Pool heating with OWB ?

[blackdogon57]

I am thinking of installing water to water heat exchanger to heat my pool with my CB 6048. Is there anyone out there who has done this who may be able to offer advice on the right heat exchanger/controls etc. One of my concerns is that my existing water supply lines run the entire width of my house in the basement. I have tennants in the basement and am concerned that it will be way too hot down there. The lines are mosly exposed at ceiling level. Does anyone know of an effective way to insulate these lines ? Any constructive advice would be appreciated.

 

[ghitch75]

I am thinking of installing water to water heat exchanger to heat my pool with my CB 6048. Is there anyone out there who has done this who may be able to offer advice on the right heat exchanger/controls etc. One of my concerns is that my existing water supply lines run the entire width of my house in the basement. I have tennants in the basement and am concerned that it will be way too hot down there. The lines are mosly exposed at ceiling level. Does anyone know of an effective way to insulate these lines ? Any constructive advice would be appreciated.

how big is the pool?...

we did one(wasn't a central boiler) that was 27,000 gallons and put a 300,000 btu heat exchanger on it and he keeps his pool at 92f through the winter...you better have a s@#t load wood it will suck the life out of it till it gets to temp.....we put the exchanger and aquastat in his pump house and ran the boiler lines to it...

 

[Marklambert61]

pool heating

Be careful with pump and heat exchanger size...

The heat exchangers you see sold on flea bay and other places are over rated for capacity go 30% bigger than you plan...

A separate pump is best just for your pool...

Mark...

 

[MS-310]

how big is the pool?...

we did one(wasn't a central boiler) that was 27,000 gallons and put a 300,000 btu heat exchanger on it and he keeps his pool at 92f through the winter...you better have a s@#t load wood it will suck the life out of it till it gets to temp.....we put the exchanger and aquastat in his pump house and ran the boiler lines to it...

Was his pool outside? Just seems kinda high.



Big Pump, Big Lines, and lots of wood, you will be ok. Just did one last week end.

 

[blackdogon57]

Pool Size 15000 gallon

Pool is 16 x 32 inground. I use 250,000 BTU propane now but can't justify the cost of the gas. I have mountains of log ends and other firewood waste that I need to get rid of from firewood processor so fuel is close to free and demand on the boiler will be very low during the summer (domestic hot water only).

What brand of heat exchanger did you go with ? I am having a hard time getting advise from pool guys as this is not a common way to heat a pool.

 

[Marklambert61]

Pool heat exchanger

The common brand your going to find is ACI stainless they are a single pass tube & shell exchanger...

It a good product however the BTU capacity is over rated to what your actual going to see in use if your heating with 250K now go at least 300K or more.

I much prefer a multi pass units like I use everyday in HVAC applications. The cost of these units might be a little strong for you if you want a brand new unit.

However I could hook you up with a reconditioned unit send me a private message if your interested.

Mark...

 

[MS-310]

Pool is 16 x 32 inground. I use 250,000 BTU propane now but can't justify the cost of the gas. I have mountains of log ends and other firewood waste that I need to get rid of from firewood processor so fuel is close to free and demand on the boiler will be very low during the summer (domestic hot water only).

What brand of heat exchanger did you go with ? I am having a hard time getting advise from pool guys as this is not a common way to heat a pool.

SEC Heat Exchangers

www.brazedplate.com

I would go with the M31B-70 if you had to go with a plate type.

Do you have room for a long tube type? like a 300,000 BTU is is like 700 to 800 bucks.

 

[blackdogon57]

Thanks for the info

I and going to get a quote from SEC on a 330K BTU shell & tube They have lots of good info ontheir website- thanks for the tip.

 

[jimabbey]

Pool Heating

Been ther and done that. Remember that chlorine / bromine will precipitate iron so your exchanger must be iron free. Copper or stainless are best. I used a heat sink and a stainless coil that worked well. Problem is that this is a slow process. You have to work on your conversions. With 40,000 galons of water you have to either have very hot water (not a good idea ) from your outflow or a lot of warm water over an extended period of time to actually raise the temp of the water. Passive loss when the pool is in the 90's is constant unless you have an especially hot summer day. Evaporation is unbelievable. Now you are topping up with well water at around 55 and I have put as much as 6 inches a week in a Foxx Big Oval.

I used the pool pump as the primary and diverted a portion of the recirculated water to and forced from the stainless heat exchanger. This is pretty standard for pool heaters.

The bad news is that I burnt a hell of a lot of wood. If firewood can sell for around $50.00 a face cord you might look into selling the wood and buying and using an electric heat pump for the pool season. That is what we did and I would not go back to burning wood to heat my pool. Just not cost effective.

 

[streeter]

Just go solar heating with a thick (12mm) solar cover. Easier the huffing wood in the summertime.

 

[dparkguy]

I installed our 24' above ground pool in Sept 2015. I'm now working on plumbing the pool and plan on hearing it up with my NCB 250. Is there any special grounding or bonding that has to be done to the heat exchanger or boiler?

 

[goosegunner]

I installed our 24' above ground pool in Sept 2015. I'm now working on plumbing the pool and plan on hearing it up with my NCB 250. Is there any special grounding or bonding that has to be done to the heat exchanger or boiler?

I have a stainless shell and tube exchanger. It has copper connections for the boiler side. I bonded that to the the pump where the bond wire for the pool is connected.

 

[dparkguy]

I have a stainless shell and tube exchanger. It has copper connections for the boiler side. I bonded that to the the pump where the bond wire for the pool is connected.

Did you install a bonded fitting that makes contact with the water? I know they make a special fitting to do this but came across some people using a brass plug with a #8 copper wire attached.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

The bad news is that I burnt a hell of a lot of wood. If firewood can sell for around $50.00 a face cord you might look into selling the wood and buying and using an electric heat pump for the pool season. That is what we did and I would not go back to burning wood to heat my pool. Just not cost effective.

Processor trash isn't going to sell, much less for $150/cord. We end up bonfireing most of it.

 

[lindnova]

Brazed flat plates are compact and get great heat exchange rates from a small exchanger. I don't know if copper or stainless is best for pools.

You could insulate all your lines and wrap the exchanger in insulation, but it will still leak some heat into your basement.

 

[goosegunner]

Did you install a bonded fitting that makes contact with the water? I know they make a special fitting to do this but came across some people using a brass plug with a #8 copper wire attached.

No, I was told a clamp to the cooper pipe at exchanger with copper wire to bonding lug at pump would do...Let me know if you find evidence of the contrary.

gg