The most important thing about purchasing a pool heater is determining the correct size for your above ground pool.
Determining the correct size will save you money as a pool heater with the correct amount of BTUs will limit the overall run time and reduce your electric bill throughout the season. More importantly, throughout the colder months when you would like to use your heater the most, you will shorten the overall heat time of your pool and in turn also limit the amounts of electricity required to run the unit.
The Pool Factory is your source for quality swimming pool supplies at the lowest prices. Whether you’re looking for equipment or accessories for your pool, we have everything you need to take care of every aspect of pool maintenance and care.
Heat Pump Sizing Chart - Above Ground Pools
| Pool Size (Feet) | Summer 4 BTU's | Spring & Fall 5 BTU's | Extended 6 BTU's |
| Up To 10,000 Gallons Up To 21' Round or 15' x 26' Oval | 50,000 BTU | 50,000 BTU | 65,000 BTU |
| Up To 13,000 Gallons Up To 24' Round or 15' x 30' Oval | 50,000 BTU | 65,000 BTU | 85,000 BTU |
| Up To 17,000 Gallons Up To 27' Round or 18' x 33' Oval | 65,000 BTU | 85,000 BTU | 110,000 BTU |
| Up To 21,000 Gallons Up To 30' Round or 18' x 40' Oval | 85,000 BTU | 110,000 BTU | 125,000 BTU |
Heat Pump Sizing Chart - Inground Pools
| Pool Size (Feet) | Summer 4 BTU's | Spring & Fall 5 BTU's | Extended 6 BTU's |
| Up To 10,000 Gallons 12' x 24' | 50,000 BTU | 50,000 BTU | 85,000 BTU |
| Up To 15,000 Gallons 14' x 28' | 85,000 BTU | 85,000 BTU | 110,000 BTU |
| Up To 20,000 Gallons 16' x 32' | 85,000 BTU | 110,000 BTU | 125,000 BTU |
| Up To 25,000 Gallons 18' x 36' | 110,000 BTU | 125,000 BTU | 150,000 BTU |
| Up To 30,000 Gallons 20' x 40' | 125,000 BTU | 150,000 BTU | See Dealer |
Pool Heaters: Gas Heaters vs. Electric Heat Pumps
Keep your pool warm this summer with one of our pool heaters. Here you can learn about the different types to help you make an informed decision.
An Introduction to Pool Solar Heat Covers
A pool solar heat cover is one of the most cost effective ways to keep your pool at a comfortable swimming temperature, learn how to properly use a cover.
Tom, I have a 16×32 Oval pool 4ft deep. Partially in the ground. I am looking for an electric pool heater. Which one would you suggest?
Partial sun in my yard, as far as hook up would I need both a plumber and electrician?
An important factor that most consumers overlook when choosing a pool heater is the time of the year that the heater will be used. If you are looking to simply take the chill out of the water on a cool summer night, the correct size heater would be different than if you wanted to extend the swimming season into the late fall. A 16×32′ above ground pool will have approximately 12,000 gallons of water. For general in season use we would recommend a 65k BTU Heat Pump for your pool.
If you would like to extend your swimming season into the colder months we would recommend a larger 95k BTU Heat Pump unit
Tom, I have a 24 round completely above ground pool, 5 ft deep, and I would like to buy an electric pool pump heater. We live in Illinois and can only swim late June to end of August. We have a good solar cover, but would like to extend our time in the pool. It has to be electric. Can you help? Thanks.
Hi Karen,
Your pool will hold approximately 16,000 gallons of water. To extend the pool season in a colder area, we would recommend over sizing the heater for your pool size. An AquaPro 112,000 BTU Electric Heat Pump would be perfect to solve your problem: https://www.thepoolfactory.com/aquapro-pro1100-112k-btu-electric-heat-pump.html
Another option for you…
Please take a look at the following page with all of our Heat Pumps: https://www.thepoolfactory.com/pool-supplies/pool-equipment/pool-heaters/electric-heat-pumps. The AquaPro Eco500 (top left corner) is rated for up to 16,000 gallons of water which will be sufficient for your pool for general use, like taking the chill out of the pool water on a cool summer night or slightly extending the swimming season. To extend the swimming season into the early Spring or late Fall we would recommend a larger unit.
