How to Heat a Swimming Pool with an Air Conditioner | Ask This Old House

[@saraloke949]

This was an exact replacement for the old one that lasted about 10 years. kzbin.infoUgkx7yWIKcrbA9KMHkGSfcgxW2lsjHT6B8Sh The top of my mitigation tube by my roofline was just a 90 elbow which allowed too much debris to fall down into the fan, eventually ruining it. Without this issue, I bet it would have kept running another 10 years. When I replaced this fan, I added an extra elbow joint so the top tube now it does a 180, which should solve that problem. The radon guys around here wanted to charge me a $300 diagnostic fee, then parts/labor (probably close to $600 total). I installed this all by myself in about an hour for the cost of the fan; it would probably be even easier/faster with two people. FYI the manufacturer's warranty greatly differs depending on whether you install it yourself (1 yr warranty) or have a licensed installer do it (10 yrs).

[@BLasmOChannel]

No clue why I'm watching. I have no pool 😆

[@SimonHomeintheEarth]

@Daniel S I can't make waves... No pool ;(

[@ek9772]

Peter Jr there is a very similar setup to extract heat for residential hot water both during the summer (AC) and winter (heat pump). Approximately 25% of energy required for hot water (residential) can be obtained per compressor. More than one AC unit can release their heat to a single heat exchanger.

[@king_red_f3504]

Peter Jr I have a pool but I don’t need this because I have something that’s called summertime and sun

[@YOUandMeRealtyDotCom]

Peter Jr Now You Have To Get One... ☝️ 🔮I See One In Your Future #ComeOnDown #GraciousFloridaLiving YOUandMeRealty.com

[@Major_Rizz]

I don’t even have an ac

[@emptyangel]

I onced stayed in a hotel in Thailand that used the air conditioner to heat the shower water. Made so much sense... you get super cool AC and super hot water.

[@Thebowzer221]

It most likely did. Because the AC there runs almost 365 days a year.

[@davidbach7003]

I had a heat exchanger for 17 years on my heat pump. It made hot water for free and made the heat pump very efficient.

[@raidernation3536]

Yea it was straight forward, with 20 + years experience it was a piece of cake.

[@Confidentialcomputing]

ha ha! correct. Trivial thermodynamic engineering. Anyone can do it.

[@Gavintyler21]

I’d like to hear or see a follow up. How efficient is the AC running and what kind of temperatures are you getting in the pool water. Is there enough heat in the pool to take the chill off is it actually heating the pool on its own?

[@xaviermarle3747]

I did a similar installation about 15 years ago to my 3 tons A/C and pool. Installed a titanium heat exchanger , but no 3 way valve. I installed a fan cycling controller. Condensor fan would not run until water of pool got too hot, then would kick in by the fan cycling. I averaged a temperature of 85 degrees. Simple , cheap and effective.. btw, i’m a commercial / industrial HVACR tech.

[@headforthehills3353]

What if the pool pump/filter are not close to the AC.

[@bobbyberger9928]

I've thought about doing it the same way you did. Did it ever make your pool too hot?

[@shootermcgavin991]

@@bobbyberger9928 it won’t. Pool is a massive heat sink

[@richardwilkes1953]

Hello Xavier, I am trying to decide to setup a pool heater in the method you did or maybe using the hotspotenergy's configuration. Not an HVAC tech by trade but have all needed tools and knowledge to accomplish myself. But I need one piece of information to help make the decision between the two configurations and I bet you know this information. I imagine that the most efficient compressor operation would occur by using only the heatexchanger and not the condensor. The question is: How much heat rejection occurs from the condensor when the fan is not moving air with the heatexchanger rejecting heat to the pool water? With the condensor still in the circuit with the heatexchanger is the heat rejection from condensor and heatexchanger ratio be something like 10 percent from condensor and 90 percent heatexchanger? Really appreciate your assistance.

[@jriley309]

We have the Hotspot exchanger for our hot water and our pool. The condenser fan never even has to run and we’re recouping all of the heat we use to waste. It’s complex but not nearly as complex as having separate dedicated heat pump water heaters and heat pump pool heaters.

[@MattProfa]

Do you have a link to what your talking about? I don’t have a pool but really like the efficiency idea of the water heat exchanger vs air

[@Kevrock900]

It is a better idea to use sweep elbows (gradual bend) than those sharp 90's. High volume pumps strain with sharp bends, ball valves or any type of flow restriction for that matter.

[@misterbojangles6205]

Did it YEARs ago. Dale... Works great. In FLA with a pump I could reverse it to coo it in a hot streak. Lovely.

[@boandjill]

Did you DIY? What was the cost of materials?

[@WholesaleTurbos]

In australia it was common to have an array of black pvc lines on your roof, turn the pump on around 10am and let the sun heat the pool while cleaning

[@andrewbyers1555]

We just let the sun shine on the pool

[@tomb1734]

Nice but I see a problem I'd have. I need the pool heated just before I need my AC (Spring) and just after I'm done with the AC (Fall). When I'm using my AC the pool is already perfect temperature.

