Natural Gas Heaters

A heater is optional pool equipment that is used to heat the pool for more comfortable swimming conditions. A heater is not required equipment...it is a luxury item.

There are various types of pool heaters. In fact, you will have a few different options to heat your pool. The two biggest factors when considering these pool heating options are upfront cost and, most importantly, the monthly operating cost.

A gas-powered pool heater is the best pool heater - in terms of solely heating a pool. A natural gas heater is the most popular type of gas-powered pool heater. It is reasonably priced to purchase and have installed (in comparison to other pool heating options). But the monthly cost for gas can be high...and it could be significantly high, depending on the time of year, the outside temperature, your desired temperature of the water, how often you use the heater, the size of the heater (namely the BTU rating), and your local gas costs.

While some pool equipment is expensive upfront yet saves you money each month (such as a variable speed pump or a heat pump), a natural gas heater is expensive upfront and is expensive to operate and use each month. If you can trade-off the high monthly cost for the quickest access to heat, then a natural gas heater is a viable pool heating option.

When you are researching natural gas heaters, be sure to research the heat exchanger, which is an internal part. It is the most important part, as it transfers the heated gas to your pool water to ultimately heat the pool. But, it is also an expensive part to replace if your water chemistry suffers. When you are faced with the decision of replacing the heat exchanger, it may be best to replaced the entire heater.

Within this pool manual, the following information is available about natural gas heaters: