WHAT IS A HEAT PUMP
A heat pump exploits the heat present in air (as calories) to amplify it to heat the water in your pool.
The water in your pool passes through a heat exchanger where it is heated then transported on to your filtration system.
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The key components of the heat pump are:
1. The Compressor - to create high pressure steam
2. Heat Exchanger - to release the heat back out to the pool
3. Evaporator - to capture energy from outside
4. Refrigerant Gas - to transfer the heat through its different phases
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Important factors when choosing your Heat Pump:
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- Is it an Inverter or Non-Inverter model
- What is the Coeffiecient of Performance figure
- What type of refrigerant gas is being used
- What level of power does the heat pump consume
- What is the size of my pool and what is the right size model for me
- What material is my housing made out of
- What is my heat exchanger made of
- Do I have cycle inversion
- What warranties are supplied
- What is the size and noice emission of my unit
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Inverter Technology
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Already popular in other markets such as domestic heating and air conditioning, full inverter technology offers smart heat pump operation and only uses energy when it is required leading to costs savings on running your unit
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It works by having an oversized compressor which can run on different frequencies to modulate the power supplied to the heat pump unit. Once your pool reaches the desired temperature the compressor will reduce its workload and draw less power only working to maintain the pool at that level.
It also works in conjunction with a variable speed fan which works in real time to tailor the amount of workload required by the evaporator.
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The Benefits
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- Reduction of power usage by around 30% per Year
- Extended run time life of the unit by reducing the required daily workload
- Environmentally friendly due to reduction in power usgae
- Silent efficiency gains by a reduction in noise emiisions by around 5 to 8 dB
- Reduction in Evaporator usage by around 70%
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Key features
The Coefficient of Performance (COP) is the key measure of how efficient your pool heater will operate.
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It measures the calorific output of the Heat Pump (or in other words, how efficient it uses power to create heat for the pool) - The higher the number, the more efficient the heat pump!
E.g: A heat pump consuming 1kw of power with output of 5 kw has a COP of 5
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Classical pool heating offers calorific output lower than 1: for 1 kW consumed, which means that 1 kW is released as heat for 1 unit of power used. With heat pumps, this output is greater than 4 and can be as high as 14 with some of our Lavaflow units
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*Outdoor conditions such as air temperature and humidity cause the power output to vary
Our heat pumps are checked in line with measurement conditions set out by the Federation of Pool Professionals and comply with key standards around the world.
TECH considerations
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The Compressor:
A key component of the unit defining the quality and reliability of the Heat Pump. At Lavaflow we use quality sourced compressor units from trusted brands such as Mitsubishi and Toshiba
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Heat Exchanger:
Comprised of a single or double coil, it enables the refrigerant gas to transfer its heat to the pool water. This component is crucial and must be as efficient as possible and in particular resistant to rust. This is why all Lavaflow units are made of Titanium. The twisted titanium technology developed by Lavaflow offers around a 25% increase in heating efficiency compared with conventional heat exchangers.
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The Evaporator:
Its key role is to keep the heat pump heating the pool by maintaining the correct liquid levels in the pump.
Similar to a car radiator, the refrigerant gas heats up here through contact with air before being compressed once again. After several cycles of use, the evaporater becomes saturated with frost and the heat pump must wait for it to melt before restarting. Heat pumps with automatic defrosting invert the gas cycle to send hot gas into the evaporator, which in turn melts the frost in a few seconds allowing the heat pump to continue heating the pool
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Refrigerant Gas:
AT Lavaflow all our latest models use R32 Ozone friendly refrigerant which increases the efficiency of the heating cycle and is much more friendly on the environment compared with R410 gas.
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Housing Casing:
The exterior cabinet of the unit is available in three main types
1. ABS (themoformed plastic base material which offers a quality, cheap alternative)
2. Stainless Steel
3. Aluminium which is the most recommended due to its quality and resistance to corrosion
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Noise Level:
All Lavaflow heat pumps run with very little noice pollution due to the high end componentary and the anti-vibration supports that come standard with our units. A typicla conversation level of noise emits around 60 dB, while a Lavaflow unit can be as low as 21 dB at 4metres.
Premium Warranties:
18 Months on the Unit
3 Years on the Compressor component
5 Years on the Titanium coil guaranteed against corrosion
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