[@rupe53]

For those who have never owned a pool or worked on air conditioning, the idea is simple. The average pool gets only a few hours of direct sun and even if it does get to 90 or 100 degrees outside, it's only for a few hours. The rest of the day figures into the average, which for half of the USA means temps well below 80 and probably into the 60s during the wee hours. Net result is pool water might reach the 80s by July or August. The typical pool heater is 300, 000- 400,000 BTUs, which can raise the water temp quite a bit, but at what expense? OTOH, the AC system is cooling the house and holding down the humidity during the summer months. OK, a 4 ton AC unit can throw 48,000 BTUs into the air or into the pool. Doesn't sound like much but that can likely add 5 - 10 degrees to the water temp, which would otherwise be wasted. IOW, it may not be enough heat to do away with a conventional heater in those areas where they are common, but it is enough to take the edge off, temp wise, and likely shave 15 - 20% off the pool heating bill by reducing the use of the main heater. BTW, if you have a pool with a heater (that you use) then you already know how much you spend on gas. The flip side is the AC is not working as hard because it's dumping the extra heat into an 80 degree pool instead of 95 degree air. Also, there's no reason one couldn't use a conventional pool heater in tandem here by setting the t-stat a few degrees below the AC system's point. IOW, if the AC system can't keep up then you use the main system as a back up.

[@justgivemethetruth]

80 degree pool ... ugh, why have a pool if it is going to be that hot? We used to have a pool when I was a kid in Texas where the summers are hot. I don't recall the water getting up to 80 degrees. The point about 90 degree water versus 95 degree air is a good one, but the gas is what about 250 degrees or so ... the only difference is the heat exchanger, and the one in the A/C already is specifically designed for the job - the add-on unit is an unknown.

[@rupe53]

Everyone who heats a pool has their own reasons but the most popular reasons are for old people with poor circulation and little kids with blue lips. That said, in the northern states where pool season is shorter, heating a pool is a good way to make it usable on those marginal days early and late in the season. Another reason to use the AC style heater is based on the typical New England weather where we get as much humidity as say Florida or coastal Texas, along with lots of trees keeping the pool in the shade. 80 degrees outside doesn't sound too bad till you have 95% humidity. Make the night temps closer to 60 and that pool temp will drop quick, so might as well dump the heat from the AC somewhere useful.

[@tjam4229]

justgivemethetruth, dude, water doesn’t start to even feel warm until it’s above body temp. You would have to have water above 98.6° to start to feel “hot”. I don’t care how hot the air temperature, even in Texas, pool temperature water probably feels comfortable between 85 and 95°...it’s still colder than your body. Your body will slowly lose heat and still cool you down. Especially if you get out and experience evaporation on your skin (admittedly not as much in humid Texas)

[@GeorgiaFPV]

rupe53 no the system is at 48,000 btu of COOLING capacity after the liquid refrigerant is turned into a vapor then run through specially designed radiators. This barely puts out any heat especially after the refrigerant is put into a 1/2 pipe and the pressure drops causing the temperature to drop thermodynamics. This is an item that is great in theory but does not actually work.

[@dolfan058]

Apologies for bringing this comment back from the dead - but is it confirmed that this could run in tandem with a pool heater? I’m envisioning using this setup where the pool is initially heated by the AC unit, then the pool heater serves as the backup in case the AC unit doesn’t heat the pool enough. Sounds like from your explanation that this is theoretically possible?

[@levimust4479]

It's great in theory to transfer heat or cooling to save energy. I always scratch my head in winter when running my refrigerator in my heated kitchen when it is -20 outside. But this after the fact retrofit looks every expensive and complex. Much better if it could be installed when new.

[@Wombats-1]

How do you make the water not get dizzy going through all those bends??

[@dandcc9192]

Slap some motion sickness patches on to the copper pipes, problem solve, you're welcome.

[@gene8172]

Maybe the same way figure skaters don’t get dizzy when doing spins?

[@Toastmaster_5000]

I solve that problem the way I solve all my problems: hitting and yelling at them

[@richardnott9587]

Add dramamine to the pool water.

[@mitchdenner9743]

They forgot to tell you that you have to adjust and add to the refrigerant charge to compensate for the 10 to 20 feet of lineset coiled in the heater. And I'm assuming when the 3way valve closes off the pool heater circuit the refrigerant just stays there in the loop so it doesn't effect the normal operation of the ac. Makes sense.

[@tighecrovetti2844]

Imagine how even more efficient it would be if he cleaned that condenser!

[@scottkolaya2110]

Seems like it would also save on AC since the condenser coil in the pool heat exchanger would be at a lower temperature than the air-sourced condenser coil in the AC unit. Thus the reason for heating the pool, to begin with.

[@dice12tx]

I'm thinking this would be a great solution for people such as myself who live in rural areas that use propane to heat the pool. May be a higher upfront cost but it would pay for itself in a few years countering the cost of constantly filling our 500 gal propane tank.

[@AdamCharron84]

I agree our pool is going in next week and I’ve been looking for heaters but don’t wanna burn all of my LP for the kids to swim.

[@CertifiedGasSystems]

To answer your question at the end, they do and have been making water cooled condensers for decades. It must have access to cool water at all times. Mine in Florida is fed by my well water. If I want to heat my pool, I manually divert the valves to the pool and away from the well and back when my pool is a warm 90º. This is called a GeoThermo system and is very efficient.

[@QuaabQueb]

FINALLY! I have always wondered why people never installed similar setups

[@PickleMaster507]

whats the point of heating the water in a warm day that requires an air-conditioner! the water would be warm already

[@QuaabQueb]

It actually takes about 3-4 consecutively hot days to get the water warm. Also swimming at night when it is cooler out you want the water to be at least 30c

[@alexmaclean1]

It's just that this system is pretty complex with multiple extra leak points, plus it's fairly expensive and it won't make much of a difference in temperature for an average size pool.

