Comfortably Efficient. In addition to being more efficient, radiant heat systems offer other benefits. They aren’t vulnerable to damage from chemically treated water. And since the system uses antifreeze, it doesn’t have to be winterized. Giovanone likes the fact that he can begin heating his pool before he even opens it. “You just turn on the radiant heat system, start melting your ice before you even uncover the pool or take the plugs out, and add a month to your swimming season,” he says.
Unlike traditional pool heaters, which rely on inlets to feed warm water into the vessel, these systems don’t stir up the water. This reduces the surface-to-air ratio that can sap pools of their heat. In a 16-by-32-foot pool, for instance, a ½inch ripple can increase the surface exposed to air from 512 to about 800 square feet, making it easier for heat to escape. Here, rippling is reduced or eliminated altogether.
The lack of turbulence also keeps the water glass-smooth on a vanishing-edge pool—a benefit that Giovanone didn’t expect.
This system requires two basics. First, a concrete floor thick enough to accommodate the pipe without compromising structural integrity—3 to 4 inches for vinyl-liner pools. Second, it should be installed by a crew that routinely does customized work. It took Giovanone about 10 hours to train his workers. Now, an experienced two-man team can install the heating system in about four hours.
