Air Source Heat Pump for Swimming Pool?

thenudeone

I have a small (15' x 3') splasher pool and am looking to buy an ASHP.

I already have a solar heating system. Basically the water is pumped at low pressure through long lengths of black rubber tubing lying in the sun. This is controlled by a control module with 2 sensors to measure when it's worth operating. I had to buy the this from Australia as there was nothing like it in the UK.
This operates very well indeed when the sun is shining strongly, but that doesn't happen enough!

The other heating is a 3kW Elecro heater which I run overnight on Economy 7 at about 4p/kWh.

The pool also has a bubble cover.

Even with all of this, the pool isn't usually warm enough to use except on really warm days (>25C).

I know it's possible to buy a pool ASHP on ebay for as little as £500, but before I commit, could any MSEs help with the following?

Is it likely that if I waited, the installation might be eligible under the forthcoming Renewable Heat Initiative?

Are there any other schemes which might help?

How noisy are they - Are they quiet enough to run at night to use E7 electricity?

Which pool ASHPs are the most reliable / overall best?

Thanks

zeupater

Hi

Before thinking about the heat pump, an idea to consider.

If the 'rubber' solar tubes are effectively long black 'bladders' which roll out, I saw a similar system in the US a few years back. The one I saw had been both 'insulated' and 'double glazed by' simply wrapping bubble sheeting around it (the type with large bubbles). I was told that it wasn't necessary in mid-summer but extended the useful season for the pool quite a bit. The wrap reduces both heat transfer to the ground and the surrounding air so provides a massive performance lift ..... does this sound possible ??

HTH
Z

thenudeone

The solar collectors are literally flexible tubes about 3/4" diameter. like this: http://www.solarmatt.com/ The total surface area in the sunlight is about 1/2 the surface area of the pool, which seems to be the "recommended" area, but perhaps a little optimistic for Britain! The system cost about £500 many years ago. The controller was about £200.
The tubes are sitting on some old fence panels to prevent heat loss to the ground, although as it is a high volume, low temperature differential, system (unlike home hot water heating), heat loss is less of an issue.
I can certainly see providing further insulation or perhaps aluminium foil under the collector would give some benefits, but I would imagine that putting bubble wrap on the top and preventing sunlight reaching the black tube would be counter-productive. The pipes are ribbed so the area available to exchange heat from the bubble wrap would be very small, which would probably outweigh any extra heat generated by the greenhouse effect inside the bubbles, but that's just an educated guess.

Cardew

Heat pumps for swimming pools are widely used in the USA and the noise isn't too bad although the compressor/fan is certainly audible and near an open window would certainly be heard.

I cannot think there is any way a pool heater would ever qualify for RHI!!!!

zeupater

Hi

Not the same system at all ..... the one I saw was more like strips of flat profile inner tube, something like 4" to 6" wide and 1/8" to 3/16" high which definately couldn't be walked on ...... the idea of the bubble wrap was just to reduce heat loss from the collectors which were some way from the pool. With the collector being as close to the pool as that in the link the bubble wrap wouldn't last long - so something to stay well clear of, I, like most others, can't resist popping it

Z