Aquacal H/AT100R Heating Tips, Heating in Cooler Weather Defrost Cycle, Pool/Spa Blankets

Heating Tips

Failure to heed the following may result in permanent injury or

WARNING ! death.

Improperly used, Pool-Spa solar blankets can become a drowning risk to people and pets. Solar blankets are not safety covers. They are not designed to support the weight of a person or pet. Never enter a pool until the solar cover is completely removed (under no circumstances should anyone swim under the blanket). Follow all safety recommendations of the blanket manufacturer.

Pool/Spa Blankets

A solar blanket will significantly reduce your heating bills. Check with the installing dealer to see if your heat pump was sized to be used in conjunction with, or without a solar blanket. Blanketed pools will typically lose only 3 - 4° of heat per night versus 8 - 10° overnight with an un-blanketed pool. Reductions of 40 - 60% on heating bills can be achieved by using solar blankets.

Pool and Spa Combination Heating

Everything stated for heating a pool applies for heating a spa; only the volume of water being heated is different. Heat Wave andAeroTemp model heat pumps come equipped with two thermostats. One thermostat is for the pool and the other is for the spa. Simply position the pool and spa isolation valves as directed by your installer; select the appropriate thermostat (pool or spa), whichever you are heating, and with electrical power and water flow supplied to the heater, the water will be maintained at set point.

Your system can be automated with the addition of an optional AquaCal Universal Heater Controller (AquaCal part #0097TS). Using this option will save you from having to change the thermostat switch each time you change from pool to spa and back again. For details, contact your installing dealer.

Spa Heating & Spa Setback Option

Air blowing into your spa while it is being heated will very often neutralize or partially counteract the heat being put into the spa by the heater; this added heat loss equates to increased time to bring your spa to desired temperature. When heating a spa, be sure to turn off the air blower. Air induced through the spa jets should also be eliminated, during warm-up, whenever possible.

If your heater is being used to only heat a spa, the POOL thermostat can bet used as a setback control: simply set the pool control at a point 10-15º F below desired spa heat temperature, and select the pool thermostat. This method allows the spa–when not in use– to be held at a heated temperature, but somewhat lower than normal spa-use temperature. One would want to blanket the spa if using this setback method. Using spa setback will result in reduced warm up periods over full-cold start ups.

Heating in Cooler Weather (Defrost Cycle)

When air temperatures drop below 50º F, ice or frost may begin to form on the surface of the evaporator ( the evaporator being the black, vertically-finned component that makes up three (3) sides of the heat pump). Ice and frost formation is a normal aspect of heat pump operation during cold weather. Before large areas of the evaporator can become disabled by ice or frost, a defrost cycle is initiated by a sensor on the evaporator. Heat Wave and AeroTemp Icebreaker models incorporate an active, hot-gas defrost system. During very cold weather, Icebreaker heat pumps may defrost as often as every 50-minutes. The maximum length of time the heat pump will be in the defrost mode is ten (10) minutes/hour. While defrosting, steam may be seen rising from the heat pump; this is normal. (For service personnel, a more detailed explanation of the defrost cycle appears in the Troubleshooting section of this manual.)

Late night and early morning, generally being the coolest times of the day, are least efficient for heat pump operation. The need to defrost is a very good reason why heat pumps should be timed to operate only during the warmest, daylight portions of the day.

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