We are getting a pool built in the Houston area and are concerned that the water temperature will get too high in the dog days of summer. What is the normal water temperature people are seeing during the 90+ days? I don't think I would enjoy swimming in water that warm. Does anyone in the Houston area have experience with the Glacier Pool Cooler, http://www.glacierpoolcoolers.com/residential.htm? Does it only work well in low humidity climates?
Glacier pool cooler
- Thread starter landmark218
- Start date
no idea about that product, but fountains are great pool coolers, and pretty to look at, too!
It appears to cool by evaporation. If so, it could significantly increase your evaporation rate.
(EDIT)Apparently this isn't a significant issue.(/EDIT)
(EDIT)Apparently this isn't a significant issue.(/EDIT)
Hi Landmark,
Pool temp could very well be an issue in Houston.
I'm in Baton Rouge, and so far, keeping the temp "low enough" has been my biggest challenge. We finished our pool last August, and it quickly got up to 95-96 degrees... which WAS NOT comfortable at all. It's not good when your pool is warmer than the air!!... and yes it the air temp in BR drops below 95... sometimes... at night, anyway.
Thanks to this site, I was able to drop my temp to 90-92ish... don't remember the exact temp. For me, 90 seems about ideal... well... 88 might really be ideal on the 100 degree days. 90 seems nice though.
We simply started running the 2 deck jets that we had installed during our build... I run my pump during the day, with the deck jets running during that time. I was told that you will get the most cooling effect during the "driest" part of the day... of course, dry is a relative term... and probably varies every day for you and me.
If you got extra bucks, get you one of the nice looking units you're looking at... I was SERIOUSLY considering installing one last August. Who wants a pool that's too darn hot to swim in?? As for now, the jets seem to have solved mine. So far, this summer my pool is hanging at 89-92 degrees... which I can live with. (If it stayed at 92, I'd consider some sort of fountain, before spending $ on a powered unit.)
Sorry I can't offer any feedback on the Glacier machine... well, guess I'm glad I didn't have to buy one (yet.)
Hope this helps, and good luck with your build,
Steve
Pool temp could very well be an issue in Houston.
I'm in Baton Rouge, and so far, keeping the temp "low enough" has been my biggest challenge. We finished our pool last August, and it quickly got up to 95-96 degrees... which WAS NOT comfortable at all. It's not good when your pool is warmer than the air!!... and yes it the air temp in BR drops below 95... sometimes... at night, anyway.
Thanks to this site, I was able to drop my temp to 90-92ish... don't remember the exact temp. For me, 90 seems about ideal... well... 88 might really be ideal on the 100 degree days. 90 seems nice though.
We simply started running the 2 deck jets that we had installed during our build... I run my pump during the day, with the deck jets running during that time. I was told that you will get the most cooling effect during the "driest" part of the day... of course, dry is a relative term... and probably varies every day for you and me.
If you got extra bucks, get you one of the nice looking units you're looking at... I was SERIOUSLY considering installing one last August. Who wants a pool that's too darn hot to swim in?? As for now, the jets seem to have solved mine. So far, this summer my pool is hanging at 89-92 degrees... which I can live with. (If it stayed at 92, I'd consider some sort of fountain, before spending $ on a powered unit.)
Sorry I can't offer any feedback on the Glacier machine... well, guess I'm glad I didn't have to buy one (yet.)
Hope this helps, and good luck with your build,
Steve
@Jason, I don't know how much water to expect to lose from evaporation without the GC. But I can see where it would add a lot more water loss. The company says it only cost pennies a day to operate and can reduce your chemical usage 20% to 25%. I was hoping someone could validate those statements.
@Steve, it is encouraging that you are able to lower your temp so much with the deck jets. I'm getting 2 or 3 fan jets that come out just under the coping and spray over the pool. I also have 38' of weeping wall with 3 small water falls and a spill way over the spa. I hope those will help too. I like the water a little closer to 86. The GC would be the last resort.
@Steve, it is encouraging that you are able to lower your temp so much with the deck jets. I'm getting 2 or 3 fan jets that come out just under the coping and spray over the pool. I also have 38' of weeping wall with 3 small water falls and a spill way over the spa. I hope those will help too. I like the water a little closer to 86. The GC would be the last resort.
