Pool chemicals are intended to be added to large quantities of water. If, instead, a small amount of water is added to a large amount of the chemical, a dangerous reaction may occur.

Recommendations for addressing the major hazards associated with pool chemicals are described below. Most of this comes directly from an EPA Alert (PDF: “Safe Storage and Handling of Swimming Pool Chemicals”). Although the EPA’s recommendations mostly concern facility managers and emergency responders, consumers can benefit from this knowledge, too.

Keep Pool Chemicals Dry

Design and maintain designated areas for pool chemical storage so that water does not come in contact with containers or packaging. Any evidence of potential water entry from the following possible sources should receive prompt corrective attention:

• Roof, windows, and doors;

   

• Wall and floor joints;

   

• Water pipes or hoses and sprinkler systems; and

   

• Drains.

You should look for ways to prevent water contact with stored pool chemicals such as:

• Close containers properly;

   

• Cover opened or damaged packaging;

   

• Store chemicals away from doors and windows;

   

• Ensure that there are no roof leaks, open or broken windows, or leaks from water pipes, hoses, or the sprinkler system;

   

• Ensure that floors are sloped to keep water drained away;

   

• Store chemicals on shelves or pallets to keep containers off the floor;

   

• Use waterproof covers on packaging;

   

• Exercise particular caution to prevent water contact with stored chemicals any time water is used for cleanup of floor areas near stored packages; and

   

• Ensure that water will not back up from faulty or clogged floor drains.

Avoid Chemical Mixing

Conduct a review of chemical storage arrangements and chemical handling tasks to identify situations where chemicals could be intentionally or accidentally mixed:

• Separate incompatible substances; avoid storing containers of liquids above containers of other incompatible substances;

   

• Do not mix old chemicals with fresh chemical, even if they are the same type;

   

• Consider separate, designated tools for each chemical. Handle only one chemical at a time and make sure that tools used with one substance are not used with another unless all residues are removed;

   

• Use separate, designated containers for cleanup of spilled materials to avoid inadvertent mixing of spilled substances. Consult your local hazardous waste disposal facility for more detailed information on proper waste disposal; and

   

• Make chemical storage area housekeeping a priority. Don’t allow rags, trash, debris, or other materials to clutter hazardous material storage area. Keep combustible and flammable substances away.

Fire Prevention

Prevent a chemical reaction ignition by avoiding wetting or mixing chemicals as described above. Avoid having combustible or flammable materials near the chemicals, particularly gasoline, oil, paint solvents, oily rags, etc. Do not allow ignition sources, such as gasoline, diesel, or gas powered equipment such as lawn mowers, motors, or welding machines, in the storage area. Also, do not allow smoking in the storage area. Review bulk storage, including packaging and storage locations, relative to potential for accidental contact with water, including sprinkler systems, rainwater, etc.

Note also that once started, fires involving pool chemicals are difficult to attack. Keep in mind that:

• Do not use dry chemical or halon-type fire extinguishers where chlorine gas may be evolving. These agents react negatively with chlorine.

   

• In extinguishing a fire, only large volumes (copious flow) of water should be applied and then only by persons trained in chemical fire response. Caution must also be exercised to protect against wildlife damage due to contaminated water runoff.

   

• Large quantities of water should be applied to the burning combustibles to remove heat and for fire intensity control.

   

• Once started, the reaction of wetted or mixed chlorinated pool chemicals may continue generating heat, unless the material is cooled below its heat of reaction temperature or until all chlorine is used.

Personal Injury

Pool chemicals can cause injury if they directly contact a person’s skin, eyes, or respiratory or digestive system. The chemical will immediately react when wetted by perspiration, tears, mucus, and saliva in the nose, throat, and respiratory and digestive systems. Such injuries may occur from direct chemical contact with the skin or if chemical dust in the air contacts eyes, is inhaled, or settles on food that is consumed.

The pool chemicals information above was excerpted from an Environmental Protection Agency booklet entitled “Safe Storage and Handling of Swimming Pool Chemicals.”

