This article outlines our pool heat pump installation tips for installing your pool heat pump in a best practice manner.
Installing your pool heat pump is a fairly simple task that can be done by the pool owner, a local engineer, or one of our experienced installation engineers. However, the manufacturer's recommendations should always be followed to avoid voiding the warranty or preventing your heat pump from working properly.
If you would like us to install a heat pump for you, please contact us for an installation quote.
If you decide to install your pool heat pump yourself, here are some tips.
Choose a location for your heat pump where you can get good air flow. The best efficiency of a heat pump depends on good air flow.
Whenever possible, a heat pump should always be installed outside so that it can get enough fresh air to run and extract heat from it.
Minimum clearance for a horizontal fan heat pump shown above
Minimum clearance for a vertical fan heat pump shown above
Ensure that the air discharged from the fan does not hit any obstructions and can be recirculated back into the heat pump.
Pool heat pumps come in two main forms - vertical fan and horizontal fan models. The vertical fan model will draw air in at the side of the heat pump and blow the cooler air upward out the top of the unit. You should make sure that there are no obstructions above the heat pump that could cause the exhausted air to recirculate back into the unit, as this would reduce its efficiency, such as low hanging trees or roofs.
Similarly, a horizontal fan model will draw air in at the back of the unit and blow cooler air out the front of the heat pump. The more space the better, but at least 300 mm should be left at the back of the heat pump and 2 m at the front. Again, the exhaust air should be able to blow away without hitting obstacles that could cause air recirculation, such as hedges, fences, etc.
Vertical fan models should have at least 2 feet (600 mm) of clearance on the sides and no obstructions above.
Pool heat pumps should be installed outdoors whenever possible to provide adequate fresh air. However, some can be installed inside the pump room - see the section below.
Place the heat pump as close to the pool pump as possible to minimize friction in the piping. If your piping is too long, you may not be able to get water flow through the heat pump and may need to upgrade your pool pump or use larger diameter piping in and out of the heat pump to reduce friction in the piping and maintain a good water flow rate.
Most heat pumps will state the required nominal water flow rate on their specification sheet. If the water flow through the heat pump is too low, the heat pump may overheat and the safety mechanism will shut down the unit.
Most of our pool heat pumps state the required water flow rate on their specifications table. If the water flow rate is too low, then the water in the heat pump will overheat and the heat pump will switch off.
Check the water flow rate from your pool pump and through your filter to ensure that it is high enough for your pool heat pump.
Note that there is a maximum possible flow through each size of pool pipe regardless of the power of your pump. For larger heat pumps it may not be possible to achieve sufficient water flow through small pipes (eg 1.5″ pipes). Please contact us for advice on this.
The base of the heat pump should be level and solid. You can use a concrete base, pavers on sand or a wooden floor.
The vibration from the heat pump will be quite small and will not disturb the paving slab.
The heat pump can be installed above or below the water level. The only proviso is that the pool circulation pump is powerful enough to provide the water flow required to run the heat pump.
It is normal for condensate to drip from the heat pump when it is operating - especially in wet conditions. You should consider condensate from the unit in the foundation design, as the volume of water can be quite large and lead to the formation of pools. For example, if the unit is installed on a wood floor, holes can be punched in the boards to allow condensate to drain without causing the wood to rot.
Some heat pumps have an outlet pipe that allows condensate to drain, or a hose can be attached to transfer the water to a specific location.
Some customers mistakenly believe that there is a leak in the heat pump, when in fact the water coming out of the heat pump is normal condensation.
Before purchasing a pool heat pump, you should check the operating current and peak current of the required model listed in the list.
Make sure your power supply is sufficient to support the operating and starting currents of the unit.
It is usually recommended to connect a dedicated cable back to your heat pump appliance and to install a dedicated circuit breaker for the heat pump.
Most heat pumps will have a higher current demand at startup. When the compressor starts, this only lasts for a millisecond or so, and then the current returns to the normal operating current of the unit.
The size of the circuit breaker required is usually specified on the list for each heat pump and is usually slightly larger than the start-up current.
You will typically use a "D" circuit breaker (fuse) on a heat pump. A "D" breaker will allow a higher current at start-up (when the compressor starts) without tripping the breaker.
If you have a very "sensitive" power supply, then some heat pumps have an optional (or built-in) "soft start" option. The soft start option "moderates" the starting current to the operating current to avoid power spikes at startup.
Soft start kits/options are typically only required in installations with large single-phase heat pumps (e.g. 30kw) with limited or sensitive power supplies. In extreme cases, the house light may flicker or the circuit breaker may trip when the heat pump starts. Soft start kits help prevent this.
It is easy to add a heat pump to an existing pool plumbing system.
First check the size of the piping you have.
In the UK, these are usually 1.5" or 2" pipes. In Europe, 50mm is more common. Check the text printed on the existing pipe and elbows to see what size you have. Don't just measure the outside diameter of the pipe or fitting, as this is often different from the required size and you could accidentally order the wrong size pipe and fitting!
For example, the outside diameter of 1.5" pool pipe is approximately 1.9" (1.5" is the inside diameter of the pipe in imperial sizes and the outside diameter in metric sizes)
Once you know the existing pipe size, you will know what size connectors and elbows you need.
In the UK, 1.5 inch pipe is the most common and in Europe it is 50 mm.
If you have an existing pool heater, such as a gas or oil boiler, then if it is still working properly, we recommend that you leave it in place and keep the heat pump in line with the existing boiler.
This will allow you to run the heat pump and boiler at the same time if you need to heat the pool quickly. The old heater can also help supplement the heat pump in very cold weather to help extend the swimming season.
Whenever possible, water should flow through the heat pump first and then through the existing heater so that the heat pump does most of the heating. The thermostat on an existing heater (such as a gas boiler) can be set lower than the heat pump so that the existing heater runs only when needed.
Heat pumps have only two pipes - a "flow" pipe and a "return" pipe.
We recommend that you install a "bypass" device on the heat pump
A bypass is a series of 3 valves. These allow you to isolate the heat pump to prevent water from flowing through it.
The bypass also allows the water flow to be adjusted for optimum performance of the heat pump. We are happy to advise on how to adjust the flow accordingly depending on the make and model of heat pump being used.
Typically, you should set the difference between the inlet and outlet water temperatures at about 1-2 degrees
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