We are two pool/spa neophytes, living just North of San Francisco, who have been working on creating a stock tank pool in our backyard. We were are seeking to integrate a heater to into our set up to permit year round use and are trying to figure out what is simplest and most economical path forward given our current set up. Regarding our project as it stands now:
- 10' Stock Tank, approximately 1,200 gallons
- We have integrated a combo sand/saltwater pump and filter from intex, Click the link for exact model.
- We have electricity to the pool site
- Pool water is salt chlorinated
- We have Natural Gas in the house but it is FAR from the pool location so not really practical or economical to extend back that far.
- We have a solar cover, and are considering a spa cover when we finally get the water warm.
We have pretty much discarded the idea of wood fired because we don't want to be hassling with stoking a fire everyday, so I am guessing we are looking at electric or propane? Ideally I would like to integrate a heater between the Sand/salt filter pump and the pool to take advantage of the inlets and outlets we have already installed on the pool vs having to add and seal a whole new set of inlets and outlets. Some questions we have been pondering:
- Should we be looking at highest BTU SPA heaters or lowest BTU POOL heaters given the volume of water involved?
- Should we be looking at electric driven or propane (not sure how much propane we would be talking, like how long would a typical BBQ propane tank last?)
- I think given the salt water we would need cupro nickel heat exchanger vs. copper?
Sorry for the lengthy post but trying to anticipate the questions you might have to give an informed response. I would greatly welcome any input/advice/ and specific model recommendations given our setup. We are feeling rather overwhelmed! Thanks! Scott