Solar Heating for Pool

[Pamster]

Is solar heating enough to heat the pool in February/March or would additional heating be required?

[caroline]

I'm not sure about villas on the Gulf coast but in central Florida I would imagine that you would need gas or electric pool heat as well.

[Mo Green]

Even on the Gulf Coast if you like your pool heated to 86F (indoor swimming pool temps. in the UK) you would still need solar plus additional heating in February and cooler March days.

Mo

[Robert5988]

There is a superb US Government website on swimming pool heating in the USA - with Miami as one of the locations.

Solar heating alone will not cope with heating a pool in a Florida winter. Last week there were frost warnings and the same this coming week.

Even if you have a pool cover, you can lose a lot of heat at night - and indeed during the day.

[Mo Green]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Robert5988
There is a superb US Government website on swimming pool heating in the USA - with Miami as one of the locations.

Solar heating alone will not cope with heating a pool in a Florida winter. Last week there were frost warnings and the same this coming week this coming week.

Even if you have a pool cover, you can lose a lot of heat at night - and indeed during the day.[/quote]It depends what your ideal swimming temperature is. Over Christmas/New Year we were waiting for a replacement part for our back-up heater which had to be switched off for over a week. With temperatures in Rotonda reaching mid 80's in the shade our pool (which is in the sun all day) was reaching 80F with solar alone. Warm emough for us to enjoy swimming but our guests usually prefer to have it heated to 86F.

Mo

[ShirleyD]

Hi Pam, we have a solar heated pool and I would always use the electric in February and early March, but I do like a pool to be very warm.

[Shirley G]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by ShirleyD
Hi Pam, we have a solar heated pool and I would always use the electric in February and early March, but I do like a pool to be very warm.
[/quote]

Hi Pam, I second that. We have the electric heater on as well as the solar at this time of year.

[merlin]

Just back from staying in a villa (booked through this site) at Liberty Village which had a pool with solar heating - it was fabulous! I don't know if it had any kind of back-up heating but it is the warmest pool I have ever used in Florida and I have rented about eight over the years.
I am looking for another villa at the moment as I am going back in August and put in a general enquiry last week here. I received about sixty replies but one owner advised me that she wouldn't offer pool heating at that time of year as heating a pool at that time of year with the Florida heat does severe damage to a pool, and owners who are prepared to do it are risking a huge bill for pool repairs!
Everyone else who quoted gave me a price for pool heating - I love a warm pool.