A pool is an outstanding way to keep cool during our hot Westlake, OH summers, as well as being a marvelous place for families to bond and have a little fun in the sun. Most pools rely on pool heaters to keep the water at an even temperatures, and they can be great for early morning dips when the heat may not have quite reached the boiling point yet. But like any other appliance, your pool heater can run into trouble from time to time, and while we recommend annual maintenance to keep such troubles to a minimum, you never know when trouble is going to strike. The sooner you spot the signs of a problem with your swimming pool heater, the more swiftly you can respond and the lower the cost will be. Here’s a few signposts to alert you to any potential problem with your system:
Westland Heating, Air Conditioning and Plumbing Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Pool Heaters’
Signs of Trouble with Your Pool Heater
Monday, August 8th, 2016Check on Your Pool Heater for Signs of Trouble
Monday, March 21st, 2016With winter finally coming to an end, many homeowners in Avon, OH and other nearby towns are starting their spring cleaning. This should extend to more than just your house. If you have a pool, it’s likely sat unused for most of the winter, and you may be eager to start using it: especially if you have a pool heater. Before you do that, however, you should check your heater for problems. Ideally, a trained technician can perform regular maintenance for you before you start using your pool. They will be able to spot and correct a number of problems, allowing you to make use of your pool even when the spring weather is still a little chilly. You can assist by checking on your pool heater for signs of trouble, then alerting a professional when you spot them. We’ve provided a short list of some of the things to look for below:
Why Pool Heater Maintenance Is Necessary
Wednesday, December 10th, 2014When you installed a heater in your swimming pool, you expected it to provide you with year-round fun and comfort for many years to come. But without proper maintenance, you may notice reduced heating, poor efficiency, or other sudden repair needs right when you wanted to use your swimming pool the most. At Westland Heating and Air Conditioning, we recommend scheduling maintenance every year for pool heaters in Bay Village, as they must remain tough in order to keep up with the sometimes harsh winter climate.
Can I Perform Maintenance on My Own?
There are a few things you can do on your own to maintain your pool heater. For example, purchasing a pool cover and utilizing it whenever you are not planning on using your pool can reduce up to 50% of standard heat loss. This means your pool heater won’t have to work quite as hard, which lets you pay less on your energy bills. Furthermore, the parts won’t wear down quite as quickly. You can also reduce some heat loss if you put up a cabana or a fence to eliminate some of the chill that may be caused by incoming wind.
You can ask a technician what the most efficient thermostat setting is for your model of heater. Many modern thermostats contain an efficiency setting or comfort setting that can help keep your pool at a reasonable temperature and prevent overheating or excessive energy use. If this is not the case with your unit, keep yours set at around 70 degrees when the pool will not be in use for several days, or turn it off if you’ll be gone for a couple of weeks (as long as freezing weather is not in the forecast).
But no matter what steps you take to keep your pool heater maintained on your own, annual professional maintenance is still a necessity. This is because pool heaters contain many mechanical parts that must be inspected, cleaned, and fine-tuned to ensure maximum efficiency and as little wear and tear as possible. Professional maintenance can help you to save on your utilities and possibly keep your unit free of repairs.
Call Westland Heating and Air Conditioning to contact professionals with experience in maintaining, installing, or repairing pool heaters in Bay Village. We follow the safest procedures to make sure you can enjoy your swimming pool throughout the year.
Can I Install a Pool Heater on My Own?
Wednesday, December 3rd, 2014If you own a pool in Bay Village, OH, you may have gotten used to the fact that you might not be able to use it in the cooler months. But you put a lot of money into that pool when you installed it or bought your home; wouldn’t it be nice if you could take advantage of your pool heater year round?
These days, pool heaters are far more efficient than they once were, requiring as little energy to run as possible thanks to advancements in technology. This means you can make good use of your swimming pool throughout the year, get a little more exercise, and have way more fun with your family and friends. Of course, you’ll have to make a bit of an investment when you purchase your pool heater, but for many homeowners the extra months of enjoyment are worth it. If you’re looking to cut costs, you may wonder whether it’s possible to install your new pool heater on your own. Unfortunately, depending upon your level of expertise, this isn’t often possible. Let’s take a quick look at why.
Installing a pool heater is not as simple as draining the pool, drilling a few holes, and switching on the unit. Most pool heaters actually have two parts: the heating element that goes into the pool and the outside unit. Besides being large and complex, this outside unit actually takes a lot of work and heavy equipment to install. Most of the time, you’ll have to mount this outdoor unit on a concrete slab, and professionals have the right equipment and expertise to make sure this installation goes smoothly.