[@tjam4229]

ahmad al-sabbagh, you say water is warm on a warm day, but that’s not really true. Your body feels water to be “warm” as it approaches high 80 degree temps...which almost never happens in most climates without water heaters. Even if the water were at body temperature, 98.6° it would feel very comfortable...not hot, believe it or not. And water would even more rarely get to these temps on its own without some help from a water heater.

[@Stewbular]

Chargèro I won’t let my family heat our pool water. I hate Luke warm water on hot days.

[@beardhut2934]

Wow grate way max out energy efficiency. I'm going to toss my window unit into the kiddy pool now. DIY professional.

[@mirza6399]

Just make sure the kids are in there to maximize the results.

[@jessstuart7495]

@@mirza6399, Get rid of the kids. Now you are talking efficiency!

[@Spahi77]

I laughed too hard at this....

[@dougridgway7570]

Hahahahaha comments and all made my day.

[@beardhut2934]

Caught off guard by my own year old comment 🤣. Thanks for commenting pulling me back here and thanks for all the likes that makes my day.

[@JakeNaughtFromStateFarm]

Seems like a good setup, it what about when my pool system is in the back and A/C is on the side of the house?

[@stephenw5063]

You would have to run a bunch of refrigerant piping or a bunch of water piping to connect the pool equ to the AC

[@michaelesposito2629]

Stephen W id go with the piping that doesn’t have you running refrigerant around an entire house...

[@knockitofff]

5:50 not exactly Rich, when the hot gas is diverted to the pool heat exchanger, the condensing pressure (and running amps) will be noticeably lower than when using the air coil, so there will substantial electric savings

[@prerecordedresponse9884]

David's so cool that the whole screen went blue!

[@netdog713]

Why didn't you make the connector pvc piping shorter? It doesn't look very good with the exchange unit hanging off the edge of the concrete pad.

[@mattwolf7698]

Wonder if it can also cool the pool. I went swimming in a pool that had been baking in the sun on a 100 F day. The pool was probably around 75 F - 80 F and it was too hot to enjoyably swim in.

[@foxhound34]

How to use the ac to heat pool if it just happens to be 6in from it.

[@Cravz69]

Man, the one time I would love to see one of his famous “cut away” props!

[@shannondonaldson5881]

How hot is the water coming out of that exchanger? What they don’t tell you is that that bulge right before the pipe goes into the ground to return water is the salt cell for a salt water chlorinator. If returning water is to hot or too cold, the system will shut down and won’t generate chlorine.

[@Simonofcalifornia]

Good luck servicing that filter.

[@josh_m]

Seriously, why would they run the lines like that? Ridiculous.

[@merlinious01]

Which filter? The brownish one or the pump one?

[@its_bob_from_accounting801]

monumental observation.!!!.. for them is out of sight out of mind until the sucker service tech shows up.

[@SNORKYMEDIA]

yeah and why point the temp sensor against the wall?

[@pierreverdoni]

had not noticed....NOW it's all I notice !!good eye

[@markbremmer8642]

Moonshiners technology is used for this. It's a worm that the shine travels through after the thump keg.

[@amrdsk]

Hi, thank you very much for the wonderful idea, I tried the exchanger link , but it takes me to Amazon with general heat exchangers, not like this one

[@tjam4229]

Water is “warmer” on a warm day, but that it’s not really “warm”. (Unless your in Phoenix in the summer) Your body feels water to be “warm” as it approaches your body temp...which almost never happens in most climates without water heaters. Even if the water were at body temperature, 98.6° it would feel very comfortable...not “hot”. And water would even more rarely get to these temps on its own without some help from a water heater. You might want a “refreshingly” cool pool, but eventually, anything below body temp would start to feel cold as your body loses heat to the water. So if you want to get in, cool off, and get out, then skip the heater. But if you want to slip in and enjoy longer comfortable pool time, then get the water closer to body temp with a heater.

[@tjam4229]

He said it will cost him the same to run the AC unit, he just gets to heat the pool for free. That's not entirely true...It's actually better: He gets the pool heated for free, yes, but the AC unit runs more efficiently, therefore draws less power. So his electric usage/bills should go down a bit as well. Sweet :-)

[@thomasbroking7943]

Main benefit is coolong the AC.. Very minimal water temperature rise at such low btu's

[@Rudizel]

Yes and in 30 years the system would have paid for itself, what a fantastic deal.

[@msears101]

There are more factors than that. Eventually, if the A/C runs a lot, the pool also will become too hot, and you will bypass the pool or risk having a hot tub instead of a pool. So the savings is on those early hot days when the water is cool and needs to be heated. I would personally set it to stop heating at 84. Occasionally even up north my pool becomes too hot, over 90 degrees.

[@rickysheep93]

msears101 you didn’t watch the full video. There’s a control panel for the water temp that manages the temperature it’s not just running constantly.

[@msears101]

@@rickysheep93 you misread. My comment. I know it can control the temperature. Actually my pool controller would do it. I need to heat my pool mostly when the A/C is not running. All the savings would only come when I want to heat my pool and cool my house, which is a couple of weeks per year. The pool gets too hot eventually just from the air temperature and the sun shining on it. Therefore I need still heat my pool another way when it is late or early in the season.

[@wphubert]

I did this with my 3 AC condensers 30 years ago. Used a Cupronickle heat exchanger on each one, mounted underneath each condenser. When doing the install, put a pressure switch on each line coming from the compressor to the condenser coil. So the refrigerant went first to the heat exchanger. This means that if the pool circulating pump was running all of the latent heat was removed, the pressure was lowered and the pressure switch controlled the fan. So the electrical consumption is reduced because the pressure on the compressor is lowered and the fan does not run.Meanwhile to heat goes to the pool. This is a simple system, requires no control box, does not require the AC unit to be near the main pool circulating system as a simple 1 1/4” pvc line provides more than enough flow to deal with the 3 units, which total 6 tons , or 72,000 BTU per hour max.

