How to cool down a pool?

[spidey07]

It's about 17-18k gallons. The temps have been high 90s and lows in mid 70s. So the water is up to 86 degrees. I think I like 84 the best.

Is there anything I can do to cool the temperature down as the weather is going to stay like this and it will probably rise a little more.

Would some kind of fountain in a return help? I've got 4 returns total, but two of them are in pool seats so I could use those and still keep a good circulation going. Use two such fountains on those returns?

Thanks in advance.

-edit-
Picked up one of these after some positive reviews, will report how well it does. I think having the two extra returns for the seats will be perfect for a fountain or two and not mess with the great circulation I've got going on. Will also keep an eye on pH, my ALK is 110 so it shouldn't swing too much.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0026M ... 00_s00_i00

 

[Richard320]

Some sort of fountain that causes evaporation will cool it down. You'll also lose a lot of water, but not a lot of Calcium Hardness, so be careful.

 

[markatrhm]

Yes, a fountain can be a very effective way to cool down your pool. They are most effective when run in the evening or at night. The cooling effect is created by the evaporation that occurs. The cooling effect in fountains is determined by two factors you can control and three that you can't. The two factors that you can control are the water surface area you create and the time the fountain spray is exposed to the air. The three factors you can not control are the wind, humidity level, and outside temperature. To maximize what you can control you want a moderately fine spray which will expose the largest water surface during the spray action. You want to avoid misting as you will lose too much water to evaporation and also make the spray vulnerable to being blown away in the wind. You also want to maximize the time the spray in out of the pool. An easy way to do this is to spray almost straight up. This way the spray will be exposed on its trip up into the air and then down vs a waterfall type. If you are in an area with a lot of wind you will want to avoid a find spray but because of the wind you will still tend to get effective cooling.

Retail fountains tend to be very expensive pieces of plastic. However, they can provide a beautiful water feature and help make your pool much more enjoyable. You can also make a simple fountain out of PVC that can do the job. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWwRwd3BhcI

Evaporation can also effect your chemical levels. As always, keep a close eye on them (especially your FC).

 

[spidey07]

Yes, a fountain can be a very effective way to cool down your pool. They are most effective when run in the evening or at night. The cooling effect is created by the evaporation that occurs. The cooling effect in fountains is determined by two factors you can control and three that you can't. The two factors that you can control are the water surface area you create and the time the fountain spray is exposed to the air. The three factors you can not control are the wind, humidity level, and outside temperature. To maximize what you can control you want a moderately fine spray which will expose the largest water surface during the spray action. You want to avoid misting as you will lose too much water to evaporation and also make the spray vulnerable to being blown away in the wind. You also want to maximize the time the spray in out of the pool. An easy way to do this is to spray almost straight up. This way the spray will be exposed on its trip up into the air and then down vs a waterfall type. If you are in an area with a lot of wind you will want to avoid a find spray but because of the wind you will still tend to get effective cooling.

Retail fountains tend to be very expensive pieces of plastic. However, they can provide a beautiful water feature and help make your pool much more enjoyable. You can also make a simple fountain out of PVC that can do the job. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWwRwd3BhcI

Evaporation can also effect your chemical levels. As always, keep a close eye on them (especially your FC).

Thanks. Rednecks and PVC, what CAN'T we do. OP edited of something I picked up off amazon.

 

[JesseWV]

Speaking of PVC, you could always get some PVC fittings to plumb several hundred feet of buried irrigation tubing into your filter return. Ground temperature is quite cool. Just make sure it's buried deep enough in the ground to get the maximum benefit.

This is pretty much the opposite of a solar heat collector system.

Thanks. Rednecks and PVC, what CAN'T we do. OP edited of something I picked up off amazon.

 

[JasonLion]

Actually, solar panels run at night cool the pool very effectively, and less work installing them than doing a lot of trenching.

 

[JesseWV]

Of course buried would work during the day as well.

Actually, solar panels run at night cool the pool very effectively, and less work that doing a lot of trenching.

 

[JasonLion]

Of course buried would work during the day as well.

True, but that doesn't matter. What matters is how many total BTUs you can take out of the pool averaged across several days. There are simply too many BTUs involved for any system to be able to work quickly enough that when the cooling happens makes any difference. Besides, electricity is less expensive at night many places, so best if they pump is run only at night anyway.

 

[spidey07]

Actually, solar panels run at night cool the pool very effectively, and less work installing them than doing a lot of trenching.

What's a solar panel? Is it like those round things to throw on their pool to serve the purpose of a solar cover?

I've got some big swaths of a solar cover I cut to make it fit perfectly, should I toss those in the evening and remove in the morning?

 

[BaquaNOT]

We have a solar panel deck and can typical lower the pool 2 degrees an hour at night.