Heat pumps in South Africa are fast becoming a standard in homes with swimming pools. With extended summer days and more use of your pool, it’s no surprise why. But how do they actually work? If you love to understand something before investing in it, this post is for you.
Solar heat pumps are essentially air conditioners that run in reverse. Instead of removing the heat from inside and dumping it outside, heat is removed from the outside air and transferred to the swimming pool.
HEATING PROCESS:
- External air is drawn into the heat pump system through a fan. It then flows into an evaporator containing a special type of refrigerant liquid. This liquid is stored in the piping.
- The air that has been drawn into the system turns the refrigerant from a liquid into a gas inside the heat pump’s piping. This is possible because the outside air is far warmer than the refrigerant.
- A compressor then pumps this gas through a small valve, which compresses it. As a result of this process it generates quite a lot of heat.
- This intensely hot gas is then pumped into the heat exchanger where the actual heat transfer takes place. As the pool water passes through the heat exchanger, the hot gas heats the cold water.
- The temperature of the refrigerant then drops dramatically as the heat has been drawn away. It returns to a liquid state and the heat pump cycle begins again.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT:
Now you can enjoy temperatures between 28 and 35 degrees in your pool, regardless of outside weather conditions. As an added note, always make sure that you have a sufficient amount of heat pumps for the size of your pool in South Africa. This is to ensure you have more heat for the volume of water that you have.
Imagine pouring one kettle of hot water into a full cold bath to heat it. It wouldn’t make the desired heat and would quickly turn cold. But, if you poured quite a few kettles of hot water into the bath, the hot water would soon overtake the cold water and create the desired temperature. This is why it is important to properly size your pool before finalising how many heat pumps you require.
For more information regarding the best heat pump for you, as well as sizing information for your swimming pool, contact us today.
- Allister Clark (Sales) +27 82 335-9741
- Claire Badenhorst (Sales) +27 79 922-5262
- Fozia Vardiah (Admin & Operations Manager) +27 83 658-7812
- Meloshinee Moodley (Office Assistant) +27 72 499-5908
- Reena Naidoo (Sales Consultant) +27 79 922-5262
We have partnered with The Miracle Meal in helping local communities and churches. Visit www.themiraclemeal.com/rsa to find out more.