[@goaheadmakeourdayscooterpe9644]

After testing and some careful calculations it was found to pay for itself after 18.5 years.

[@omnitool]

Who's calculations? I find it difficult to believe. Pulling cold out of a swimming pool is going to take a lot less energy than pulling cold from hot air.

[@reed311]

You aren’t pulling cold out of the pool. Heat transfers to cold. Not the other way around.

[@omnitool]

@@reed311 you’re pulling heat out of the refrigerant into the pool. But my point is it’s easier to pull it out into pool water than hot air. Both because transfer of energy is greater with a liquid then gas, but also, because transfer of energy from hot to hot is less efficient then from hot to cold.

[@puntabachata]

Now factor in system repair and maintenance costs.

[@timlewis1380]

Yes. Water is much more efficient at moving heat than air is. My family business used to make air to liquid intercoolers. Marine air conditioners are highly efficient as well

[@sdafasdfasdfsda]

1:13 the way the guy said "Great" you can tell he zoned out at the beginning of the explanation.

[@andrewkivela5668]

Someone named Joshii did a review of the system 5 years ago and these were his costs: "The installation costs were high but not surprising, considering I live in the northeast. The FPH unit cost $1800. Plumbing cost $500, $250 labor, $250 materials. I had about 60' of additional PVC runs to make. Electrical was $500, $300 labor, $200 materials. HVAC was $1200, $800 labor, $400 materials. Total cost was $4,000." www.troublefreepool.com/threads/hotspot-fph-ac-heat-reclamation-pool-heater-a-review.84669/

[@c31979839]

250$ plumbing materials for a couple of 2" unions, 90 degree angles, straight pipe and a T? Sounds like this gentleman got ripped off.

[@ddbear8786]

@@c31979839 In my experience if you call a contractor, it's $250 - $500 minimum for them to step in the door, no matter how small the job. There is a lot of overhead with every kind of government regulation and tax eating into their income.

[@ddbear8786]

Some of the commenters are missing the point when they say the pool is already hot enough in the summer when the AC is on. In our case (Southern CA), we'd love to extend the pool season in May, June, and Oct. We still use a lot of AC during these months, but the pool is a bit too cold for swimming. This heat exchanger will extend the swimming season. Additionally, it will reduce home air conditioning costs, so it's a win-win. The main downside seems to be the complexity of the installation/mod to the HVAC condenser. I'm looking into getting one!

[@Cfish613]

To whom it may concern I bought this system last year and only got it installed this year, the problems and costs were ENDLESS for starters no reputable HVAC company wanted to touch this system they were unfamiliar and said they were afraid it would not work (due to the water over cooling the coolant) and damage the AC unit so finally I found a decent company that would do it (in the winter) they wanted 2500$ to install! And it looks like a mess a million pipes going everywhere! Ok so all said and done now let's enjoy a warm pool with ugly pipes going everywhere??? No now my pool water pressure is low due to more friction from an added 20ft of lines!!! (My unit is 10 ft away but it needs 2 lines one in and out as well as 6 new elbows) so we get a new pump!!! And after all that the heat is very weak it takes a whole day of 90 degrees to raise the temperature 1 degree!!! Ok so let's talk cost the unit is about 1800$ HVAC install 2500$ electrician 180$ digging trench for pipes and wire 520$ pool Plummer 200$ Total 5200 ( not including the new pump 750$) !!!!! Just get a heat pump pool heater for 3500 INSTALLED!!! It will heat your pool a LOT better than this! A lot of these things look good on KZbin but are a whole different story when it's in your house!! Please stay away from this system If anybody has this system please reply

[@poolman3908]

Sounded good at first. But I could’ve put a gas heater in for 3-4k

[@Cfish613]

@@poolman3908 did you actually get it?

[@poolman3908]

C H Fishbn No I never bought this product. Was just commenting about video

[@bobbyberger9928]

I am thinking about trying this. I won't have all the associated costs because I can do all the install myself. What kind of temperature rise do you get on the water?

[@davidmills5405]

If you had low return pressure it sounds like they were running all the filtered water through the heat exchanger. You would need a bypass valve installed before the heat exchanger to direct some of the water back to the pool as to not push more GPM through Heat exchanger than it can handle. I didn't see a automatic bypass installed on the unit in the video. Those lines in that unit usually restrict down to 3/4 or 1" inside with the Freon line running inside the pipe which would greatly restrict water flow.

[@briankumpan9892]

I saw on KZbin where a person laid down infloor heating styrofoam and then laid in the flexible tubing then built the flor frame for the pool (along with rebar and all) and then pour (or shot in) the concrete. Then hooke it to a solar hot water heater and no matter the temperature outside, the pool is heated regaurdless

[@mikecowen6507]

Any 'expert' who mounts the temp probe facing the wall, so if it ever fails you have to cut a bunch of pipe is an expert to run from.

[@envise]

My AC condenser unit about 60 feet from pool pump. The pool pump is another 20 feet away from pool. Any thoughts on whether is it still worth considering this unit? Thanks.

[@daviddrobish7660]

Sounds great but! I need my pool heated when it's cool. And when its cool the A/C wouldn't be running.

