Swimming pool and spa heater control system and method

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention provides an improved control system for heating the water in swimming pools in a cost and energy efficient manner.
It is intended that the system and method of the present invention heat the swimming pools when the weather at a pre-selected time in the future will be suitable for swimming and that the system not waste energy heating the pool when the weather is not or will not be suitable for swimming over an extended period of time.
It is intended that the system save energy outside the swimming pool operating hours by shutting the heaters down and turning the heaters back on using essentially the same procedures.
Using forecast weather data, the system continuously looks for times in the future when ambient weather conditions will not meet the minimum user pre-selected conditions for swimming at the next opening time for the pool.
When such an event is detected and it is verified that there is sufficient time for the normal pool heating cycle to be interrupted, the system shuts off the pool heater.
The system takes into account forecast weather data and then calculates the time required to raise the water temperature to a pre-selected (swimmable) operating temperature at a predetermined time in the future by calculating the number of hours required to sufficiently raise the temperature to the pre-selected level.
The system accomplishes this by factoring in the weather conditions that are predicted to occur from the time that it shuts off until the time that the pool needs to be ready for operation.
The heaters are then turned on at the appropriately calculated time and left on until the next scheduled opening time for the pool when conditions will be favorable for swimming.
The present invention also has the application and capability to shut pool heaters off when they are not needed based on the operating hours of the pool.
The system otherwise operates normally and calculates when to turn the heaters on, prior to opening, to have the correct temperature for the next scheduled opening