How to Heat a Pool Super Fast and Crazy Affordably (2024)

Looking for the best way to heat up your pool? Maybe you want to open up your pool early and start swimming ASAP. Or perhaps you’d just like your water a little warmer throughout the swim season.

Three pool heaters can heat your pool: Solar, DIY options, and traditional pool heaters. So let’s dive into the best ways to heat your pool quickly and efficiently.

Before we continue, if you’re looking for help keeping your pool clean and clear throughout the season, check out our FREE Pool Care Cheat Sheet. It’s a totally free, easy-to-use guide to help you keep track of taking care of your pool.

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No matter which kind of heating method you use, your pool’s heat time depends on a few things:

  • What type of pool you have.
  • How much water it holds.
  • Whether it’s insulated or not.
  • How much sun you get.

How to Heat Your Pool With Solar Pool Heaters

The sun is nature’s FREE pool water heater. Your pool water absorbs sunlight and warmth just by sitting out in the sun.

An average pool will heat up about 0.7° per hour under the noontime sun. But the downside to that sun? Evaporation.

Evaporation can cause the same pool to lose 5°F for every quarter inch of water evaporated.

Solar pool covers, aka solar blankets, are large sheets of insulating plastic that look like bubble wrap and lie on top of your pool water. They not only capture the energy of the sun, but they also keep heat in by reducing water evaporation, especially at night.

The heat your pool gains during the day are lost at night. A solar blanket keeps some of that heat from dissipating and cuts evaporation by about 95 percent.

When water evaporates from your pool, you also lose the chemicals in that water. A solar blanket can prevent 35 to 60 percent of your pool water chemicals from disappearing into thin air.

Depending on where you live, a solar cover may not keep the water as warm as an electric or gas heater. However, it still can reduce water evaporation and help retain heat.

Here are our picks for the best solar covers for any size pool.

Now which color solar cover is best?

Clear solar covers allow more of the sun’s heat to penetrate the water and increase water temperature by about 15 degrees and prevent up to 95% of pool water and chemical evaporation. Dark blue solar coversare great for heat retention. So if you have a gas heater or pool heat pump, your heater won’t need to run as long with a dark blue cover.

How to Heat a Pool Super Fast and Crazy Affordably (2)

If you have a large pool, or if you often swim, removing the solar blanket can be a little bit annoying. You can cut the solar blanket into smaller panels and remove the pieces one at a time.

Or it might be worth investing in a solar cover reel.

What’s a Liquid Solar Pool Cover?

These are made from a fatty alcohol substance that forms a thin layer on top of the water and helps prevent evaporation. You can’t see it, you can’t feel it, and it’s safe to swim in.

If you want to see a liquid solar pool cover in action, be sure to check out our other video.

Liquid solar covers are easier to use than a solar blanket; you’re just adding liquid to your pool instead of reeling in a blanket. But solar blankets are about 25 percent more effective at keeping heat and water in the pool.

Whether you use a liquid or a blanket solar cover, they help retain heat and stop evaporation, especially at night. Click here to learn more about liquid solar covers and how they work.

Our Top Pick

How to Heat a Pool Super Fast and Crazy Affordably (3)

Natural Chemistry Cover Free Liquid Solar Cover

$23.99

Yes, liquid solar covers actually work and quite well. While they don't attract the sun's heat to your pool water, they help reduce water evaporation at night to keep the heat in your water.

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If you click this link and make a purchase, we earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

05/17/2024 09:47 am GMT

Now let’s talk about some next-level solar heating options. If you have an above ground pool, you may want to consider heating the water with a Solar Dome.

How to Use a Solar Dome to Heat Your Pool

A Solar Dome collects the sun’s rays and circulates your pool water through warming channels before returning it to your pool.

Solar domes can raise the temperature of your pool up to 10 degrees, especially over several sunny days.

They can be challenging to install and require some extra connectors if you’re trying to position it where there’s more sun. They’re also not cheap.

But aside from the initial purchase cost, it runs on solar — which means completely FREE heat for your pool.

If a solar dome is a little out of your budget or you’re feeling handy, you can try making your own, cheaper solar heater with a black irrigation hose and a sump pump.

