Pool Temperature

What would you say are the top three perks of pool ownership? If you’re anything like us, you placed “cooling off on a hot summer day” at or near first place. But, blistering summer heat can sometimes make your pool less refreshing and more like a lukewarm bath. Luckily, there are many easy techniques you can use to cool down your pool.  Keep reading to find out the best ways to bring your pool temperature down and how to keep pool water cool once you’ve done it.  Tips on How to Make a Pool Cold Whether you want to cool or warm up your pool, there’s an important thing you need to keep in mind. It’s not going to happen quickly.  The average pool has around 10,000 gallons of water. That amount of liquid takes a lot of energy to heat or cool. So, with your expectations tempered, here are some good ways to regulate your pool temperature.  Install Water Features This is one of the more expensive ways to keep your pool temperature down. But, it’s also one of the most effective. Installing a fountain, waterfalls, or other features that keep your pool water moving promotes evaporation. When a liquid evaporates, it loses heat as it converts to gas.  This is the same reason a damp towel around your neck helps keep you cool.  You don’t have to run your water features all the time. Nighttime is the right time to use this method of cooling. You can use it during the day as well, but it can be far less effective based on the environmental temperature.  Of course, the most salient drawback of water features is that they’re pricey and take time to install. If you haven’t invested in a pool yet, it may be a good thing to discuss with your pool installation team.  Draining and Refilling If you can replace some or all of your pool water with cold water, that’s a no-brainer. Draining your pool partially and refilling it can help reduce its temperature. But there’s a major caveat to that.  If your water source is as warm, or warmer than your pool’s water, all you’re doing is replacing it with the same temperature water. You’ll have to check whether your water comes from wells or surface water, such as lakes.  Most of the water in Miami comes from the Biscayne Aquifer, an underground source. So, while it may be a little bit colder, it’s probably not going to be a groundbreaking difference. Additionally, you’ll need to rebalance the chemicals in your water. Overall, this technique is not as straightforward as it seems, but it can have a major impact in some parts of the country.  Improve Your Shading If you stand in the Florida sun for even a minute in the summer, you’ll see where its reputation comes from. And that’s only its effect on one part of your body. Now imagine how much bigger the surface area of a pool is. Think about how much energy it’s absorbing from the sun.  In short, your biggest enemy in the fight to keep your pool cooler is the sun. And, consequently, shading your pool is one of the most effective and efficient ways to cool it down. Every bit of shade you can create for your pool is a portion of sunlight your pool doesn’t have to absorb.  You can use several strategies to improve your pool’s shading. The most obvious is to use artificial sources of shading.  Shade sails, parasols, pergolas, and enclosures are all potential options. You’ll want to find the balance between coverage and price that fits your means. The other strategy is natural shading. Using vegetation is a more long-term approach but it’s also a better way to improve the looking of your entire outdoor area.  Enlisting the aid of a landscape expert can ensure your pool will look attractive and get all the shade it needs. Part of this strategy is also to get rid of features that prevent airflow. If there is a cluster of trees, ancillary buildings, and other obstacles around your pool, it won’t receive a lot of wind.  Airflow is a natural way to cool your pool through evaporation. Natural breezes can be your best friend if you want colder pool water, so work that into your landscaping strategy.  Install a Pool Chiller or Heat Pump If you’re not inclined to get overly creative, there’s always the option to install a pool chiller. After all, if the tool exists, why not use it.  Modern pool chillers use fans to cool water as it travels through its system. It’s as simple as that. Pool chillers claim to be able to drop a pool’s temperature up to ten degrees overnight. And in a lot of cases, that’s true. But, it will largely depend on the size of your pool. They can be installed in as little as a few hours and you can get to work immediately. Pool chillers will set you back a few thousand dollars, depending on the size of your pool. Alternatively, you can install a heat pump. You read that right. Pool heat pumps have a reverse function used to cool water by extracting heat from it. However, a heat pump will see very little use in the Miami area. Chillers are significantly less expensive if you just need to cool the water in your pool. Moreover, chillers are much cheaper to run than a full heat pump used to cool your pool.  Nocturnal Pool Temperature Cooling with Solar Panels Much like you can use a heat pump to cool water, you can also use solar panels in a similar way.  Here’s how solar panels work to heat your pool: A pump runs your pool water through the panels which are receiving sunlight. The sunlight heats the panels, which then transfer the heat into the water. Now, the same process works in reverse at night. Your roof is significantly colder than your pool