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The Ultimate Guide to Pool Maintenance is the authoritative guidebook on pool care. Some say it has too much information.

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What Color Is Your Swimming Pool? is a popular introductory guide with the basics on everything from the construction of pools, cleaning routines, water treatment, simple repairs, to pool safety.

• How much does heating a pool cost?
• What size of heaterdo you need?
• What sort of heater should you use — a traditional gas pool heateror a heat pump pool heater?
• What else should you know about buying a pool heater?
• After buying a heater, what can you to save money on heating?

Cost of pool heating

The chart below shows costs of heating pools in different parts of the country to different temperatures. The figures are based on a 1000 square foot outdoor pool heated with an 80% efficient natural gas heater at $.50 per therm. The dramatic cost difference for using a coveris also shown. It’s assumed the pool is uncovered for 8 hours per day.

Pool heater size

Pool heaters are mainly sized according to the surface area of the pool and the difference between the water and average air temperatures. One method uses the following procedure:

• Determine the desired swimming temperature.

   

• Determine the average temperature for the coldest month of use.

   

• Subtract the average temperature from the desired temperature to get the temperature rise needed.

   

• Calculate the pool surface area.

   

• Use the following formula to determine the Btu/Hr output requirement of the heater.
  PoolArea x TemperatureRise x 12

This formula is based on 1° to 1-1/4° F temperature rise per hour and a 3-1/2 mph average wind at the pool surface. For a 1-1/2° F rise multiply by 1.5. For a 2°F rise multiply by 2.0.

The heating load is also affected by other factors such as wind exposure, humidity levels and cool night temperatures. Pools located in areas with higher average wind speeds at the pool surface, lower humidity, and cool nights will require a larger heater.

This calculation will give you an approximate size. You should have a trained professional perform a proper sizing analysis for your specific pool.

Gas pool heaters

Today the most popular method of heating pools is the gas-fired pool heater. Heaters are built for either natural gas or propane.

Gas appliances have become increasingly more efficient in recent years. With innovations in hydraulics, heat exchanger technology, forced draft combustion systems, and pilot-less ignitions, efficiency has almost doubled in recent years. High efficiency pool heaters are now available that are 89-95% efficient.

Heater efficiency is the ratio of usable output to energy input. For example, with a 80% efficient heating appliance, there is $80 worth of useful heat for every $100 of fuel bought. 20% of the fuel is wasted.

Heat pump pool heaters

An emerging method of heating pools is the heat pump pool heater. A heat pump’s efficiency is dependent on the outside temperature and since pools are usually used during warm and mild weather, heat pumps are a very efficient method of heating pools.

Heat pumps do not generate heat, they simply capture it and move it from one place to another. Below is a diagram that shows how heat pumps operate.

How efficient is a heat pump? That’s not an easy question to answer. Heat pumps don’t have a simple efficiency number to work with. Their efficiency is measured by Coefficient of Performance (COP).

Just like other heating options, heat pumps can have low efficiencies or high efficiencies. Their COP can range from 3.0-7.0. The higher the number the more efficient the heat pump. What this means is that for every unit of electricity that you put in to run the compressor, you get 3-7 units of heat out of the heat pump. These COPs are usually determined by testing the unit with an outdoor air temperature of 80°F and a water temperature of 80°F. But there is no standard test, so you should be aware of this. The higher efficiency units usually use scroll compressors versus the reciprocal compressors of the standard units.

Buying a pool heater

Efficiency is one consideration in buying a pool heater, but you should also consider the reputation of the manufacturer and/or dealer who will install your heater. Get some references of satisfied customers and call the Better Business Bureau if you don’t have anything to go on. Also be sure to ask for and read all warranties before making your decision.

Pool heater money saving tips

Regardless of what pool heater you buy, here are some tips to help you reduce your heating costs.

• Keep a thermometer in the water. It will help you determine the temperature that is perfect for you. (For more about pool temperature, click here.)

   

• Keep your thermostat at the lowest setting that still maintains a comfortable swimming environment.

