How To Install In Ground Pool Equipment - Part 3 - Heaters

Part 3. Many owners choose to extend the use of their pool another 1 or 2 months by using heaters to warm the water. This pool has selected two types of heaters: an energy efficient Heat Pump to increase and maintain the pool water temperature over an extended period of time; and a Propane Gas Heater to rapidly heat the Spa water for shorter periods of time.

1. Heat Pump - This is a Jandy EE 3000TR Heat/Cool Heat Pump. Heat/Cool means that this unit can be used to cool the pool water as well a heat it - much like the function of a more common house heat pump. This heat pump is one of Jandy's largest providing 140,000 BTUs / hour. Water is piped in from the right side and flows out the left. This unit like most has a built in by-pass flow assembly up front so water can bypass the heater core when not in use.

2. Propane Gas heater - A Laars 400,000 BTU Propane Gas Heater was installed in this pool system primarily to heat the Spa water- part # LXi400P. Its high efficiency heat exchanger is designed for lower operating cost and it can heat the Spa by 30 degrees is less than 30 minutes. Water is piped in from the right side and flows out the left.

3. Propane Regulator - The Propane Regulator show at the left is required to control the flow of propane from the tank to the Propane Heater.

4. The heaters are connected to the main circulation / filtering system discussed in Part 1. The heater bypass valve shown at the left controls the flow to the heater lines. Water comes from the main circulation filter to the valve. If the valve to bypass the heater is closed, as shown, the water will be diverted down through the heater loop and return back into the main piping. With the valve open, water will flow up through the heater bypass.

5. This is another view of the heater loop with the bypass shut. It shows the path of the water down to the heater piping and returning up from the heaters to flow to the pool return ports.

6. This picture shows the complete path of water flowing from the filter though the heater bypass, though the Salt Chlorine Generator and out to the valves controlling flow to the Spa and Pool. This path shows the flexibility in the pool heating system. Water can be heated or not, using one or the other or both heaters, and flowing to the Spa or the Pool or both depending on the setting of the valves.

7. Valve configuration for the Pool - With the valve handles turned as indicated by the yellow "Ts", water will be shut off to the Spa and flow to the Pool. So any heated water would all flow to the Pool. The Heat Pump would be turned on for this setting but you would have the option to turn on the Propane Heater too if you wanted to speed up heating the Pool.

8. Valve configuration for the Spa - With the valve handles turned as indicated by the yellow "Ts", water will be shut off to the Pool and flow to the Spa. So any heated water would all flow to the Spa. The Propane Heater would probably be turned on for this setting.

9. This concludes our guide on setting up equipment for in ground pool heaters. 

If you have any other questions about pool and spa products please do let us know - we are here to help!

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