[@wizard3z868]

if you have the room they sell a soler heat exchanger looks like a giant inflatable raft with all the chambers filled with the pool pump than going back to the skimmer. my old company used to sell a version of it kzbin.info/www/bejne/oqbLp36EirhqsMk

[@GoogleUser-xr2hr]

MIC DROP!

[@matthewbestdfghy]

Consider a wood fired pool heater. There are plenty of home made ones on KZbin that are cheap and really effective.

[@wizard3z868]

@@matthewbestdfghy if you can have a burn permit a lot of this old house takes place in commiechusetts land of the massholes conrad is tp lol

[@michaelesposito2629]

If it’s cold enough to where your ac isn’t running at all, I highly doubt you’d be in the pool. This is very useless for the majority of the tone the pool isn’t warm, but the outside is still warm enough for an ac to run

[@theanswer-dw2gz]

So 16 years ago, I added a water cooling coil to my airconditioner outside unit. I used the water from the pool filtered by diverting a hose size pipe to the airconditioning unit. And then away from the unit using a heat resident hose. The fan on the outside airconditioning unit will not go on when the temprature of the unit is below requirement as all the heat is being returned to the pool. So if the diverted water from the pool filter is not availble (the pool pump is off) then the fan starts on the airconditioner unit and it is now air cooled. I found there was no need to check the water temperature. My issue was at first that I would get ice down inside the house and need it to melt. This was solved by the nest thermostat. So since the year 2008 this has been helping to heat the pool. The water returning to my pool is 128f and has been helpful. Years ago I added a gas heater to the pool and at times when heatting the pool the fan on the airconditioning unit will start. So I was thinking sooner or later I want to replace this unit. As it was said in this video, the dream is to be able to just buy this unit.

[@matambale]

I would think shedding heat this way, rather than depending entirely on the fan, would also drop the cooling cost, as the A/C doesn't have to drop the incoming heat so much. Plus, free heat for the pool. Apart from the $$$$ install cost, that is.

[@LBarrettAnderson]

This was my thought as well. I imagine it would be much more efficient to transfer heat to water than to use that very power hungry (and loud) fan.

[@SUPERMAR10312]

You're likely paying less for the AC to run as well as the "costless" heating of the pool. Water is a much better conductor of heat than air.

[@davids970]

Why didnt you close the high side service valve and pull the refrigerant into the condenser ,instead of reclaiming it

[@Rubenmartinez32898]

David S go watch his video on why your evap coil is freezing. Make you want to slap someone

[@davids970]

@@Rubenmartinez32898 That its oversized, thats such bs.I know.

[@Aarona-lj6wp]

He was brazing tubing inside the unit, so he had to recover.

[@KC-nd7nt]

Because the filter is a 1 way drier filter and pulling the opposite way would contaminate the refrigerant. The reclamation pump has a filter for this

[@Aarona-lj6wp]

K C No

[@josephlarsen]

seems like it could go to your hot water tank when the pool doesn't need it, so that you basically are always using the heat from the AC for something useful. This is a cool idea

[@burrbentine]

Started out "That's not too hard, I might look into that." "Moved to, uggh, licenced AC guy, more $$", then onto "Master Controller will interface with 3 system"...... I said fuuuuuk that. Back to my DIY PEX heater.

[@delroy71]

Lol that's a good one!

[@philindeblanc]

Besides, we have good insulation and the house is not bad enough to run a AC, so I would have to run it for the pool, and the house would be cold.

[@zippySquirrelface]

You can just drain the coolant into the air. Just leave the neighborhood for a couple hours.. The earth is doomed anyway

[@philindeblanc]

@@zippySquirrelface the earth is never doomed, only the things living in it. Earth is designed to stay at its equilibrium at ALL times and ALL costs....But I get what you're saying...SHTF for 2020! :-)

[@zippySquirrelface]

@@philindeblanc hopefully. Mercury was a planet with an atmosphere at one point. It's now a wasteland because the tipping point was past and the atmosphere escaped.

[@barabbasrift8874]

I really want one of these for my pool. It is so amazing to be able to use that waste heat in this manner.

[@youtubeaholic2154]

How many gallons is the pool, and how many BTU's does that exchanger put out?

[@Rpotts1999]

That's great question

[@donatospoony]

Brilliant ! Provided your pool equipment is close to your a/c

[@Cotronixco]

Why valve the refrigerant? Why not just valve the pool water? Also, is there a drain at the bottom of the heat exchanger for winterization?

[@michaelesposito2629]

What do you mean?

[@Cotronixco]

@@michaelesposito2629 Hi. Which of my questions are you asking about?

[@michaelesposito2629]

Cotronixco valving the pool water

[@Cotronixco]

@@michaelesposito2629 Well, think about it. You have a simple heat exchanger, right? They are bypassing the refrigerant through heat exchanger with a SPDT valve. Why not just keep the refrigerant running through the heat exchanger without a valve, and then valve the pool water instead,? It would be much more cost effective. There must be a reason.

[@johninmilford7719]

The 3 way valve simply diverts ALL the refrigerant to the pool condenser, or, to the regular condenser. Personally, I prefer to use a valve to just bypass the pool condenser, or not.. My way allows the regular condenser to do the job in the event that the pool pump loses prime, doesn't start at all, or simply is shut off for cleaning. Their way would cause the pool condenser to not function causing an overload of the compressor.

[@JF32304]

I build a house in Arizona and install a pool... This is getting installed! Wonderfully efficient!

[@itspossible3390]

Only works while the air conditioner is cooling and so little of heat being added its more like a talking piece rather than anything that would affect the water temperature.