I have a Calorex AW910ALX, which has let me down every yea & ha so ever seemed that efficient. I have a 20k+ below ground pool. What size and make would you suggest for a heat exchange pool heater on a single phase. Happy to go higher on the BTU.
Hi Tim,
We would recommend an AquaPro 112,000 BTU heat pump for you. If you live in a colder area we would recommend the 137,000 BTU model:
• https://www.thepoolfactory.com/aquapro-pro1100-112k-btu-electric-heat-pump.html
• https://www.thepoolfactory.com/aquapro-pro1400-137k-btu-electric-heat-pump.html
Tom, I have a 20′ x 40′ in ground pool that holds between 30,000 and 33,0000 gallons. I live in NY and am looking to extend my pool season from Early May to late September. I have decided to go with a pool heat pump, but I am having a difficult time determining what size I should purchase. I am looking at a Hayward HP21404T, a Heat Siphon Z700HP a Jandy JE3000T or a Pentair Utlat Temp 140C. I am open to other suggestions, but any information would be helpful. We do use a solar cover to help keep the heat in.
Are any of the ones on your website adequate that I can consider?
Thanks,
JOhn Paul
Hi John,
Considering your pool size and location, you would need a very large heat pump, at least 130k-140k BTUs. Heat pumps above 140k BTUs can jump quite a bit in price. There are a few professional style heat pumps on the market from 160k-180k BTUs but these will cost double the price of a 140k unit. Since you only want to extend your swimming season from May thru September we would recommend an AquaPro 137k BTU Heat Pump:
https://www.thepoolfactory.com/aquapro-pro1400-137k-btu-electric-heat-pump.html
I have a 25,000 gallon in-ground pool and am looking for the best pump heater… any recommendations?
Hi Heather,
Any model 110,000 NTU or larger would be sufficient for a 25,000 gallon pool. If you would like to extend your swimming season into the late Fall or early Spring or if you live in a colder area we would recommend over-sizing the heater to a 125,000 BTU or larger unit.
Please take a look at the following link to view our available Electric Heat Pumps.
I have a 30′ x 15′ x 54″ above ground pool. The swimming pool is in the shade from 2pm through the rest of the day. What electric pool heater would you recommend? Thank you.
Hi Joseph,
A 75,000 BTU heat pump would be a great choice for your pool size and situation. Here is the unit we would recommend: AquaPro VIGOH77 75K BTU Electric Heat Pump & Chiller
I have a 20,000 in ground pool what size BTU unit I need for pool
Hi Ray,
We would recommend at least an 85,000 BTU heat pump for a 20,000 gallon pool. If you would like to extend your swimming season into the late Fall or early Spring or you live in a colder area we would recommend a larger unit like the AquaPro 112,000 BTU or AquaPro 137,000 BTU models.
Hi Tom, we just brought a home with an inground 18 X 36 pool approx 21,000+ gallons. We live in KS and would like to use the pool from May to September, the pool is shaded from about 3pm to end of day. It appears the previous owners had a heater that was removed at some point. I assume it was removed likely due to cost. What is your recommended size/BTU pump and best make/brand of pump we should consider. We are new pool owners, do you have any idea of the average increase we should expect to see in our electric bill? Also, we are in the middle of repairing our pool.
Thanks,
Julie
Hi Julie,
An 18×36 inground pool will usually hod more than 21,000 gallons (unless your pool is very shallow). With an average depth of about 5′ your pools’ capacity will be approximately 25,000 gallons. After measuring the average depth of your pool you can use our pool volume calculator to get the actual water capacity of your pool.
Taking your location and pool site into consideration and assuming you have a typical 25,000 gallon 18×36 pool, we would recommend an AquaPro 137,000 BTU heat pump.
Hi Bob! We have a 12 x 16 oval pool and are looking for a propane heater for it. We are in New York and want the heater just to take the chill out od the water for the summer months. Which would you recommend? 105K BTU? and How much propane would we need?
Hi Alana,
Please first check local codes for propane use in your area. Some municipalities do not allow propane use for pool heaters. Yes, a 100,000 BTU gas heater would be large enough for a 12×24 pool for summer use.