   

• Mark the “comfort setting” on the thermostat dial to avoid accidental or careless overheating.

   

• Lower your thermostat setting to 70° when the pool is to be unused for three or four days. For longer periods, shut the pool heater off.

   

• Protect your pool from wind. Use a fence or hedge. A 7 mph wind at the water surface can triple a pool’s heat loss.

   

• Use a pool coverwhen the pool is not in use. This can reduce your the energy consumption by 50-75%.

   

• Get your pool heater tuned up annually. A properly tuned pool heater will operate more efficiently.

Click here for more swimming pool money saving tips.

The pool heater information above was edited by Chris Whitten based on source material from the U.S. Department of Energy RSPEC (Reduce Swimming Pool Energy Costs) Program, which is now defunct.

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The Ultimate Guide to Pool Maintenance is the authoritative guidebook on pool care. Some say it has too much information.

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What Color Is Your Swimming Pool? is a popular introductory guide with the basics on everything from the construction of pools, cleaning routines, water treatment, simple repairs, to pool safety.

Homeowner’s Handbook of Solar Water Heating Systems
Although out of print, this book on building or buying solar heating systems can usually be found used.

Should you consider a solar pool heater?

Most swimming pools require some type of heater, whether to bring the water temperature up in the spring, to maintain a desired temperature during the swimming season, or to extend the swimming season. You can use a conventional gas or electric pool heater, but you may have large monthly bills from your local utility company.

Another option is to install a heating system that captures the free heat of the sun. Solar energy is a renewable domestic fuel that’s widely available. Today, solar pool heater systems can be cost competitive with conventional heaters. Their advantage: very low operating costs.

The most cost-effective use of solar energy today is to heat swimming pools. Swimming pools require low temperature heat which is where solar collectors are most efficient.

Solar collectors

The simplest solar collector is a black hose lying in the sun that you can circulate water through. The sun shines on the black hose and heats up the water flowing through it. This is not a very efficient or durable solar collector, however.

To increase the efficiency of collecting the heat, solar collector manufacturershave designed several types of solar collectors that maximize the amount of energy collected and are designed to last 15-20 years.

Most solar collectors are flat sheets, called absorber plates, with tubes running from bottom to top. Headers at the top and bottom supply the fluid to be heated. Some have a glazing over the top of the collector that aids in preventing the wind and cold air from carrying away the heat before it can get to its destination, but this greatly increases the cost of the collector.

Solar collectors are made of a variety of materials. Collectors that operate only when temperatures are above freezing can be made of lower cost materials such as thermoplastic rubber or polypropylene. These collectors can be used in the far southern part of the U.S. and for all outdoor seasonal use pools in the rest of the U.S.

Collectors that operate in colder climates on a year around basis generally have copper absorber plates with low iron tempered glass as a covering. This allows the collector to maintain most of its efficiency even during the cold winter months. As long as the sun is shining, it will collect some solar heat. But these collector systems require transfer fluid and heat exchangers which increase the total system cost.

Solar heating systems

Solar collectors are only one part of a total solar pool heating system. A simple unglazed pool heating system includes the pool pump and two heat sensors connected to a solar controller. One sensor measures the temperature at the collector surface. The other measures the pool temperature. If the difference between the two is sufficient, the controller sends a signal to a motorized valve that closes and directs the pool water through the solar collectors.

All the water circulated by the filter pump will pass through the solar system. Each time the water passes through the solar collectors it is heated 2-5 degrees. A properly sized solar system can raise the pool temperature 10-20 degrees and maintain a comfortable swimming temperature.

The purpose of solar heating a pool is usually to provide a comfortable and enjoyable pool water temperature during mild weather. Under these conditions, systems with open absorber plate solar collectors are most efficient and cost effective. These unglazed systems can even work for indoor pools in cold climates if the system is designed to drain back to the pool when not in use. Even if you have to shut the system down during cold weather, it may be more cost effective than installing a more expensive glazed collector system.

