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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think 3 hours a day isn't long enough?

152 replies

Holiday21woes · 29/06/2021 17:45

To heat a pool, that is.

I'm currently on holiday in the UK.
Place cost the best part of £1500 for the week (expensive considering its outside school hols - hence I was expecting a premium experience).

The main reason for booking this particular place was that we have a pool to ourselves, no shared use etc. On the website pool is clearly stated as being heated from May onwards.

It is freezing. Weather has been pleasant here today, low 20s, pool still super cold. We have braved it twice but it's painful. Even my DC (over 16) who are pretty hardy and love swimming and being in water could only manage an hour tops.

Contacted the owner on the first day we used it (not our first day here as weather was poor and we didn't go in) and her response was to say it's on for 3 hours a day and she would move the timer to the time we're using it. However that's made no difference, if anything it's colder!

Our previous experience of renting a house and pool was that we had access to the controls ourselves and when it was too cold we turned it up - just like central heating! Not this controlling it remotely and allocating 3 hours a day which seems ridiculous given what I'm paying for the week.

I could have rented somewhere nice anywhere else for virtually half the cost, I've paid well over £500 extra simply in order to have a pool which we can't use.

AIBU to expect it actually to be heated for more than 3 hours?!

OP posts:
ShakespearesSisters · 29/06/2021 20:43

I have a lazy spa. It takes 1-2 hrs to go up a degree and that is a much smaller volume than a swimming pool.
Its more cost effective to keep it warm than heating from cold each time.
I wouldn't be happy to have paid for an outdoor heated pool I couldn't use.

MintMatchmaker · 29/06/2021 20:47

We have an outdoor pool. We run our heater for 6-8 hours a day. The pool is still cold at the moment. Heaters are more effective when the ambient temperature is higher and when it’s not then they really just stop the pool losing too much heat rather than warming it.

Whatamesssss · 29/06/2021 20:52

According to WHO the minimum should be 25c but 28c ideally to be safe to swim.

Ask her where the wetsuits are, so you don't get hypothermia.

RoseGoldEagle · 29/06/2021 20:56

We have a local lido which is 28 degrees (and I still find that quite cold!)

whynotwhatknot · 29/06/2021 21:37

My df has to heat his pool all day to be able to get in it-admittedly he doesnt like the cold but 3 hours isnt enough

bimbimbap · 29/06/2021 21:47

Apologies if someone has already asked / you’ve already answered but are you keeping a cover on the whole time the pool isn’t in use? Years ago we thought the pool at a Spanish villa wasn’t heating properly until we put the covers back on between uses.

Etinox · 29/06/2021 21:54

I do hope you’ve been able to explain it’s too cold more assertively OP.
Flowers you’ve paid for a heated pool. It’s not been provided.

Original poster
Holiday21woes · 29/06/2021 21:58

I sent the owner a message earlier, just waiting on a reply.

The only time we've uncovered it is when we've been in it, it's covered all the rest of the time but as mentioned the cover doesn't quite fit the pool, it just lies on top of the water. As soon as we got out we covered it up immediately. And of course we've not used it for more than an hour a day.

OP posts:
Potpourri23 · 29/06/2021 22:03

Agree with pp, get a thermometer so you can report the actual temperature, compare to standard pool temperatures and stress that you're used to all sorts of swimming conditions, and be more assertive than seeing it's "rather cold"!

youvegottenminuteslynn · 29/06/2021 22:04

Did you word it firmly enough, the latest message I mean? If you send any more be sure to use clear language such as 'too cold to use' instead of 'rather cold'. Poor you, it's horrible when something you've looked forward to loads doesn't live up to expectations.

willstarttomorrow · 29/06/2021 22:16

3 hours a day will do nothing as PP have mentioned. It needs to be heated to a certain temp and maintained at that temp. I get really annoyed by people who let out properties for holiday lets but begrudge the costs and upkeep. You cannot expect people to pay £££s without treating as a business and all that entails.

Original poster
Holiday21woes · 29/06/2021 22:22

Yes, DP and I collaborated on the message! We said that although we've tried to get in either during or at the end of the heating window, and kept the cover on constantly, it's just too cold and despite being used to outdoor pools, we can't use this one.

So we'll see what she comes back with. I suspect a no one has ever complained before type response or it's at an acceptable temperature.

I do agree with a pp who said if they only wanted to heat it for limited hours that should be made clear in the advertising. It's a shame because it's a nice house, loads of space, lovely furnishings etc, much nicer than the place we stayed in last year which cost us £1k. Difference is that in last year's accomodation we could control the pool heating ourselves so despite the place itself not being anywhere near as nice, having a useable pool was a better situation than we're currently in.

