The Basic Principle in simple terms

As with many things we use in every-day life, the basic principles of how a heat pump works are simple. Everything around us has a heat value, be it a high temperature value, like a cooker hotplate, or a low temperature like a block of ice! They are at two different ends of the scale, but both have a heat value. The purpose of a heat pump is to absorb heat in one place where it is plentiful, then to transport and release it in another location where it can be used for something we want to heat. A simple illustration of this principle is your fridge. If you put a bottle of coke in the fridge, it will get colder. Whats actually happening is that the refrigerant that is being pumped through the coils in the back of the icebox and is absorbing the heat that the coke is giving off inside the fridge. The heat, once absorbed, is given off when the refrigerant is pumped to the condensing coils at the back of the fridge. Thats why it feels warm behind the fridge- in effect the coke bottle has now transferred its heat to the kitchen by means of the heatpump, which in this case, we call a fridge!

The Technical explanation of how it works!

Environmentally friendly gas within the sealed refrigeration system of a heatpump absorbs and transfers heat energy through the circulation system. A fan draws high volumes of air through the outer Evaporator Air Coil that acts as a heat collector. The liquid refrigerant in the air coil absorbs the available heat in the air and causes the liquid to become a heated gas. This refrigerant gas is then pumped round the sytem into the Compressor . When this warmed gas is compressed, it intensifies or concentrates the heat. The intensely hot gas is then pumped into the Heat Exchanger Condenser where the actual transfer of heat takes place. As the pool water passes through the Heat Exchanger, the hot gas gives up its heat to the cooler pool water. The refrigerant returns to a liquid state and is pumped through the Expansion Valve and then into the Evaporator Air Coil to start the process over again.

A heat pump does not generate heat, it simply captures it, increases the temperature by a process of compression, and moves it from air to water thus, providing an efficient an environmentally friendly system for heating your swimming pool!

Look at the drawing below and you will see how the process works.

What size of heat pump will I need?

The size of heat pump required will depend upon the size of the pool, and the temperature you want to achieve. Our experts can suggest a minimum size you should consider, and the optimum unit for your pool, but the chart below will give you a guide.