Pool & Hot Tub Heating
Pool heaters, hot tub hookups and spa heating run off a properly sized boiler, so the pool is warm when you want it without doubling your gas bill.
A pool is a very large radiator that happens to sit outdoors
Heating a pool or hot tub is not a separate trade from heating a house, it is the same hydronics, sized for a much slower, much larger load. That is why it usually makes sense to have the people who look after your boiler look after the pool loop too.
Pool water never enters the boiler. A stainless or titanium heat exchanger sits between the two loops so heat crosses but the chemistry does not, and the pool gets its own zone and circulator so it can be called for independently of the house.
The question that decides everything is whether your boiler has genuine spare capacity above the heat loss of the house. If it does, running the pool off it is the cheapest warm water you will buy. If it does not, we will tell you that and price a dedicated heater or heat pump instead.
What a properly engineered pool loop changes
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It heats overnight, not over days
A correctly sized exchanger and a dedicated zone bring the pool up on a normal overnight cycle instead of running flat out for two days and still falling short.
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A running cost you would actually accept
Most of a pool's heat leaves through the surface. Get the cover, the target temperature and the zone control right and the bill commonly halves, before anyone talks about a bigger appliance.
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The house stays warm
A pool loop bolted onto a boiler with no headroom means one of the two loses on a cold day. Sizing the total load first is what stops that happening in February.
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Equipment that survives pool chemistry
The right exchanger material and proper isolation keep treated pool water away from anything it would destroy, and keep the boiler warranty intact.
From survey to first warm swim
- 01
Survey the pool and the plant
Surface area, target temperature, exposure, cover, run length, plus what capacity your existing boiler actually has left after the house's design load.
- 02
The honest recommendation
Boiler-fed loop, dedicated gas heater, or a pool heat pump. We show you the numbers behind the recommendation rather than just the price.
- 03
Install and insulate
Heat exchanger, dedicated zone, circulator and controls, with the run properly insulated, because an uninsulated buried run gives back a surprising share of what you paid to generate.
- 04
Set it and show you
We commission the zone, set the schedule around how you actually use the pool, and walk you through the controls and the cover routine that does most of the saving.
Is this your pool?
Homeowners with a pool or hot tub that heats too slowly, costs too much to run, or was never properly tied into the house's heating system.
Pools and tubs we've warmed up
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“We had a pool that took two full days to come up to temperature and a gas bill that made us stop using it. North Wave re-plumbed the heat exchanger loop and put the pool on its own zone off the boiler. It now heats overnight and the running cost is a fraction of what it was. They explained the whole thing in language I could actually follow.”
Priya Raghunathan
Pool heating · West Vancouver
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“Hot tub hookup on a deck that was not easy to get to. Two other companies looked at it and never sent a quote. North Wave sent one in two days, did the gas and water run cleanly, and left the site tidier than they found it. Straightforward people to deal with.”
Grant McCallum
Hot tub hookup · Deep Cove
What people ask about pool and spa heating
Can my existing boiler heat the pool?
Sometimes. It depends entirely on how much capacity is left above the heat loss of the house. We calculate both before answering, and if the honest answer is no, a dedicated heater or a pool heat pump is the better buy.
What does it cost to run?
Anyone giving you a monthly figure without asking about your cover, your target temperature and your swim season is guessing. The three levers in order are: keeping it covered when not in use, the temperature you hold, and how many weeks a year you heat. A cover alone commonly cuts the bill by half.
Gas heater or heat pump?
A heat pump is very efficient in our shoulder seasons, which is when most North Shore pools actually get used, but it heats slowly and loses ground in cold weather. Gas heats fast and works in the cold but costs more per hour. Which wins depends on whether you want the pool warm on demand or warm all season.
Do you do hot tub hookups as well as pools?
Yes. Most factory hot tubs are perfectly happy on their own electric heater, what they need from us is the gas, water and drainage supply done properly and coordinated with the electrician. Custom and in-ground spas we tie into the boiler with their own exchanger and a fast-recovery zone.
Can you work on a pool you did not install?
Yes, and most of our pool work is exactly that. We will survey what is there, tell you what is undersized or wrongly plumbed, and give you options at different price points rather than insisting on a full replacement.
The rest of what we do
- Boiler & Tankless Systems Boiler replacement, tankless conversions and hydronic heating for North Shore homes, sized properly, vented properly, and commissioned so the whole house heats evenly. See this service →
- Residential Plumbing Repairs, repiping, fixtures, drains and water heaters for North Shore homes, done by the same licensed crew that looks after the heating, so nothing gets passed off. See this service →
Warm up your pool or hot tub
Tell us the pool's rough dimensions, whether it has a cover, and what boiler is in the house, that is usually enough for us to tell you which direction to go.