[@jfkesq]

increases the efficiency of the AC by a significant factor.

[@itspossible3390]

If you really wanted to increase efficiency then you would make a unit where all of the outdoor condenser coil is submerged and then it might actually make a difference on both.. it would then be comparable to geo-thermal air conditioning, but with such a small coil you can't expect much when trying to raise the temperature of that much water.

[@Chuck59ish]

I've seen it set up the other way too, At the Air Base in Incirlik, Turkey they have a unit to cool the outdoor swimming pool, on really hot days in summer over there the air temp gets up to 140 F, so the have cool the pool to stop the algae growth in the pool. and when it's 140 F the pool is packed.

[@koreymayo8884]

+Charles Damery That's deadly hot and algae can also be completely eliminated by uv light clarifiers in the pool plumbing and then you don't need any pool chemicals if properly sized.

[@Chuck59ish]

They had the families of both American and Turkish military posted there using the pool, so they were really careful.

[@wholeNwon]

The refrigerant lines were opened for the additional connections and brazing. I think that should have been done under CO2 and the system pumped down for the required time as measured by temp. and humidity. Maintenance of the vacuum has to be demonstrated before recharging. You don't just evacuate a system, open the lines, braze and then recharge. People wonder why their A/C systems aren't durable. If the homeowner doesn't have one already, this is a good opportunity to install a sight glass with moisture detector. I like them but guess others don't. We only saw seconds of brazing. I'm sure the tech didn't hold the torch in the same place too long. You can get away with that when soldering but not when brazing.

[@Milerhighlife2011]

You braze using nitrogen not co2

[@SenseiMinke]

where can you source these today? I'm looking to do a chilled pool and a heated pool with a hot tub so i have lots of ways to recycle heat.

[@cdlg000]

Why would you need a heated pool when you’re using the AC. Seems like the incorrect time to need the pool heated.

[@nicksnyder9940]

If you notice he keeps pointing to the insulated line which is the suction line in a/c mode, but he keeps calling it "hot gas". This unit is probably a heat pump. Therefore this unit would be running on cool days to heat the house.

[@Nicky_Biggz]

If you had a pool you would understand. It may be 85° outside but if the pool is shaded or there are clouds that water will be cold as balls (in the 70's). I have been running air conditioning for 2 months and my in ground pool is still only 80° which is still too cold to be comfortable... this sounds awesome to me.

[@Studio_234]

Just run it to your water heater.. everyone has one and use it all year round

[@Studio_234]

The true efficiency comes from the ac running easier.. unless you were going to heat your pool anyway. This is not a cheap project regardless.

[@cdlg000]

Grew up on the swim team, I don’t have a personal pool though. But when I get in the pool on a hot day I want a nice cool pool. Yea it’s cold at first but perfect in 30seconds.

[@gregorypalardy1979]

One question I have is what outdoor temperatures such a system is designed for? For example, in Southern California, we typically heat our pools from about Oct to May, which coincides with when we are NOT using our air conditioner, and are often using our heater to warn our homes. Therefore, to use this system to heat our pool, we would be turning on our air conditioner during winter, which does not seem sensible. Perhaps I'm missing something, so, it would be helpful to know the climate such a system is designed for.

[@ForgottenLegendsOfTomorrow]

yeah it makes no sense to me either. why would you want to heat the pool during the hot months

[@ddbear8786]

@@ForgottenLegendsOfTomorrow In our case (in Southern CA) it would mean the difference of being able to swim in May, June, and October.

[@yelsinchacon124]

Idk about you guys, but I can feel the smell of the pvc cement just by watching the video😂😂

[@gregbower9068]

Great idea, however would never makes sense in Texas. When the weather warrants running my AC my pool water is over 80 deg anyway. Would only make sense maybe in April when I start needing AC in my house, but my pool water hasn't yet warmed up yet.

[@gezzuzzful]

Your logic is correct.. I doubt in the south expect for the spring you need to heat a pool much..

[@nathanj.williams1955]

Sounds like an excellent idea. Including the added coil heat.

[@Mattmm83]

The phrase of the day is impingement separation. Oil will collect in the condenser that is not in use and the compressor will not last. There are ways around this but as a retrofit it would be far too cost prohibitive

[@omahajim45]

I'm curious how many years it took for this system to begin making a profit. Seems like good information to include. If it's hot enough to need A/C you don't need to heat the pool. Wouldn't a solar water heater make more sense? Anyway, I know I'm dumb and if I was smart then I'd have a show lol.

[@RootsOfEden911]

My thoughts exactly. Seems maybe only in the beginning and end of season when the home gets hot inside but not exactly "swimmingly" outside. So, yes, how long for break even?

[@JaxRmrJmr]

This could be good for a situation like my stepmom's. We live in Florida so you pretty much use a/c all year around, but her pool is heavily shaded and stays cold until June. This could add a few months to the comfortable swimming season.

[@omahajim45]

@@JaxRmrJmr great, thanks for the info 😁

[@kevinkleinmann]

Not necessarily - I live in the upper Midwest and during many situations, it can be very hot during the day (80+, 90+ days) but temps in the evening can certainly still be cool - easily in the 50s. Pool temp can be down in low 80s and potentially even lower. Comfortable pool water temps (for us at least) is usually high 80s up to around 90 degrees - especially if you want to swim in the evening. You still need to heat the pool. All that said, I am wondering if the "refrigerant" Richard refers to is Freon. If so, that has been phased out industry wide and as of 2 weeks ago is no longer available on the market. Not sure if this system relies on that or not.

