I have a 14000 gallon swimming pool. Would I save money on A/C costs by using swimming pool water with a heat exchanger instead of the conventional air cooled A/C condenser?
The answer to that question depends on your desired Return on Investment. Geothermal or liquid heat exchangers, as you know, require a large thermal mass to reject heat to. Typically this is done by installing tubing in large wells that can cover an acre or more. The focus is to get a constant temperature water source for the heat exchanger. This systems are expensive to install - except if you got a relatively large body of water to sink the array into, it becomes a bit less expensive. In my talking with folks, they are typically sinking these arrays into ponds that are acres in size. I do not know that a 14,000 gallon pool is going to be a large enough thermal mass. There will be a cost in converting your AC to use this system and there will also be a comfort cost to the use of your pool. Due to its size, it will not be able to maintain a constant temperature which means that your pool will heat up in the summer and cool down in the winter - which could cause a risk of freezing depending on your location. Speak with your local HVAC specialists to get more details. Best of luck on this endeavor!
I have a 2,700 sq ft house and a 12,000 gallon pool. Currently, the ambient temperature (outside temp) is in the high nineties and the pool water is just under ninety degrees F. In other words, it ain't gonna work.
