Precision Heating

• One of the benefits of using a propane powered pool heater, rather than an electric or solar model, is the precise temperature propane heaters offer. A propane pool heater can keep a pool's water within 1 degree of a desired temperature, according to the Minnesota Propane Gas Association. This reduces wasted energy. Allowing your pool's water temperature to fluctuate between too warm and too cool can also disrupt your enjoyment of the pool.
  
  

Cost of Operation

• Homeowners in northern locations where cold winters lead to the draining of their pool in the fall may only require a pool heater for a few weeks each year. More tropical states like Florida stay warm enough to allow for year-round use of a pool if it is heated. Running a propane pool heater costs the same amount of money per hour as using an electric model, according to the Florida Solar Energy Center, but they offer other benefits like fast heating and constant temperatures that electric pool heaters do not.
  
  

How It Heats

• A propane gas tank provides the fuel to create a very hot fire in a central combustion chamber within the heater, according to Backyard City Pools. The heat from the combustion chamber is then released into the pool's water, heating it quickly and evenly. Unlike electric or natural gas pool heaters, the propane pool heater requires a storage tank at the location of the heater or within a short distance. When the storage tank runs low, the heater will stop functioning and your pool will quickly cool off.
  
  

Combine It With Solar

• In colder climates, solar pool heaters that can only add a few degrees to the water temperature are not powerful enough for spring or fall use. But when combined with a high efficiency propane pool heater for high demand heating, they can reduce the operating costs while maintaining a comfortable swimming environment, according to Idaho High Efficiency Alternative Technologies. Running the propane heater only when more than 10 degrees of heating is needed and allowing the solar pool heaters to handle the rest will significantly lower your pool heating costs.