[@omahajim45]

@@kevinkleinmann thanks that's a great relief to know.

[@HVASEA]

A/C cycling normally with average temp setting of 76 will never run long enough to generate any substantial amount of heat to heat the pool. You might get a degree or two ... only to loose the heat gained overnight when outdoor temp drops and cooling load to house also drops...

[@VikingsFan27]

This is a great idea. I wish my AC unit was remotely close to my pool.

[@michaelesposito2629]

Lol mine literally could not be farther away from my pool, unless I put the pool pump on my neighbors property.

[@maxflight777]

I love it ... the observation I’d make is that when it’s hot enough for the air con to be turned on in my house, the last thing I’d want is for my pool to be heated ! It gets hot enough as it is !

[@thomaslascola2698]

Again thered the temperature setting in the pool when it calls for heat it turns on the bypass allowing for the refrigerant to go to the heat exchanger.. so if it's a hot humid day the pool wouldnt be calling for heat therefore the a.c. runs like a typical system does.

[@StebbyGreene]

should have replaced filter dryer when opening ac system to atmosphere....

[@GeorgiaFPV]

Should have put a vacuum on the system to at least 500 microns also

[@connorohoare7470]

My unit doesn’t even have a filter dryer

[@GeoFry3]

This would work great in Florida. We run the AC nearly year round. Of course try not to get ripped off the the HVAC guy. That tends to offset any money you would save.

[@Capt-Intrepid]

Great solution. But that condenser coil looks filthy. :-)

[@Elgoogz]

for the winter? can you show how to ad the pool to the radiators?

[@rpvitiello]

Do people not understand the New England climate and physics? Water at the same temperature as air will feel much colder because it absorbs energy very easily from your body. So air temperature is most comfortable well below body temperature, but water is most comfortable much closer to body temperature. A house can be hot enough to be uncomfortable but a pool could be cold enough to be uncomfortable on the same day. So take the heat out of the house and dump it in the pool

[@nuclearthreat545]

RP Vitiello wow a idiot with tattoos on his face

[@HERPDEDERP49]

That's not how thermodynamics work broski

[@cranium33333]

So people hear their pools in the summer time?

[@penguin12902]

People are stupid. They don't understand thermal dynamics. Just because it's hot outside at that moment, doesn't mean the water is warm. It could have been 50 degrees the night before, so the pool temp drops down to 70 degrees, which is very cold, or maybe it rained the day before, dumping a few hundred gallons of cold water into the pool. It can still be 95 or 100 degrees outside...the water takes MUCH longer to warm up than the air. You need several days in a row of hot, sunny weather (without cool nights) to get the pool to a comfortable 80-84F. Water loses heat much faster than it gains heat due to evaporative cooling and the laws of thermal dynamics. But yeah, people who have no idea how things work and have never had a pool come on here and comment: OMG IT'S HOT OUT WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO HEAT THE WATER?!?!? Heating the pool also extends your swimming season...you can use it earlier in the spring, and later in the fall. As the AIR temp is plenty warm for swimming, but the water usually has not warmed up yet.

[@ae4164]

@@HERPDEDERP49 Good for you, you learned a big word and you wanted to use it. Unfortunately that doesn't make you smart or give you any idea what you're talking about. Broski.

[@brewcityb]

Great idea but most pool filters are not right next to the A/C

[@slamdvw]

The idea might not work for 100% of the pools out there, but for those that it does, it works great. On a side note, PVC is cheap, wouldn't take much to run the water over to where the heat exchanger is. Again, probably won't work for 100% of the A/C - pool combinations out there, but for the ones it will work on, it'll work great.

[@heroknaderi]

Wow this is very Incredible I believe this can also be a heating method for a concrete hot tub 😎😎

[@blakewill1933]

I do something similar but use a special stainless heat exchanger, less the plastic shell. Have had it working for 10 years.

[@brianaimee]

Blake Will any more info on what you use?

[@dustinbrown1529]

Doesn't seem like a good idea in regards to the metering device on the indoor coil. I don't think it will flow refrigent within the design parameters from the factory. There is a good than you will either have a flooded or starved coil. Maybe an EXV with a wide spectrum of adjustment would work.

[@alohava]

Seems like the time when you need to heat the pool the most (winter) you would not be running the air conditioner anyway. So it is only good for certain parts of the fall/spring when the AC is on but the pool is too cold.

[@jaypikachu6660]

That is not true unless you live in Arizona outside temp 120 degree and the pool get about 90+ degree but other state your pool may be 65 degree in summer day time and get very cold at night time, it is nice to have the pool heater to warm up the pool, you can use it more often.

[@AKVegan]

Actually, you will pay a little less for the electricity for the A/C, too as when the pool is heated, the fan unit is not turned on.

[@ryanswob3583]

How do you get a compatible HX? Just match tonnage and seer rating to outdoor unit? And will this work with a heat pump the same?

[@KayShwizzley]

SNAKE at 0:30 . in the corner near the house!

[@gerardosalas9477]

Kshwizzle can’t see it

[@gaminggamest]

It’s a shadow

[@christopheratkins8973]

I'm glad someone noticed it... I was gonna post - asking if anyone noticed the snake. Good Eyes! @kshwizzle

[@Squarehead45]

The High Pressure like is the one that is hot and there is a REASON for that too. One thing, Lowering the temp of the high pressure line will also LOWER the efficiency of your A/C because the refrigerant won't flash as well if it's cooled down when it hits your Evaporator coil. That's just the Summer,,why would you want to heat your pool in the SUMMER anyway? It would work in the winter.

