Installing Pool Heaters
Installing a pool heater requires knowledge of plumbing, electrical work, gas or oil burner operation, and ventilation. Pool heaters should be installed only by qualified and experienced personnel, and their installation must comply with local codes and ordinances.
Pool heaters are shipped with a complete set of instructions for installing and starting the unit. If the instructions are missing, the manufacturer should be contacted for a replacement set. The following installation recommendations apply to most pool heaters:
1. Install the pool heater on a level concrete slab or a pad of concrete block or brick. The slab or pad must be at least 4 inches high. If concrete blocks are used, align them so that all open cells are pointed in the same direction with the cells at the edge of the pad left open. Cover the top of a concrete block pad with 24-gauge (or thicker) sheet metal.
Note
Never install a pool heater on a combustible material, such as wood boards or plywood.
2. Maintain proper clearances on all sides of an outdoor pool heater. Consult the owner’s manual for the clearances specified by the pool heater manufacturer. Maintaining minimum required clearances around the pool heater will ensure efficient combustion and proper ventilation of the combustion gases (gas-fired and oil-fired heaters).
Note
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has established a standard set of clearances for outdoor pool heaters based on the external temperature of the heaters (see ANSI 2223.1).
3. Indoor pool heaters must be properly vented to the outdoors.
They also must have sufficient intake air for proper combustion. Consult the owner’s manual for specific venting requirements.
Warning
Incorrect venting of an indoor pool heater can result in carbon monoxide poisoning. Incorrect venting can also result in fire.
4. An indoor gas-fired pool heater must be equipped with a draft hood to further ensure that potentially harmful combustion gases are expelled outdoors. The vent pipe is directly connected to the draft hood. The diameter of the draft hood is based on recommendations from the National Fuel Gas Code. It may vary among different pool heater makes and models.
5. To provide proper draft, the discharge opening of the flue pipe must extend at least 2 feet above the surface of the roof or its highest point within a 10-foot radius of the point where it extends through the roof.
6. Install a barrier (for example, closed wooden fence, trees and bushes) around a pool if it is subjected to sustained high winds. Sustained winds across the surface of the water will increase the heat loss from the pool. This will require increasing the heater size to maintain the desired water temperature. The heater itself should be protected from high winds with a windbreak.