Glazed collectors systems can also be used to heat pools. Due to the ability of the glazing to trap heat and by using copper absorber plates, heat exchangers and transfer fluids, these systems can collect large amounts of solar heat even in the coldest weather. However, glazed solar systems often cost several times as much as unglazed systems. Another advantage of glazed systems is that they can double to heat domestic hot water year around.

A modern pump, properly sized for filtration and skimmer action will almost always be adequate for a solar system. The extra lift to the roof is balanced by the return head in a closed system. If the pump isn’t large enough, a booster pump will have to be added.

Solar collector siting

There are a number of things to consider when trying to determine if a solar pool heating system is right for your pool.

Is there a large, sunny roof or open area available for mounting several hundred square feet of solar collector? Does the area have unobstructed sunlight from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm during the heating season or even later in the day for mid-summer use? Is it possible to securely anchor the collectors on the selected area? (The solar collectors can be mounted on a roof, on a deck, on a rack, or on the ground).

Also, the system should be installed in accordance with all local building and zoning requirements.

Orientation and tilt

Ideally, collectors should face due south. However, they can usually be oriented within 15 east or west of south with little loss in performance. Some sources even say up to a 45 variation is OK, but you will lose some performance.

The ideal collector angle varies based on latitude, and whether you need the heat in the summer months, during the winter months, or you need the heat all year around.

For summer only heating, use latitude minus 10-15. For winter only heating, use latitude plus 10-15. For year around heating, install the collectors at latitude. Variations from these ideals can be compensated for by adding additional collector area.

Solar heater sizing

Solar pool heating systems can be installed to provide up to 100% of your pool heating needs. The size of the system depends on available solar insolation, wind factors, average temperatures for the region, and collector orientation and angle. Contact your local supplier for a proper sizing calculation.

Pool covers

It is a good idea to make your pool as efficient as possible before considering a solar pool heating system. The easiest way to lower your pool heating costs is to use a pool coverthat stops evaporation when the pool is not in use. By reducing your pool heating needs prior to the purchase of a solar pool heating system, you can purchase a smaller system, saving money.

If inconvenience or aesthetics is a major concern that keeps you from using a pool cover, then a solar pool heating system can provide you with low cost heat without affecting the looks of the pool.

The solar pool heater information above was edited by Chris Whitten based on source material from the U.S. Department of Energy RSPEC (Reduce Swimming Pool Energy Costs) Program, which is now defunct.

Homeowner’s Handbook of Solar Water Heating Systems
Although out of print, this book on building or buying solar heating systems can usually be found used.

Covers for swimming pools

Swimming pools lose energy in a variety of ways, but evaporation is by far the largest source of energy loss for swimming pools. When compared to evaporation, all other losses are small.

Since evaporation is the major source of heat loss for swimming pools, to minimize evaporation, one must cover the water. Covering swimming pools when not in use is the single most effective way of reducing heating costs. Savings of 50-70% are possible.

Covers also provide many other benefits besides saving energy. They conserve make-up water by 30-50% and can reduce chemical consumption. Cleaning time is cut by preventing dirt and other debris from entering the water.

Wind breaks

One item that can greatly increase evaporation from outdoor swimming pools is wind blowing over the water. A 7 mph wind at the surface of the pool can increase energy consumption by 300%. Adding trees, shrubs, fences, or other wind break material can significantly lower the heat loss while it’s open.

Swimming pool covers are great at stopping evaporation when the pool is closed, but can’t do anything to cut evaporation when it’s open.

The windbreak needs to be high enough and close enough to the pool that it doesn’t create turbulence over the water and increase evaporation, but try not to block the sun from shining on it.

Solar heating systems

One of the most cost-effective uses of solar energy is to heat swimming pools. Swimming pools require low temperature heat, which is where solar collectors are most efficient.

You can use either unglazed or glazed collectors to heat outdoor swimming pools, however, unglazed collectors are most commonly used on outdoor pools. If your pool is operated year around and located in a cold climate region, the unglazed systems will not provide much heat in the winter, but may be more cost-effective overall because of their lower initial cost.

