A Swimming Pool has a large amount of Thermal Inertia, therefore a large amount of heat is needed to rise the Pool from Ground Temperature.
A competitive swimming it is usually maintained at about 26 deg °C, up to 29 deg °C for comfort.
The rise in Thermal Inertia of a 8 x 5 m Pool to a comfortable temperature, would require approximately 1,200 kWh of energy, with a constant energy loss to the surrounding Ground and Evaporation.
Choice is to use Electricity to run a Heat Pump or a Solar Thermal Array using free Energy.
Solar thermal energy will be used consistently to heat the pool between the end of April and the end of October, six months a year, for approximately 7 hours a day.
The temperature of the ground below the pool is approximately 12°C, and we can assume that the temperature of the water will be more or less the same. Considering that the human body has an internal temperature of 37°C, we realise that some additional heat will eventually help to enjoy the pool itself.
The bulk of the work is digging a ditch between the Plant room and the room where the pool pump is located, so that flexible, insulated polypropylene pipes are kept to a minimum. (half a meter deep).
The PVC pipe that connects the components of the pool's filtration system will need some modification to allow the filtration pump to circulate the pool water through the Heat Exchanger.
A pool cover is essential, as most heat loss when a Pool is heated is due to evaporation. Imagine steam coming off the surface at night.. Therefore, it is not only heat that is lost, but also water.
Virtually no swimming pool is thermally insulated and therefore around 10% of heat loss occurs through the walls and floor to the ground. The hotter the water is, the greater the loss of heat.
When building a swimming pool, it is advantageous to use a type of construction that offers a break in the thermal bridge between the pool walls and the ground.
.There are several types of pool covers, with different removal methods. Ideally, they are simple to remove and made of robust material.
Proper use of the cover can lead to a reduction of energy loss by 65% and water loss by 70%. Even when energy is practically free, water can not longer treated as a free resource.