I've installed a couple of them on commercial pools and they do work as advertised. Neither of the pools has noticed significant additional water loss but at the same time there is no appreciable chemical savings.
They aren't cheap and the quality of construction isn't as high as you would expect for the price but they do work. Essentially they are just small cooling towers.
They aren't cheap and the quality of construction isn't as high as you would expect for the price but they do work. Essentially they are just small cooling towers.
Thanks AM. It's good to know that they do work. I've never owned a pool before so this is a learning experience. Who knows I may find that I enjoy 96 degree water at that price.
You can basicly do the same thing by running 1/2" to 3/4" copper pipe about 2' underground. Just zig zag it back and forth under you lawn. The ground is somewhat cooler 2' below grade and acts as a very good heat exchanger. I am going to do this over the winter months for next season. I am going to run about 150' of 1/2" and it should do the same as the pool coolers. Chemical plants do this to keep the temp of liquids down in their holding tanks. If you plan on doing this you dont really want to use PVC as it is to good of an insulator and doesnt disipate heat as well as copper.
Landmark,
just a couple things...
as an update, I've still been watching my temp, it's 1:00 pm here, sunny, and my temp is at 89 deg F. I think if I wanted it at 86, I could do it by running at night (and maybe daytime.)
Also... I have a very wide spillover from my hot tub, and I honestly am not sure that it actually cools at all. i think it might even have more of a warming effect. Its a relatively small body of water, therefore more easily heated (right?), then I'm flowing this water into my pool. Lately, I've adjusted my spillover to just a trickle just to keep that water in circulation, while trying to minimize the heat transfer (if any.) All that said... I don't know that you really get any cooling effect from weeping walls or water falls.... I think the water needs to get up in the air a few feet (away from warm stone or concrete) before it rids itself of any heat.
Then again, I'm no physisist. My thoughts are free... and you got what you paid for.
The copper tubing in the ground is an interesting idea indeed. i wonder how much that much copper tubing will cost?
Good luck,
Steve
just a couple things...
as an update, I've still been watching my temp, it's 1:00 pm here, sunny, and my temp is at 89 deg F. I think if I wanted it at 86, I could do it by running at night (and maybe daytime.)
Also... I have a very wide spillover from my hot tub, and I honestly am not sure that it actually cools at all. i think it might even have more of a warming effect. Its a relatively small body of water, therefore more easily heated (right?), then I'm flowing this water into my pool. Lately, I've adjusted my spillover to just a trickle just to keep that water in circulation, while trying to minimize the heat transfer (if any.) All that said... I don't know that you really get any cooling effect from weeping walls or water falls.... I think the water needs to get up in the air a few feet (away from warm stone or concrete) before it rids itself of any heat.
Then again, I'm no physisist. My thoughts are free... and you got what you paid for.
The copper tubing in the ground is an interesting idea indeed. i wonder how much that much copper tubing will cost?
Good luck,
Steve
launboy
0
0ghhb
I thought of a similar idea last summer. I was standing barefoot on our concrete driveway and noticed how hot it was. That's when the lightbulb went off... :idea: For people buildig IG pools with cement decks, especially stained concrete, why not inbed copper tubing in the cement before it's poured, like they do with infloor heat in houses. This would serve a dual purpose, heating the water and simultaniously cooling the cement so it doesn't burn your feet. This is more suited for area where you don't need to cool your pool though.
HTH,
Adam
jeremydu said:
I thought of a similar idea last summer. I was standing barefoot on our concrete driveway and noticed how hot it was. That's when the lightbulb went off... :idea: For people buildig IG pools with cement decks, especially stained concrete, why not inbed copper tubing in the cement before it's poured, like they do with infloor heat in houses. This would serve a dual purpose, heating the water and simultaniously cooling the cement so it doesn't burn your feet. This is more suited for area where you don't need to cool your pool though.
HTH,
Adam
I recently made 2 fountains out of pvc pipe for under $10. They have definitely helped control the temperature in the pool. Last Saturday night it was almost too cold to swim in. My pool sees the sun almost the whole day, so without the fountain we would have a 23,000 gallon bathtub in the backyard! One caveat is that this doesn't seem to work as well when the air is humid, so Houstoners may not have as much success...
Chad
Chad