If this option sounds interesting to you, there are many great DIY channels on YouTube showing you how to build your own black hose solar heater for under $100.

Want to learn even more about solar pool heaters? Click here!

How to Heat Your Pool with Gas or Electric Heaters

These are the most expensive pool heating options, but they’re the most powerful.

Using a Natural Gas or Propane Pool Heater

Pool water passes through your heater while a combustion chamber burns and warms the water before returning it to the pool.

Gas heaters are probably the most powerful heater option. They’re very efficient and will heat your pool quickly, especially if you live where temperatures are cooler.

However, it is not a cheap system to install. And you do have to pay for the gas to keep it running. Not to mention the maintenance and troubleshooting it requires.

The installation cost can be between $500 to $1500, depending on the situation. If you want to do some work yourself, it could potentially save you hundreds or thousands in costs. And running it will cost around $200 – $400 a month.

Using an Electric Pool Heat Pump

Pool heat pumps draw in warm air from the atmosphere and use that air to heat the pool. It’s a low-energy process that relies entirely on your outside temperature.

So, as long as the weather is warm enough (around 40 degrees or higher), pool heat pumps can be a good option.

The installation cost is between $500 to $1500. DIYers could potentially save you hundreds or thousands. And running it will cost around $100 – $200 a month.

Are Pool Heaters Worth It?

If you want to extend the pool season and have elderly folks using the pool, then they’re worth it. Personally, I think pool heaters are too expensive. I would just invest in a solar cover and enjoy swimming in cooler water.

How to Heat a Pool Super Fast and Crazy Affordably (4)

If you want to see our favorite gas heater and heat pump brands, check our Pool Heater Comparison Guide.

And regardless of how you heat your pool, we recommend getting some type of surface protection — like a solar cover — so you don’t lose water and heat at night.

What is the Best Way to Heat a Swimming Pool?

The fastest way to heat your pool is to use a gas pool heater and a solar cover. It’s like heating up your coffee in the microwave and putting a lid on it.

No matter how you plan to heat your pool, you should at least have a solar cover (or liquid solar cover) to help you retain the heat. This conserves energy, saves you money, and keeps your pool heated longer.

If you have more questions about pool maintenance, go check out our FREE Pool Care Cheat Sheet.

Happy Swimming!

Need More Pool Maintenance Help?

  • Download our free Pool Care Cheat Sheet. It’s a free, easy-to-use guide to help you keep track of taking care of your pool.
  • Subscribe to our Swim University YouTube Channel. We publish free video tutorials throughout the pool season.
  • Check out our Pool Care Course. You’ll get 30+ step-by-step videos and a downloadable guide with everything you need to know about pool maintenance.

Matt Giovanisci

Matt Giovanisci is the founder of Swim University® and has been in the pool and spa industry since 1993. Since then, his mission is to make pool and hot tub care easy for everyone. And each year, he continues to help more people with water chemistry, cleaning, and troubleshooting.

How to Heat a Pool Super Fast and Crazy Affordably (6)

Save Time and Money with Our FREE Pool Care Cheat Sheet

Keep your pool clean and balanced every week. You won't have to worry about your pool anymore. This simple cheat sheet is all you need. And it's free!

How to Heat a Pool Super Fast and Crazy Affordably (2024)

FAQs

How to Heat a Pool Super Fast and Crazy Affordably? ›

To warm up your pool water quickly, you can use a pool heater. Pool heaters are effective to warm up the water in your pool quickly. There are different types of heaters you can buy, depending on your budget and the size of your pool. Two examples are a heat exchanger and a heat pump.

How can I quickly heat my pool? ›

To warm up your pool water quickly, you can use a pool heater. Pool heaters are effective to warm up the water in your pool quickly. There are different types of heaters you can buy, depending on your budget and the size of your pool. Two examples are a heat exchanger and a heat pump.

What is the black hose trick to heat a pool? ›

The Black Hose Trick

Grab your black garden hose, fill it up, and leave it in direct sunlight. This will warm the water within and heat your pool as you refill. However, this method has several problems, as a lack of sunlight will prevent your hose from warming up. Also, this method only works when refilling your pool.

