How to Install a Heater in an In Ground Pool

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

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Installing a heater in an in ground pool is a challenging project. You have several heater options for your pool including natural gas and solar energy. When you shop for an in ground pool heater look for one that offers energy saving options and is simple enough for you to install yourself.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

pH measuring device
1 ¼ inch pieces of PVC pipe
Pool vacuum
Plumbing compound

Step1

Calculate the surface area of your swimming pool as this helps in determining the size of the pool heater. Normally a pool that covers 500 square feet requires a pool heater with 120000 BTU's (British thermal unit) of energy.

Step2

Vacuum the water in the pool using a pool vacuum hose. Check the pH of the water as it has to be balanced before you proceed with the installation. Clean the pool filter and skimmer and make sure that any visual debris has been removed prior to installing the heater in the pool.

Step3

Place the pool heater on level ground approximately two to five feet away from the pool filter. Turn the pool filter off. Attach a measured segment of the 1 ¼ inch PVC pipe from the pool filter return valve to the inlet valve of the heater. This will route the filtered water to the heater.

Step4

Attach another piece of the PVC pipe from the outlet valve of the heater to the return valve already present in the pool. This will take the warm water to the pool. Secure all the pipes and joints with a plumbing compound.

Step5

Turn the pool filter on and look for any leaks in the newly installed PVC piping and the heater outlet that leads the water back to the pool. If there are no leaks then set the heater thermostat to the desired level.

Tips & Warnings

Use a solar cover besides the heater to prevent evaporation of water and loss of heat due to wind chill and other environmental factors.
Do not forget to turn off the power supply to prevent accidental injuries.