Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

Original poster

to ask this potentially silly question.......?

17 replies

Joolsy · 22/05/2012 12:51

Do unheated swimming pools heat up as the weather gets hotter & pretty much stay at that temperature for the hotter months so they are ok to swim in? (PS I'd like an answer to this question, not whether I'm asking a "potentially silly question" question!!).

OP posts:

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 22/05/2012 12:53

The warmth of the sun will heat the water, and the ground around the pool (if it is a sunken one) will have an insulating effect that will keep some of the warmth in the water when the temperature drops (ie overnight or if the weather gets colder).

GrimmaTheNome · 22/05/2012 12:55

They must do, to some extent - even the sea gets warmer through the summer. I suppose it depends how cold it gets at night; those insulated covers are probably essential if it gets chilly.

GnomeDePlume · 22/05/2012 12:55

They certainly get warmer as the weather gets warmer. However it is a big volume of water to heat so they do tend always to be a bit cooler than the outside temperature.

If they have a cover then they will tend not to lose so much heat overnight.

There is no such thing as a silly question, only silly answers!

tittytittyhanghang · 22/05/2012 12:59

umm i dont know but have been to various outdoor paddling pools and even on hottest days they were still bloody cold. But in a good way, as the weather was soo hot the water was cooling! (Bearing in mind i live in Scotland so it never really gets scorching hot and these hot days are far and few between!)

MousyMouse · 22/05/2012 12:59

friends (in a different climate) have a pool that they can use from late April to late October.
they have pretty cold and frosty winters, but warm summers.
the pool has got a slide-away roof, so they can use the pool even in bad weather and the warm air stays warm above the water as well. the water has to be treated and partially replaced regularly or it would be pretty disgusting.

wonkylegs · 22/05/2012 13:05

If they are completely unheated they will heat up a bit in good sunshine/heat and over a long period of time this will have a cumulative effect - which is why end of summer is best for unheated pools and the sea and often even into sept / oct

In portugal last year the pool was still too cold for me as was Spain the year before but when we went to Antigua the unheated pool and the sea were a gorgeous temperature (think warm bath)

HopeForTheBest · 22/05/2012 13:05

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ on request of its author.

TheUnMember · 22/05/2012 13:08

We had an outdoor, unheated pool in our garden when we were growing up. As kids, we'd be in it as soon as the ice broke :o It got warmer throughout the summer with minor ups and downs in temperature.

sarahtigh · 22/05/2012 13:09

GENERALLY will retain heat as ground acts as insulator, the sea around britain is at its warmest around september / october as takes long time to heat up and cool down at its coldest february - april so even a really hot april day the water will be colder than a chiller september day

GnomeDePlume · 22/05/2012 13:13

Treating the water is pretty straightforward. When we had an above ground garden pool it was rather nice to fiddle about with the water, testing it and mixing in the chemicals. Most of the reasonable above ground pools come with a filter. It is just a case of putting that on for the times when people arent in the pool.

ElizabethPonsonby · 22/05/2012 13:22

The hotter the weather is, the colder the pool will feel anyway, even if it has warmed up a bit

toxtethogrady · 22/05/2012 13:47

the hotter the weather, the more people in the pool, meaning more people weeing in the pool, making the pool warmer.

you may also find that the depth of the pool increases correspondingly.

zoobaby · 22/05/2012 20:14

You will also find that it sometimes depends on what the pool is lined with... plain concrete type ones tend to warm up (and retain heat) better than the ones that are totally tiled.

I'm also loving toxtethogrady's theories!

wheresthepopcorn · 23/05/2012 22:56

It depends on the size of the pool. Smaller poll = warmer water.

wheresthepopcorn · 23/05/2012 22:59

whoops - pool! LOL

kaumana · 23/05/2012 23:14

Unheated pools are always cold. For example even in mid summer Florida residents heat their pools. Last year in July we were in Morrocco 40c during the day. The pool was baltic in the morning though got bareable by 1pm. I used to go to Majorca in the October break, gorgeous weather but only the hardy and the kids would go in the unheated pools (emerging blue)

CaliforniaLeaving · 24/05/2012 00:26

Depends where you live. When we get a lot of days over or close to 40 the pool stays warm all night and is like a bath tub not in the least cool and nice to get in.
Mostly with weather in the low to mid 30's the water cools a bit overnight and feels fine by mid day. But then we don't get below 30 at night a lot too.

Flip