Pool Chiller Worth it? Houston Texas

[FlyersDude21]

First summer with a pool and get a good amount of summer sun until around 4-5 on parts of the pool. Houston summers can be rough in the 95-100+ for weeks on end.

Are separate pool chillers from Glacier or Aquacel worth it? They look to be about $2500-4k and not sure how much electricity they take to run.

Do they really have an effect vs getting a large umbrella that blocks out certain time sun?

We have 3 sizable waterfall/features as well. Would they help?

 

[Mdragger88]

Here’s a good read to get you going on your cooling journey

Cooling A Pool - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

I use a fountain to help cool my pool via evaporative cooling & it is sufficient in my locale.
We don’t get quite as long of hot spells as you might though.

 

[JJ_Tex]

I can get by with using this in the Dallas area. I will usually install them in Aug and take them out in Sept. I would recommend giving them a shot for $100 or so before you bite the bullet on a chiller.

Arctic Rain

Swimming Pool, Hot Pool, Cool Your Pool, Pool Temperature

arcticraincoolers.com

 

[Mdragger88]

I use the cheapo version

They have some double ones as well.

On my old pool I made one from pvc.
If I get it running early enough I stave off that bath water feeling.

My neighbor has an inground without a fountain & his will be boiling while mine is still refreshing.
My ph & ta are quite stable even with the fountain going through the middle & end of summer.

 

[FlyersDude21]

View attachment 577209View attachment 577210

I use the cheapo version

They have some double ones as well.

On my old pool I made one from pvc.
If I get it running early enough I stave off that bath water feeling.

My neighbor has an inground without a fountain & his will be boiling while mine is still refreshing.
My ph & ta are quite stable even with the fountain going through the middle & end of summer.

Is the Amazon one you linked any different than the one in the picture? I'm willing to try anything.

I typically had my pool pump running during the day but I'm assuming you just change that to run through the night with the fountain?

 

[FlyersDude21]

I can get by with using this in the Dallas area. I will usually install them in Aug and take them out in Sept. I would recommend giving them a shot for $100 or so before you bite the bullet on a chiller.

Arctic Rain

Swimming Pool, Hot Pool, Cool Your Pool, Pool Temperature

arcticraincoolers.com

Any reason to use these over some of the cheaper ones on Amazon?

 

[Mdragger88]

Is the Amazon one you linked any different than the one in the picture? I'm willing to try anything.

I typically had my pool pump running during the day but I'm assuming you just change that to run through the night with the fountain?

I have the exact one I linked.
I only have 1 jet that’s up high but you can use more than 1 fountain if you have more jets.
It doesn’t really matter if you run it in the day or the night.
When it’s really hot I will run a day or two in a row around the clock to help combat the heat. I have a single speed pump so in the middle of the summer I need to run longer hours so I can run my swcg anyway.
Do you have a variable speed, single speed or two speed pump?

 

[JJ_Tex]

Any reason to use these over some of the cheaper ones on Amazon?

I bought some cheaper ones from Pinch A Penny, and ended up returning them since the spray was more like a bubbler. To get it to spray/mist to help with the cooling I would have had to cap off some other returns and bump up the PRMs.

I'm sure there are cheaper options on Amazon that would work, I just didn't want to try them since I had already struck out once. If I were you, I would give the ones from Mdragger a shot, and if you don't like them try the more expensive ones. Still way cheaper than a chiller.

 

[Mdragger88]

I do have a single speed 1.5hp pump so that helps me get quite a bit of air with mine.
I keep the little “door” on the pipe of the fountain open a tiny bit to still get some directional jet action so my skimming isn’t affected by its use.
I have 2 returns but one is near the pool floor. I sometimes close the bottom return’s valve a tiny bit to increase the flow to the fountain if it’s not making it halfway across the pool.
Ymmv with a lesser pump or running lower rpms.
Amazon return policy is fantastic so probably worth a shot.
I also have an above ground pool and don’t want to mist water all down the exterior steel wall all the time so I like the flow of the waterfall style that I can direct so the splash/mist zone is more in the center of the pool.