause damage, corrosion or cause failure of other equipment on your pool.

Most importantly, poorly maintained pH balanced pool water is unhealthy for you, your family and your friends using your pool.  A properly maintained pool helps prevent recreational water illnesses, keeping swimmers healthy.  The U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends swimmers use portable test strips to check for adequate chlorine and proper pH of pool water.

Winterize your Pool and Heater

Take time to close your pool during the off seasons

During non-season and winter months, it is important to remove water from your pool heater, PVC pipes, pump and filter to avoid damage from ice.  Water expands when it freezes and may lead to leaks or pipes bursting if you leave water in equipment during winter months.  This damage will require replacement - which is not covered by warranty.

Pool heat pumps can withstand the coldest of winter weather with no problems.  The only precaution necessary, is to make sure that the heat exchanger is drained of all pool water.  It is unnecessary that your pool heat pump be moved from its installed location for the winter, and in fact, it is recommended that you leave it in place to avoid damaging the unit.

Pool heat pumps do not need a lot of maintenance during winter months.  Keep it free of debris; such as leaves or pine needles and occasionally ensure there are no rodents nesting inside or chewing on wires.
 
If you do not plan on using your heater more than once a week, turn it off.  This will save you money!

Protect your Investment with a Winter Cover

Protect your heater during non-season and winter months with a custom made pool heater cover.  Winter covers protect your pool heat pump from snow, ice, rain, leaves, sand, pine needles, dust and other harsh elements. Your unit will look better and last longer for years to come.

Maintain Proper Water Flow Rate

Ensure your swimming pool filter has proper flow rate by washing debris from the cartridge regularly. Otherwise your pool heater may not function efficiently if water is unable to pass through the cartridge.

How to winterize your Pool Heat Pump

• Turn off all electrical power to the heat pump.
• Turn off the circulation pump.
• Disconnect the water piping.
• Remove the drain plug and make sure condenser drains out.
• Flush the heat pump with water by hooking up a garden hose into the water inlet line. Let it run for 2 to 3 minutes. You should see water exit the heat pump through the water outlet line.
• The heat pump must be blown out with air to ensure no water is left inside. Most manufacturers recommend that a compressed airline be placed into the water inlet line to blow air through the unit.
• Loosely reconnect the plumbing connection and drain plug to allow any remaining water to drain but block insects and debris.
• Cover the fan grill to prevent leaves, snow, & debris from falling into the heater

Indoor Swimming Pool Maintenance

Indoor swimming pools have the advantage of not being subjected to the weather conditions outdoors.  Yet heating indoor pools does create three needs: The pool water must be heated, the pool room must be dehumidified, and in the winter the room air must be heated.  These issues have the potential to increase energy costs.

Evaporation & Pool Covers

Pools lose energy in a variety of ways, but evaporation is by far the largest source of energy loss for swimming pools. Covering a pool when it is not in use is the single most effective means of reducing pool heating costs. Savings of 50-70% are possible.  Pool covers on indoor pools reduce evaporation (and consequently the need to ventilate indoor air and replace it with conditioned outdoor air).  Exhaust fans can be shut off as well when the pool is covered, reducing energy costs further.  Because most indoor pools are used year-round and have no opportunity to gain solar heat, pool covers can keep the pool temperatures higher without having to run a pool heater as often.

Proper Ventilation & Humidity Control

Swimming pool rooms require proper ventilation in order to control the indoor humidity and condensation caused by the large amounts of evaporation.  Without effective dehumidification and ventilation, you risk the appearance of mold, corrosion, structural damage and an uncomfortable pool environment.  Mold and mildew feed in warm, moist environments plus chlorine added to the warm air attacks ferrous metals and accelerates damaging corrosion.  Another issue with high humidity is wood rot.

A dehumidifier cools the air down to condense the moisture out and then reheats the air back to room temperature.  A dehumidifier provides virtually no heat to the pool or room though.

Follow the Owners Manual

Heat pumps need plenty of air circulation and work best outside with plenty of clearance surrounding the unit with no obstructions. Take care in selecting the location for your heater; on level ground near a pool pump or filter and ensure that air flow is restricted. Your owner’s manual will specify in detail the proper clearance, where the heat pump goes in conjunction with your equipment and the ideal location of the unit.

Download an owners manual to assist in proper installation, operation, maintenance and service of your new heat pump pool heater.  Poolheatpumps.com is not responsible for any new changes made by the following manufacturers that we might not be aware of.