Attic heats pool

By: Jennifer Howe

Wesley Chapel, Florida — The attic may seem like an unusual place to find a pool heater, but that's exactly what the black box in the corner is.

Frank Rygiel, Homeowner:

"The unit's a heat exchanger."

Licensed contractor and homeowner Frank Rygiel explains how the unit draws the heat in the attic over piped-in pool water to warm it and return it to the water.

And it has an added benefit.

Frank Rygiel:

"And as it's actually heating the pool water, it's blowing like an air conditioner out the other side. It's blowing 60,000 BTU's of air conditioner. When you stand up in a 120 degree attic and you stand behind this unit, it feels like standing in front of an air conditioner."

So as the unit heats the pool water, it's also cooling the air in the attic.

Frank says his utility bill has dropped about $40 a month.

He started researching the technology a couple of years ago, because his traditional heat pump was costing $200 to $300 a month to run.

Frank Rygiel:

"It got to the point where we never used it. We would turn it on a couple of days ahead of time if we knew we had people coming over on a Saturday or whatever, but we didn't get the full effect of the heat pump."

10 News wondered about the possibility of water leaking into the attic, but Frank says the type of pipe used will prevent that.

Frank Rygiel:

"And the unit has a sensor on it, so that if water ever gets inside this unit, shuts off the valve with the automatic control and stops piping water through the attic."