How Much Sun Does A Pool Need

by Bill
(Long Island, NY)

I'm installing an 18' round above ground pool. The area in which it is going will only get sun about half of the day. Will that create enough warmth to make the pool worth it?

Are there any low cost pool heating solutions?



Hi Bill. How warm you want your pool water is purely a personal matter. A pool in Arizona, sitting in full sun all day when the temperature is 110, is just right for me.

There are some ways to make use of the limited amount of sunshine to keep your pool comfortable.

The first step is to get a good quality solar blanket and keep it on the pool most of the time. When the sun is out the solar cover will gather the heat and warm the water. During the times when there is no sun the cover will keep the heat in the pool, not letting it rise up into the cold air.

Solar panels are the next investment you could make. These are fairly inexpensive and could easily add ten degrees of warmth to you pool water.

Insulating your pool wall is another way of keeping the water warm. This can be done with a layer of wall foam on the inside of the pool or simply attaching Styrofoam to the outside.

The links below go to pages with more information about heating above ground pools.


Swimming Pool Solar Panels

Solar Pool Cover

Heating an Above Ground Pool