[@spencerwilton5831]

So sick of reading idiotic comments on this video. My take on it is as follows: 1. This is not designed to fully heat the pool. It only replaces part of the heat demand when the AC is running, reducing the requirements for additional heating. You do not run the air on to heat the pool, pool heating is only an added benefit. 2. Lots have said when it's hot enough to need air con, the pool doesn't need heat anyway. Not true- in many climates, an outdoor pool needs at least some heat to be comfortable. Why not use the "free" byproduct of your air Conditioning? 3. Some armchair engineers have said this will damage the refrigerant lines. The lines in the heat exchanger are titanium, pool water will not affect them. 4. Some say the aircon will not provide enough heat to heat the pool. That may be true- depends on the size of the house, the ac unit, the climate, size of the pool. Refer to point one- this is free heat, otherwise wasted- make use of it and top up via a pool heater if required 5. Using poolwater to cool the refrigerant is more efficient that using air, and this will make the aircon more efficient than relying only on the existing radiator setup. Again, pool heating is a free side effect. 6. To everyone who doesn't see the point- this is all about making your aircon more efficient, reducing the requirements for additional pool heating, and therefore reducing energy use. Heat is a byproduct of aircon, makes perfect sense to utilise it- and a pool can absorb huge amounts of otherwise waste heat. In the US, power is far too cheap, artificially so- eventually, when energy costs reflect the actual environmental cost, you will all be installing units like this to reduce your energy consumption.

[@martinencinal3073]

You guys upset Spencer, again.

[@dougridgway7570]

That’s brilliant, using tech that oil refineries have been using for years.

[@tycobb8621]

An hour or two to recover a system? You may need a new recovery machine

[@pawelgatorade]

after machine stops recovering ,he needs to recover too ,so it adds up

[@danielcox3983]

Yeah no, he's a goober.

[@itsgeraldc9085]

That’s what I said. I was just milking the heck outta that job

[@jamestalbert2900]

G5 Twin will pull that 6 pounds out in 20 minutes

[@Iwillnotbepushed]

AJ Roberts he’s probably riding the clock.

[@Texans_tundra]

Would I need a solar heater as well to be able to swim year around? We live in South Texas and it is mid November we had temp of 78 yesterday and AC didn't come on too often. We are in process of finishing our pool and want to get it set up to extend the swim season. Where can I buy the heat exchanger, along with the 3 way valve and temp controller shown in video?

[@jakejohnson4915]

I could see this being economical more down south, but in Wisconsin where I live the little bit a outside condenser would be running is minimal. Would be interesting to know how it would work with a heat pump. In Wisconsin a heat pump would run more then it would in cooling mode. Would be interesting to know if you could heat demostic hot water threw a heat pump.

[@douglaskadolph4738]

How would I use a home heat pump and this exchanger to heat and cool my pool? Lots of used heat pumps for next to nothing . They make a unit specifically designed for this but are almost $5k

[@waskele.wabbit717]

The irony of this is if you have your air conditioner running the pool is probably already warm enough

[@TheArtificiallyIntelligent]

Waskel E. Wabbit it's been in the 80's but my pool is 74, which is a bit cold. 82+ is comfortable. I'm running my AC some. Would be nice to dump that heat into the pool.

[@Reach3DPrinters]

I would think it would take less time to drop the temp of the AC coolant with water than with air. Perhaps the compressor wouldn't have to work as hard or as long, and you'd save a tiny bit of energy, but not much. However, IF the pool needed heated, early summer specifically, and depending on the frost line in your area and ground temp, it could be beneficial. Really depends exactly where you live. Probably not worth spending more than $200 on though.

[@rickysheep93]

Clearly you don’t own a pool

[@waskele.wabbit717]

@@rickysheep93 but I do

[@Reach3DPrinters]

Really depends on where you live.... If you live in Arizona, probably not gonna need this. If you live in Iowa... would probably come in handy for a few months of the year.

[@LexMexNow]

How do you deal with the electrical hazard? The pool water is now in contact with a metal conductor connected to a 120 VAC compressor and fan. Everything should be grounded and GFI-ed in case of a fault but, the potential for shock hazard is still up there. Did any insulated fittings get installed between the old copper pipe and the new. The Pool pump motor is insulated from the water.

[@kennethohmert3128]

Hot day, I'll cool my house and heat my pool... Brilliant!

[@abdulrehmanmian1476]

Question: why would you heat the pool if the ac is on? Shouldn't it be cool as its hot enough to turn on the ac?

[@jerrywatson2431]

I wonder how much it cost if we have someone professionally do it

[@MrHokulii]

This is interesting, but what about when the pool is cold/cool but the house is comfortable? I found an efficient pool heat pump (it will also chill the water if it’s too warm-this never happened to us yet!) It the Hayward HP50HA. It takes longer to heat the pool than a gas heater, but way cheaper. The heat pump was about $1400 delivered. Had to run a 220 line to it.

[@olddawgdreaming5715]

That was an awesome video. You folks do the best repairs and money saving videos. Thanks for sharing.

[@waynenocton]

This is awesome, I just did a hybrid water heater and am ducting attic air to help it’s efficiency in summer, this is a great way to heat my spa, it’s a big one and I hate heating the spa whole cooling the house, this is perfect!

[@jjjohn5914]

Problem: when I want the pool heated my A/C isn't running cause its not needed due to cooler temps outside.

[@Honeybearsphone]

I can see the sense of using the waste heat to heat water for faucets and such