There's no two ways about it - most pools aren't at a good temperature for swimming in year round. When winter makes the contrast of a chilly dip unpleasant rather than a relief, having a swimming pool heat pump can be a total boon. Not only will you increase the value of your home by installing one of these, you'll also make room for a ton of great family memories, and provide a way to keep fit in winter without making yourself sick.

First off, though, let's be clear that the proposition of heating an entire pool needn't be as drastically power-consuming as it sounds. Heat pumps for swimming pools aren't equipped with heating elements to make their own heat. Instead, as the swimming pool's water gets dragged through the pump, the heat pump's fan draws in surrounding air into a chamber with an evaporator coil, which is hollowed out to contain some kind of liquid refrigerant. When this refrigerant substance absorbs the warm air it becomes a much warmer gas, which is then channeled to pass through a compressor chamber. When the gas get compressed, the particles in it get closer together (remember high school physics?) and so the gas gets even hotter.

Passing then through a condenser, which transfers the gas's heat to the cooler water coming from the other end of the heater device, the gas returns to liquid, and goes back to the evaporator to repeat the cycle. The water returns to the pool, dispersing through it and adding to the pool's overall warmth.

What this means is that swimming pool heat pumps work better than other kinds of inground heaters for pools, like the kinds that require solar panels. This is because, while they might initially cost a bit more than other heating solutions, their cost is less when seen in the long term because they are less effected by things like weather changes and the absence of sunlight. They're also likely to last a lot longer than such solutions, as they've been refined in their design over many years, while most other in ground pool heaters are in their technological infancy.

Of course, the way that I've described heat pumps for swimming pools above is a gross oversimplification designed to illustrate the details of the process for the layperson. The real-life complexity of a swimming pool heat pump means that you really don't want anyone but a fully qualified pool professional (yes, believe me, there are such things) working with them. Think about it - any device reliant on hot gas is simply not going to be safely adjusted by amateur hands. Ask your family and friends if they've needed to hire such a person in the past, and if there's anyone that they can recommend. Proper installation will optimize the functionality of the heat pump, and ultimately save you a good sum of money on your electric bills.

The second uppermost concern is whether, even if you can afford to front the initials costs of installation, you're really ready for the financial burden of such a heating system. You may need to regiment how long your swimming pool heat pump is on each day to ensure your children don't saddle you with a debt you can't pay at month's end.