How Warm Do You Llike Your Pool?

[Pool-newb]

I was just wondering how we all feel about the temperature of our pools and I really appreciate your feedback.

Take the poll and leave a comment if you'd like. It would be especially great to hear what you have or had to pay:

- To purchase the heating equipment

- To install the heating equipment

- To heat the pool every month (annual avg divided by 12)

- for any failures or replacements

- how long any pool heater lasted

- what brand/type it is and was and

- if you're happy with it on a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is worst and 10 is best.

Thanks!

[Pool-newb]

To kick this off, here are my numbers:

I was just wondering how we all feel about the temperature of our pools and I really appreciate your feedback.

Take the poll and leave a comment if you'd like. It would be especially great to hear what you have or had to pay:

- To purchase the heating equipment: about $2600

- To install the heating equipment: Nothing, I did it myself

- To heat the pool every month (annual avg divided by 12): 0 (I have a free supply of firewood)

- for any failures or replacements: A power outage and my own delay cost me about $100 worth of plumbing and a full days work

- how long any pool heater lasted: Haven't replaced it yet - only had it several weeks

- what brand/type it is and was and: Extend-A-Swim, middle sized model

- if you're happy with it on a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is worst and 10 is best. 7.5

Thanks!

[Pool-newb]

Well, so far it looks lilke there are no polar bears or even penguins on this board :-).

Thanks for the votes everyone but I'm surprised that there were no comment as yet.

If you haven't voted yet, please do. The results are interesting.

[chem geek]

I was just wondering how we all feel about the temperature of our pools and I really appreciate your feedback.

Take the poll and leave a comment if you'd like. It would be especially great to hear what you have or had to pay:

- To purchase the heating equipment

- To install the heating equipment

Purchase and installation was all part of the overall initial pool cost around 6 years ago. It was around $70K for a 16x32 (16,000 gallon; has walk-in ramp on the side and seat at deep-end in the pool) in-ground plaster pool with 1 HP pump and 3/4-HP booster pump for Letro Legend pool cleaner, Jandy CL-340 cartridge filter (4 cartridges; 340 square foot total), Purex Triton PowerMax 250 gas heater (200K BTU output), automatic electric safety cover, 12 Fafco solar panels on roof. This was a "mid-priced" in-ground pool for the San Francisco Bay Area (low is around $40K, high is $100K+; obviously above-ground or vinyl pools are a lot less). Later upgraded pumps to a single Pentair Intelliflo variable flow (VF) and saved 50% on electricity costs.

- To heat the pool every month (annual avg divided by 12)

Mostly solar heat from May through September with some gas assist mostly in the outer months including some April and October and some November. Solar cost is basically the incremental pump electricity cost to get to 48 GPM (4 GPM per panel) instead of 26 GPM. At 5 hours per day solar on, 32 cents per kilowatt-hour marginal rate, about 1200 Watts incremental electricity between solar on vs. off, this is about $300-400 for the season.

Gas assist is a lot more expensive and mostly done in April/May and October/November, though some at other times. In the coldest months, it's around $400 per month incremental (at $1.68/Therm). Figure around $1200 or so for the year overall.

Note that the pool is kept warm at 88F as it is used as a therapy exercise pool. If lower temps (say, 84F) were used, then that would be far less gas assist required. Also, the automatic electric safety cover is about half as insulating as a bubble-type cover (though still a LOT better than no cover at all -- cutting down overnight temperature drop by half) though it is very convenient.

- for any failures or replacements

had one electronic component blow out in the gas heater so circuit board needed replacing. Cost around $500 or so including parts and labor.

- how long any pool heater lasted

It's still going after 6 years though had the electronic failure noted above

- what brand/type it is and was and

as noted above, Purex Triton PowerMax 250 gas heater (200K BTU output)

- if you're happy with it on a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is worst and 10 is best.

It's only 80% efficient so given how much we use gas assist, I would get a more efficient heater instead. I'd also look at whether a heat pump would work in our situation (probably not unless it could maintain the higher water temp even in the cooler months -- it certainly won't heat very quickly).

Overall, probably a 7.

Thanks!

Note that I voted incorrectly when I said I had a solar cover since it's really a heat-retention cover since it's opaque. Note also that I voted that I have a large solar system because it does provide more heat than I need during the summer, but in the colder low-sun-angle months I need gas assist so solar is not enough at those times.

[rbdeli]

I bet the last 7 years have given Colorado Pool owners a little bit longer pool season. The climate really has warmed a bit and the nights just don't get as cool as they used to, meaning the heater doesn't have to run as much to warm the pool. HOWEVER...Now that I'm a pool owner, it seems that things may be going back to the way they were.

