A pool heater turns a three-month pool into a seven-month one. We size them, install them, and keep them running — on the pools we build and the ones we didn't.
Each one has a job it does best. Here's the plain version of what's out there, so the options make sense before we talk.
The fast one. A natural gas or propane heater raises water temperature quickly, no matter what the air is doing outside. It's the right pick for weekend swimmers who heat up Friday and shut it off Sunday night, and the best choice for an attached spa in cool weather. Lower cost up front, higher cost per hour to run.
The steady one. A heat pump pulls warmth out of the air and moves it into the water, using far less energy than a flame. It warms slowly and works best in mild air — which covers most of April through October here. Ideal if you swim most days and want to hold a set temperature all season.
The multiplier. A solar cover isn't a heater, but it can be the difference between a heater that keeps up and one that never does. It traps the heat you paid for overnight, cuts evaporation, and picks up free warmth on sunny days. Pair it with either heater above and your run time drops.
Ask us which fits your pool and budget — we'll size it and quote it.
Heater size comes down to your pool's surface area, how many degrees you want to add, and how fast you want to get there. Wind, shade, and whether you cover the pool at night all move the number. An undersized heater runs all day and never catches up. We measure the pool, run the math, and recommend a size that fits how you actually swim.
Every pool we build is designed for maximum heat retention, and we retrofit efficient heating into existing inground pools too — gunite, vinyl liner, or fiberglass. Ask about energy-efficient heaters, variable-speed pumps, and smart controls that cut operating costs.
An unheated pool in Omaha is really comfortable for about twelve weeks. The water finally feels good in late June, then drops fast once the nights cool off in August. A heater moves both bookends. Open in April, swim on Memorial Day weekend without gritting your teeth, and still be in the water when the leaves turn.
Long, lazy swim days and cool-month entertaining stop being a gamble on the forecast.
Spring start-ups and fall winterizations are booked online — see opening & closing plans →. A heater that still holds water in November is the classic spring repair, so book the closing before the first hard freeze.
Most heating calls come down to a handful of causes, and many are fixed in one visit. Pool heating is part of our service department — the same stocked trucks and techs that handle pumps, filters, and leaks. We work on Pentair, Hayward and the other major brands, on the pools we built and the ones we didn't, with pump and filter parts on the shelf at Wright Plaza.
A gas heater that clicks and quits usually has a flow, pressure, or ignition problem — not a failed unit. We diagnose before we replace.
Modern heaters tell you what's wrong if you know the language. We do, and we keep a deep bench of parts on hand to speed the fix.
Water under the heater usually means a heat exchanger or header, and bad water chemistry is the usual cause. We fix the leak and the chemistry behind it.
When a heater is past saving, we size the new one properly, install it, and tie it into your existing equipment pad. A new gas heater needs a gas line sized for its BTU rating and power for the ignition; we look at both at the estimate so install day holds no surprises.
A heater that fires, runs a few minutes and quits is protecting itself: low flow from a dirty filter, a closed valve or a low water level, or a high-limit switch tripping. We restore the flow before anyone touches the heater.
The heater is fine and the pool still won't hold a temperature. Usually an undersized unit, a bypass valve set wrong, a heat pump asked to work in cold air, or no cover at night. We check the sizing and the setup, not just the box.
Hot tub heater acting up instead? That's its own page: spa repair. If the pool has been sitting cold since fall, start with a spring opening and mention the heater when you book — heater repairs are handled by the service department and billed separately from openings and closings.
A mid-season replacement shouldn't be a scramble. Financing is available through poolloan.net, and we service Omaha and the surrounding metro — see all areas served.
The label. Brand and model from the plate on the side of the heater, and whether it runs on natural gas, propane or electricity (a heat pump). The screen. A photo of the display or the error code, and the sound it makes when it tries to start. The story. When it last worked and what changed since: a spring opening, a storm, a new pump, a chemistry swing. The basics. Filter pressure, water at mid-skimmer, every valve on the pad open. A surprising share of "dead heater" calls turn out to be a flow problem, and you can rule that out before we roll a truck. The checks, in order: pool heater won't ignite or won't heat →
Repair or replace? If the heat exchanger is sound, a repair is usually the smart money, and most parts are on the truck or a day away. A heater with a leaking exchanger or freeze damage to the header is a replacement, and we say so. Balanced water protects the exchanger; balancers and free water testing are at the store.
Check three things first: the filter pressure (a dirty filter starves the heater of flow and the pressure switch keeps it off), the water level (mid-skimmer), and the gas valve on the supply line. If it still clicks and quits, the usual suspects are the igniter, the pressure or flow switch, a thermostat or sensor, or the gas supply itself. We diagnose before we replace anything.
A heater that short-cycles is protecting itself. Low flow from a dirty filter, a closed valve or a low water level trips the pressure switch; poor flow also trips the high-limit switch because the water in the exchanger gets too hot. Fix the flow and most of these heaters run fine. If it keeps happening with clean flow, a sensor or the board is next.
A small puddle on a cool morning that dries by noon is condensation and is normal. A steady drip or a wet pad every day is a leaking heat exchanger or header, and the cause is usually water chemistry (low pH, high chlorine) or water left in the heater over a winter. We confirm which part is leaking before quoting a repair or a replacement. Losing water from the pool itself is a different job: pool leak detection.
It depends on the heater and the pool. A properly sized gas heater warms a typical backyard pool in hours, not days. A heat pump is slower, which is why it is built to hold a temperature rather than sprint to one. A cover shortens the time either way.
Yes. We service Pentair, Hayward and the other major brands on inground pools across the metro, whether we built the pool or not. Common parts are on the truck or on the shelf at the store at Wright Plaza; the rest are ordered and we come back.
Replace it when the heat exchanger leaks, the header is freeze-cracked, or the heater is old enough that the parts bill approaches a new unit. A failed igniter, pressure switch, sensor or control board on an otherwise sound heater is a repair. We tell you which it is before any work starts, and a pool heater replacement is sized to the pool, not swapped like for like by habit.
Sometimes. A gas heater's BTU rating sets the pipe size and run length it needs, and an undersized line starves a new heater so it short-cycles and never reaches temperature. We look at the existing line and the electrical at the estimate so the quote covers what the install actually needs. Heat pumps skip the gas line and need the right circuit instead.
Yes. We retrofit heating into existing inground pools — gunite, vinyl liner and fiberglass — and tie it into whatever equipment is already there. We size it to the pool, the temperature you want and how fast you want it, not to a catalog.
That depends on the size of the pool, your target temperature, the weather, and whether you cover the pool at night. The cover is the single biggest lever. We give you an honest picture for your setup before you buy.
A gas heater or heat pump that is winterized every fall and runs on balanced water commonly gives a decade or more. The two things that end a heater early here are freeze damage from water left inside and a heat exchanger eaten by water that ran out of balance. A look at the burner tray, the exchanger and the pressure switch at every spring opening catches most problems while they are still small.
Yes. Any water left inside will freeze and crack it. Our closing crews pull the drain plugs, blow out the lines and shut the heater down properly as part of a pool closing, so book it before the first hard freeze.
Yes. Hot tub and spa heaters, flow switches and control boards are handled by the same service department on our hot tub repair page, for Wellis, Sundance, Horizon and other brands.
Yes — Omaha, Papillion, La Vista, Bellevue, Elkhorn, Gretna, Bennington, Ralston, Millard, Springfield, Waterloo and Council Bluffs and beyond. Request service or call 402-896-1246.
Free estimates on heater installs and replacements. Showroom at 16902 Wright Plaza, Ste 160 — Mon–Fri 9–5, Sat 10–4.