Besides, if you install your swimming pool heat pump or gas heater improperly, the consequences can be disastrous. You may simply never get enough heat in your pool, or you can run into frequent repair needs. You may spend a lot of money on unnecessary heating costs for an oversized heater, or you could even end up with some safety issues from an improper electrical hookup. And if you’re dealing with a gas-powered heater, a gas line should always be handled by an expert.
Installing pool heaters in Bay Village is much simpler when you contact the experienced technicians at Westland Heating and Air Conditioning. Give us a call today!
What Size Pool Heater Do I Need?
Friday, August 8th, 2014A quality pool heater, properly sized, is essential if you want to receive the most use from your home’s pool. You can enjoy your pool during more months of the year outside of summer thanks to an effective pool heater keeping the water warm and pleasurable. If you have a pool, or are planning to construct one, you should arrange for installation of a pool heater.
However, a heater that’s the wrong size for a pool will cause problems. How can you know the correct size of heater? The easiest way is to contact professional installers, like those at Westland Heating and Air Conditioning. We’ve had extensive experience with sizing and installing pool heaters in Westlake, OH during the more the 25 years we have been in business. Call us today to set up an appointment for finding the right pool heater for your comfort. We will handle installation and the necessary maintenance as well.
Determining Pool Heater Size
Although you should leave the actual job of sizing a pool heater to trained professionals, we can give you a quick tour through the factors used in finding out the right size of heater.
One of the first things to know about sizing a pool heater is that water volume isn’t the essential aspect of determining how powerful the heater should be. A pool heater takes on the job of replacing the heat that the pool loses across its surface, so surface area is the most important specification to know about a pool.
The installers first take the average pool temperature you wish for comfort. They then determine the average temperature of the coldest month when you plan to use the pool, and subtract this temperature from the target temperature. This number is the temperature increase at its greatest that the pool needs.
Next, the installers calculate the surface area of the water in the pool in square feet, and use this formula to find out how many BTUs (British Thermal Units) per hour a pool heater must generate to reach the temperature increase: pool area X temperature increase X 12. The last multiplier is based on average heat loss considering wind speed and the rate of outdoor temperature increase, and the installers will adjust the multiplier according to your local conditions.
With the right installers with experience sizing pool heaters in Westlake, OH on the job, you will receive a system with the right BTUs per hour to keep your pool comfortable late into the season. Westland Heating and Air Conditioning has a team to handle this job, one familiar with local weather conditions that will factor into the calculations. Make us your first call for all your home heating needs.
How Does a Pool Heater Work?
Friday, December 6th, 2013There are a couple different types of pool heaters on the market that homeowners have to choose from. Probably the two most popular are gas and heat pump pool heaters. They’re both very different and each has specific advantages over the other. Here at Westland Heating and Air Conditioning, we offer total service for pool heaters in Fairview Park. We wanted to share a little bit about how pool heaters work.
Call us today if you need installation, repair, maintenance or replacement for your pool heater in Fairview Park.
Gas Pool Heaters in Fairview Park
Gas pool heaters operate in a similar fashion to a gas furnace. The pool heater burns natural gas which heats up a series of metal coils. A pump draws in cold pool water and passes it through the coils which heats up the water. The pump continues to circulate the newly-heated water back to the pool.
One of the main advantages of a gas pool heater is that it can operate in even the coldest temperatures. While you’re probably not going to heat up your pool or spa in the dead of winter, there may be some times during the fall or spring that you want to enjoy your pool and a gas pool heater is going to be able to get the job done a lot more efficiently and effectively in those cases. Also, natural gas is almost less expensive to buy than electricity which can be a big deal for some homeowners.
Heat Pump Pool Heaters in Fairview Park
Unlike gas pool heaters that need to consume a fuel to create heat, a heat pump pool heater actually absorbs heat from the outside air in order to heat your pool. This makes them incredibly efficient which many homeowners enjoy—especially if you like to heat your pool or spa a lot.
However, when the temperature drops below a certain temperature, usually around the freezing point, heat pump pool heaters stop operating efficiently because of the lack of heat in the air. This is one of the main disadvantages to heat pumps in general. However, many homeowners choose the heat pump pool heaters because of their efficiency.
Call us here at Westland Heating and Air Conditioning if you have any questions or if you need any heating service in Fairview Park.
