"It aint redneck if it works"

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diymirage

diymirage

HP@idle > hondaHP@redline
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Background story:

I got a little 4500 gallon pool for the kids

Since we live in Michigan, it doesn't seem to get past 70 and I tried a few different ways to heat it

I have a "solar cover" on
Might so more to prevent heat loss then to actually aid in heating it up

At some point I bought a "heat pump"
Ran that for 3 days straight, no difference

Finally, I came across some guy selling a heat exchanges for a torpedo heater

I figured, why not ?

I put the whole thing together this morning (pool temp being 69.3f)

Fired her up and measured the outcoming water

20240717_174637.jpg


20240718_104326.jpg
 
What would be wrong with a water bed heater?
 
RustyRatRod said:
What would be wrong with a water bed heater?
Click to expand...
My guess is the capacity

I've never owned a water bed but I can't imagine it's more then a few hundred gallons

So it would be like trying to use a hot tub heater, there is just too much water there (this pool is 9x18x4)
 
Yunick13 said:
I think I'd spin your heater around 90* to keep it from warping your pool.
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There's that, plus I don't know that I would want that warm exhaust air blowing at me.

I could do the math (maybe), as there's two heat exchanges going on here (air to air, and air to water), but like Derek on VGG says, "If it works, it is really a dumb idea?"
 
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Thats awesome, it used to cost me 180 in propane to heat my pool one time. I like the BFH laying there, must of been fun.
 
Grew up using those torpedoes to warm the shop, or start diesel engines in ND winter weather, but never saw a water heater attachment like that. I say awesome idea, and a ton cheaper than any other heater out there for a pool.
And as said above, I would face the exhaust air away from the pool......
 
I'm guessing you run it and shut it off, or is it continuesly running while you are using the pool? I'd think it would hold the temp for a long enough period to swing without having it on, after it got to temp.

@RustyRatRod I know the heater for my old hot tub, approximately 900 gallons, took a whole day to heat up to temp (103), and still only hit diy's temp after about 20 hours. I'd think that a water bed heater would never get do a thing you'd notice on a pool this size.
 
My ex wife rented a hot tub for my 40th birthday, one of those small 7 or 8 ft diameter soft sided ones. She filled it with cold water and wondered why it didn't get warm. :BangHead:
I drained it and refilled it with hot water, amazing what a difference that made!
 
grjammer said:
Thats awesome, it used to cost me 180 in propane to heat my pool one time. I like the BFH laying there, must of been fun.
Click to expand...

one of the fittings was a press fit


LocuMob said:
I'm guessing you run it and shut it off, or is it continuesly running while you are using the pool? I'd think it would hold the temp for a long enough period to swing without having it on, after it got to temp.
Click to expand...

it ran for about 3 hours this morning and got the pool up to 80 degrees, so the idea is to run it before the kids want to be in, and then let it be the rest of the day

since today is the first day im using it, its running while they swim, because it gives them a hot jet


mopar head said:
If the exchanger is aluminum finned? it`s a wonder it ain`t melted yet.
Click to expand...

im not sure
i know the lines are copper
 
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