OP posts:
MrsFin · 29/06/2021 22:26

Is the pool covered at night/when not in use? If not, it won't stay warm for very long, no matter how much it's heated.

Canigooutyet · 29/06/2021 22:32

Having a timer on for a couple of hours a day hardly provides the unlimited access you should expect. If the owner cannot afford to keep it heated then they need to drop the price dramatically and rent as an unheated pool with the option to pay more for unlimited heated use. When we have unlimited access we are in and out several times a day.

Wegobshite · 29/06/2021 23:32

We have a large 8 seater hotub
from filling up from cold water and getting it heated to around 30degree takes at least 12 -15 hours
And that’s with the lid on all the time
It then takes about another 6hrs to get up to 38 -40 which is what we normally have it on and it stays at that temperature as it’s always left on

EveryoneIsThere · 30/06/2021 00:40

You should ask her what temperature she thinks the pool should be.

notapizzaeater · 30/06/2021 01:03

Did you pay by credit card ? Depending what she does next - id be trying to get a refund ?

MurielSpriggs · 30/06/2021 01:33

I do agree with a pp who said if they only wanted to heat it for limited hours that should be made clear in the advertising.

You may be falling into the fallacy that if the pool is heated between 10am and 1pm then it's usable between 10am and 1pm, and the only problem is that you would like the window of use to be longer! Which I suspect is exactly what she would like you to believe.

In fact if the pool is too cold to use at 10am, it will not suddenly become lovely when the heating flicks on, and in fact three hours of heating it will make sod-all difference! The issue is not the times of day that the heating comes on, it's just that the temperature is too low.

Imagine a very drafty house, 14°. Your complaint is that the temperature is 14° and you have to sit around in your coats and gloves. How long the central heating comes on for is not really relevant. However long it's on, it's not working hard enough to get the house comfortable.

SD1978 · 30/06/2021 01:58

Is there a thermometer in the pool? Or can you see what the temp is set to? Three hours isn't enough, and it's cold. This was part of what made you choose this place, if it's not providing the service you want, and has failed to so far, damn right I'd be complaining

Happyhappyday · 30/06/2021 02:43

I honestly would be explicit about leaving a bad review. “Accommodation is advertised as having a heated pool, the pool is not being heated to anything like the temperature as is considered normal for outdoor pools. We booked on the basis of the pool - if you are not able to correct this immediately by heating the pool to a reasonable temperature now and keeping it there for the duration of our stay, we will have no choice but to be explicit in our review about the false advertising and poor response from yourself.”

You have nothing to lose by telling her you’re going to do this.

alwayscrashinginthesamecar1 · 30/06/2021 03:41

I have an outdoor pool, as others have said it takes ages to heat up, three hours a day will do absolutely zilch. I heat my pool to 26 as I'm in Oz and don't want it to be too hot. My local community pool is at 27, and a friend of mine heats hers to 31 but that is like a bath IMO.. You really need to be firm that 20 is not satisfactory, but even heating it round the clock now will take a while to warm up (depending on size).

Hallelujah2020 · 30/06/2021 04:44

@MurielSpriggs

The number of hours it's on is irrelevant. It's the temperature of the water that matters. Without going into the physics, there's a hell of a lot of water in a pool, there's a hell of a lot of heat loss, and it takes a lot of energy even to shift the temperature up by one degree. If it's really cold it can take days to get it up to being comfortable. So having it on for three hours will make no discernable difference.
Exactly this, it’ll probably take 1-2 days of heating it constantly to get it up to a bearable temperature, depending on what it is at the moment. Heating it for a few hours a day won’t make any difference
Fargoer · 30/06/2021 05:05

@maddening

We had a lovely spot in Cornwall with own pool and it was heated all day, the owner was super at making sure the pool was clean and ready for us. It was £850 in May and only.£1100 in height of summer! I think you have an owner problem!
@maddening I'd love to know where this was if you wouldn't mind sharing Smile
Mumdiva99 · 30/06/2021 05:30

We stayed in an Airbnb with a pool last year. The owner was clear with her wording
"Although we heat the pool, this only makes the water slightly warmer: please don't expect it to be hot!"
She was right it was still cold. And as we had bad weather it was almost unusable. However we did know the score.... If your owner didn't tell you before hand it's really not fair on you.

Drovememad · 30/06/2021 05:38

Yep make it clear you want and need it warmer.

@maddening I'd love to know the place you went in Cornwall.

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