The summer months seem to fly by. Before you know it, the kids are going back to school!  If you are interested in extending your swimming season, then you may want to invest in a swimming pool heater. A heater is great to have with the colder weather approaching. The following information should answer any questions you may have regarding the use of pool heaters.

Using a pool heater gives you the option of controlling your water temperature. The recommended temperature is 78 degrees. On average most people prefer their temperature slightly warmer at 80 degrees. The great thing about using a heater is that the decision is yours, but either of those would be a comfortable choice.

Your geographical location will determine the length of your pool season. The summer sun can only heat your pool water for a certain length of time. When the summer ends, so does your pool fun. However, having a heater can greatly extend that time length. For those pool owners that live in the northern region, a heater can double your swimming season. For pool owners that live in warmer areas such as Arizona or California, a heater can nearly triple your swimming time.

Even if you have decided to use a swimming pool heater, you still need to use a pool cover as well. A well-insulated pool cover helps to hold the heat in, reducing the amount of heat loss you would normally experience and prevents debris from getting into your water. For more information refer to our previous post, Why Should You Use a Pool Cover?

There are a few different types of heaters available. The most common are gas fired heaters running off LP gas. These heaters are the least expensive of your choices and the cheapest to run. In areas that you are unable to buy gas heaters, you can heat your pool with oil. Some pool owners may choose to run electricity to heat their pools. This is a good way to heat your pool water but is the most expensive to run and takes the most amount of time to maintain properly.

Lastly, there’s the solar pool heater. These heaters sound ideal since they use the sun to heat the water, but they have some disadvantages when compared to the other heater types. If you live in a warm sunny climate this would be an ideal choice for you. However, if you are not in a sunny region then there’s additional costs to consider. They may be called solar powered, but you will need to have a large electric pump to optimize its use. Those pumps are not cheap. You should keep the pump cost in mind when choosing your heater. The pump delivers the water from your pool to the solar panels which are responsible for heating your water. By the time you finish setting up a solar-powered heating system you will have spent a decent amount of money. For that reason alone, it makes this the least popular of choices for areas that are not in sunny climates. For further information on how solar-powered heaters work, visit Swim University.

When it comes to heating your pool and extending your swim season, gas-fired heaters remain the top choice with its cost-efficiency. These heaters are easy to find both locally and on the internet. They are very user-friendly so even those new to pool heaters won’t have any problem using it.