	Article Directory		Article Submission Service		Article Marketing Blog		Publishers		Member Log In

Article Directory :: Sports & Recreation Articles

A Guide To Heat Losses From Swimming Pools

By Francis Lowe

Republish: EasyPublish™
Published: 20Feb2012
Word count: 887
Viewed: 110 time(s)

Get Free Content For Your Site

Swimming Pools lose heat in a variety of different ways such as convection and conduction, but evaporation through the water surface area is by far the greatest source of energy loss.

The reason evaporation has such an impact on heat loss is because evaporating water uses up very large amounts of energy. According to information from the United States Department of Energy, it only takes 1 BTU of energy to raise 0.22 gallons of water by 1°F. However, each 0.22 gallons of 80 °F water that evaporates takes a very large 1048 BTU's of heat out of the pool. The metric equivalent means that it takes 0.001163 kilo watt hour of energy to raise one litre of water 1°C and each litre of water at 27°C that evaporates wastes 1.218 kWh of energy.

Tests conducted on outdoor pools have revealed that evaporation has a huge influence on the total energy consumption. Heat Losses: Radiation to the air 20%, conduction lost to the ground 10%, evaporation 70%.

The rate of evaporation from an outdoor pool varies depending on a variety of factors, including the temperature of the water, the temperature and humidity of the air, and the wind speed at the surface of the water. The higher the pool temperature and wind speed and the lower the humidity air temperature, the greater the evaporation rate.

How can this energy problem be addressed? The simple answer is use a pool cover. To gain the maximum benefit from your cover it should be placed over the water surface area at all times when the pool is not in use, and only taken off just before you would like to swim, and then replaced afterwards.

Covers are available in a variety of different weights, materials, colours and designs. However, regardless of the type of cover, they all offer:

Lower Energy consumption by over 50%. Reduce chemical consumption by up to 60%. Eliminate water evaporation by 98%. Increases pool temperature by up to 8°C. Inhibit algae growth. Absorb the heat of the sun. Reduce filtration/pump time by up to 50%. Reduce debris contamination and subsequent cleaning costs.

Types of Covers. Solar covers offer the advantage of solar gain, raising the water temperature, in addition to the evaporation reduction of sealing the surface of the water. These covers are usually used on domestic outdoor pools. Typical life times for a solar cover are between 5 and 10 years. These covers will therefore pay for themselves over and over again.

Heat Retention covers are usually made using a 5mm thick layer of foam. These are usually very robust and excellent at reducing evaporation, but they offer no solar gain.

Francis Lowe is a leading expert in swimming pool maintenance with a huge wealth of experience developed from 40 years in the industry. To see a full range of pool equipment, including pool covers and solar covers please see the website of specialist supplier poolwarehouseuk.com

EasyPublish™ this article - publishers click here