How do you heat a pool hack? ›

Fill up your pool using a long, black garden hose (PVC is best). Make sure the hose is in direct sunlight so that it can absorb as much of the sun's heat as possible; since black absorbs more heat, this is a cheap yet effective way of heating your pool.

How to heat your pool for free? ›

Solar covers are an excellent way to heat your pool for free. They work by trapping the sun's heat and using it to warm up your pool water. The cover also helps to reduce water evaporation, which can save you money on your water bill.

What is the best option for pool heating? ›

Many pool owners save thousands by choosing to install a gas pool heater instead of a solar heater or electric heat pump. Gas pool heaters also work in any environment, regardless of the ambient air temperature, the season (time of year), cloud cover, time of day, or even the weather.

What heats a pool faster gas or electric? ›

Gas heaters also have an advantage because they can heat the pool faster than other types after being turned off. They are the best at raising the temperature quickly, making them ideal for weekend use, when guests arrive, or with second homes.

Does a liquid solar blanket work? ›

Solar covers can raise the temperature of the pool by about 20 °F after being on the pool for a week. But, while they do a great job of keeping heat in, they are big and bulky.

How long does it take for a pool to heat up naturally? ›

As a general rule of thumb, it can take anywhere from 8-48 hours to increase the temperature of an average size pool (around 15,000-20,000 gallons) by 10-15 degrees Fahrenheit.

How to make your own pool heating system? ›

How To Build a DIY Solar Pool Heater
  1. Design the Layout. Start by planning the layout for your solar collector. ...
  2. Assemble the Base. ...
  3. Lay the Hoses. ...
  4. Connect to the Pool's Pumping System. ...
  5. Cover With Glass or Plastic Sheet. ...
  6. Position for Maximum Sun Exposure. ...
  7. Test and Monitor. ...
  8. Do Regular Maintenance.

What is a pool heater bypass? ›

After the filter, water goes into the pool heater. Usually, there is a water bypass valve right at the heater's intake that allows water flow to go around the heater instead of through it. We don't need heat during the summers (and most other parts of the year in Florida), so water bypasses the heater most of the time.

Will bubble wrap warm my pool? ›

Yes but the life span of bubble wrap is short lived because of deterioration cause by the sun and pool chemicals. A commercial pool blanket cover is basically industrial strength bubble wrap. It will not only heat the pool from the suns rays but will also serve as an insulator at night.

How can I speed up my pool heating? ›

1. Go Solar
  1. Solar Pool Covers. Solar covers—also called solar blankets—form a barrier between the water and the sun, allowing the pool to absorb and retain heat (a pool can lose about 5 degrees per hour from evaporation). ...
  2. Liquid Solar Pool Covers. ...
  3. Solar Dome. ...
  4. Solar Rings. ...
  5. Solar. ...
  6. Gas or Propane. ...
  7. Heat Pump. ...
  8. Electric Resistance.
Mar 1, 2024

How do you heat a pool on a budget? ›

Combine a solar cover or solar rings with a pool heat pump to heat your pool fast and maintain a comfortable temperature. The pool pump will keep the water temperatures warm on cloudy days and nights, while the solar heater takes advantage of sunny days. Combined, you will have a warm pool for little cost!

How to use garbage bags to heat a pool? ›

To heat your pool using this low-cost method, you'll need some large, black trash bags. Thick contractor-grade bags work best. Then, float enough of them to cover the surface of the pool. If they're directly under the sun, the heat they absorb will eventually transfer to the water.

How long does it take to heat a pool 1 degree? ›

Generally speaking, it's pretty common for a heat pump to take between 12-24 hours to raise the pool water temperature by around 1-2 degrees Fahrenheit which is 0.5-1 degree in Celsius measurement.

How long does the sun take to warm up a pool? ›

The sun is nature's FREE pool water heater. Your pool water absorbs sunlight and warmth just by sitting out in the sun. An average pool will heat up about 0.7° per hour under the noontime sun.

Will a pool heat up faster with the pump on or off? ›

With the pump turned on, the heating process is normally faster.

Does pool heat better with cover on or off? ›

The ventilated air also must be conditioned, which adds to the energy costs. Pool covers minimize evaporation from both outdoor and indoor pools. Covering a pool when it is not in use is the single most effective means of reducing pool heating costs. Savings of 50%–70% are possible.

References

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