We've had 7, straight weekends of below average temps, rain and gray skies, and nights are getting down into the 40's. This is more typical of our climate this year. I like the pool around 84-85 on a hot day and maybe 86 on a cool evening.

Energy savings are probably a trade off. Little or no need for the Air Conditioner, but a slight increased need for pool heater due to cooler nights.

Rob

I was just wondering how we all feel about the temperature of our pools and I really appreciate your feedback.

Take the poll and leave a comment if you'd like. It would be especially great to hear what you have or had to pay:

- To purchase the heating equipment

- To install the heating equipment

Purchase and installation was all part of the overall initial pool cost around 6 years ago. It was around $70K for a 16x32 (16,000 gallon; has walk-in ramp on the side and seat at deep-end in the pool) in-ground plaster pool with 1 HP pump and 3/4-HP booster pump for Letro Legend pool cleaner, Jandy CL-340 cartridge filter (4 cartridges; 340 square foot total), Purex Triton PowerMax 250 gas heater (200K BTU output), automatic electric safety cover, 12 Fafco solar panels on roof. This was a "mid-priced" in-ground pool for the San Francisco Bay Area (low is around $40K, high is $100K+; obviously above-ground or vinyl pools are a lot less). Later upgraded pumps to a single Pentair Intelliflo variable flow (VF) and saved 50% on electricity costs.

- To heat the pool every month (annual avg divided by 12)

Mostly solar heat from May through September with some gas assist mostly in the outer months including some April and October and some November. Solar cost is basically the incremental pump electricity cost to get to 48 GPM (4 GPM per panel) instead of 26 GPM. At 5 hours per day solar on, 32 cents per kilowatt-hour marginal rate, about 1200 Watts incremental electricity between solar on vs. off, this is about $300-400 for the season.

Gas assist is a lot more expensive and mostly done in April/May and October/November, though some at other times. In the coldest months, it's around $400 per month incremental (at $1.68/Therm). Figure around $1200 or so for the year overall.

Note that the pool is kept warm at 88F as it is used as a therapy exercise pool. If lower temps (say, 84F) were used, then that would be far less gas assist required. Also, the automatic electric safety cover is about half as insulating as a bubble-type cover (though still a LOT better than no cover at all -- cutting down overnight temperature drop by half) though it is very convenient.

- for any failures or replacements

had one electronic component blow out in the gas heater so circuit board needed replacing. Cost around $500 or so including parts and labor.

- how long any pool heater lasted

It's still going after 6 years though had the electronic failure noted above

- what brand/type it is and was and

as noted above, Purex Triton PowerMax 250 gas heater (200K BTU output)

- if you're happy with it on a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is worst and 10 is best.

It's only 80% efficient so given how much we use gas assist, I would get a more efficient heater instead. I'd also look at whether a heat pump would work in our situation (probably not unless it could maintain the higher water temp even in the cooler months -- it certainly won't heat very quickly).

Overall, probably a 7.

Thanks!

Note that I voted incorrectly when I said I had a solar cover since it's really a heat-retention cover since it's opaque. Note also that I voted that I have a large solar system because it does provide more heat than I need during the summer, but in the colder low-sun-angle months I need gas assist so solar is not enough at those times.

[jkusmier]

All depends on variables. In early season (late May-mid June) the water can be a bit cool at 73-75F, even for me and esp for kids when air temp is in mid 70's - low 80's. Come July-August, w/ air temps in the 90's +, that would be a welcome temp as my pool water hovered in the mid-high 80's for much of that time last year. Assuming an air temp of, oh, 85F, a water temp of 76-78F is prefect for me - and acceptable to kids, who will swim w/o complaint until their lips turn blue!

[stmfitr636]

I was just wondering how we all feel about the temperature of our pools and I really appreciate your feedback.

Take the poll and leave a comment if you'd like. It would be especially great to hear what you have or had to pay:

- To purchase the heating equipment

Scratch and dent 250k Hayward ($800) and premium solar cover ($125)

- To install the heating equipment

Heater was $100 install with pool install. Solar cover and reel was my install.

- To heat the pool every month (annual avg divided by 12)

Pre- solar cover= $400/mo... after solar cover=<$100/mo

- for any failures or replacements

Solar cover left on reel unprotected over winter. Will have to replace as it's slowly desintergrating.

- how long any pool heater lasted

3rd season just started

- what brand/type it is and was and

- if you're happy with it on a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is worst and 10 is best.

Heater was about a 2 only because of cost and heat loss. With the solar cover, I'm completely at a 10 as the gas heater only suppliments the heat from the cover. Ran for a bit to get the pool to temp and rarely fires at all since.

GF likes to keep the pool as warm as possible... but I keep her tuned down to about 85* when she lets me. She would have it at 90* if she could.