Glazed systems are more expensive, because they usually have black chrome-plated copper absorber plates, require the use of a non-freezing transfer fluid and a heat exchanger to transfer the solar heat to the swimming water.

Unglazed systems are usually made of a black plastic or rubber material and the water is circulated directly through the collectors. Neither system requires a storage tank. The pool serves as the storage tank.

Solar heating systems can provide up to 100% of your pool heating needs. They are also much simpler to install than are other forms of solar systems. The combination of a solar pool heating system and the use of a coverat night can greatly extend the length of your swimming season with minimal operating costs.

Click here for more information about solar heaters for swimming pools.

High efficiency heaters

If you plan to purchase a conventional pool heating system, shop around for a high efficiency pool heater. High efficiency gas heating systems are available with steady state efficiencies as high as 97%. Electric heat pump pool heatersare also available with coefficients of performance (COPs) in the 6.0-8.0 range when operated in warm weather. A COP of 6.0 is 600% more efficient than an electric resistance heater.

Click here for more information about heaters for swimming pools.

Efficient pumps/motors

Using properly sized energy-efficient pumps and motors when replacing older pumps and motors, or when designing new swimming pools, can significantly lower the electrical consumption of pool operating costs. Motors use many times their initial cost in electrical consumption over their life and can often consume several times their cost in the first year alone. The energy savings from an energy efficient motor can pay for itself in a very short time.

Efficient pool lighting

Replace inefficient incandescent lamps with high efficiency compact fluorescents. They consume 1/2 to 1/3 the amount of electricity and last 10 times as long as standard incandescent lamps. Replace standard fluorescent ballasts and lamps with electronic ballasts and T-8 lamps. They will reduce consumption by 30%.

The initial cost of energy efficient lighting is more, but the combination of the energy savings and labor savings on replacement will far offset that initial cost in most cases where lights are on for several hours per day or night.

Outdoor areas can be lit with high intensity discharge (HID) lamps. They offer high efficiency and high output. Install motion detectors in areas like shower/dressing areas and rest rooms or on security lighting. They will not only save energy, but will startle would-be intruders.

Water efficiency

Reduce water heating costs in the shower area by lowering shower temperatures to 95. It will not only lower energy costs, but will shorten the amount of time people spend under the shower producing further savings.

Install low-flow showerheads and automatic shut-off valves on showers to reduce water consumption and conserve energy.

Insulate the shower water heater to further reduce water heating costs.

Efficient operation

Consider carefully the temperaturethat you keep the water. Each degree rise in the temperature can cost you an additional 10%. The National Swimming Pool Foundation recommends 78-80 for active swimming and 82-84 for general use.

It’s a myth that it takes more energy to heat swimming pools up when you turn the temperature down than you save by lowering the temperature or by turning off the heater. Turn the temperature down, or turn off the heater whenever the pool will not be used for several days. Experiment to determine how long it takes to heat it back up. Lowering the temperature and raising it back up again always saves more energy than keeping it at a constant temperature.

Keep all the intake grates clear of foreign debris. Clogged drains require the pump to work harder.

Don’t backwash your filter more frequently than necessary. Backwashing too frequently wastes water, while not backwashing wastes energy by requiring the pump to work harder.

For residential swimming pools, reduce filtration time to 6 hours/day. If the water doesn’t appear clean, increase the time in half-hour increments until you get the desired results. You can automate this by installing a time clock for daily pump operation.

Tune up your heater annually. A properly maintained pool heater is more efficient.

The information on swimming pools above was edited by Chris Whitten based on material from the U.S. Department of Energy RSPEC (Reduce Swimming Pool Energy Costs) Program, which is now defunct.

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The Ultimate Guide to Pool Maintenance is the authoritative guidebook on pool care. Some say it has too much information.

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=BB0000&t=interesting-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&asins=1580173098

What Color Is Your Swimming Pool? is a popular introductory guide with the basics on everything from the construction of pools, cleaning routines, water treatment, simple repairs, to pool safety.

Homeowner’s Handbook of Solar Water Heating Systems
Although out of print, this book on building or buying solar heating systems can usually be found used.