Pool Cooling Strategies with Tracking - Fountain, Evening, etc.

[Dirk]

Hmm, didn't follow some of that, but that's OK, I'm slow! It seems to me a shade sail would cut down on your "start up, shutdown" chores. No umbrellas. No sun block (which is better for your pool). Maybe even less covers if that stuff was left under the shade of a sail. No? 'cause I'm with ya, and why I never got a pool cover. I want to just jump in and then get out and walk away. Here's a look that I really like that might cut down on the once-a-year shade sail chore (I put mine up in spring, down in fall, not everyday!). Not one big one, but a bunch of smaller ones (much easier to handle, I put mine up by myself):



I think that looks amazing.

Here's a whole gallery of ideas. This particular company makes a very good product (it's what I own).

And I had to put up a couple poles myself. One is completely hidden in a tree. The other I plan on disguising eventually with some sort of vine, but for now I don't even notice it any more. I can show you how I did it if you're interested. And I would argue that shade sails are way more attractive and much less view-inhibiting than umbrellas.

Anyway, just brainstormin' with ya...

 

[DB-Cooper]

Hmm, didn't follow some of that, but that's OK, I'm slow! It seems to me a shade sail would cut down on your "start up, shutdown" chores. No umbrellas. No sun block (which is better for your pool). Maybe even less covers if that stuff was left under the shade of a sail. No? 'cause I'm with ya, and why I never got a pool cover. I want to just jump in and then get out and walk away. Here's a look that I really like that might cut down on the once-a-year shade sail chore. Not one big one, but a bunch of smaller ones (much easier to handle, I put mine up by myself):

View attachment 156258

I think that looks amazing.

Here's a whole gallery of ideas. This particular company makes a very good product (it's what I own).

And I had to put up a couple poles myself. One is completely hidden in a tree. The other I plan on disguising eventually with some sort of vine, but for now I don't even notice it any more. I can show you how I did it if you're interested. And I would argue that shade sails are way more attractive and much less view-inhibiting than umbrellas.

Anyway, just brainstormin' with ya...

Yes that does look great. Those are somewhat permanent, what I was complaining about was more of something that you put up and down. I'm not sure I'd want it to be that permanent given impact to view, etc. Also, you can see even in your picture the large poles surrounding environment. I have some challenges to do that and it would have severe impact to our view so probably can't pull it off.

 

[Dirk]

Gotcha. Here's the only pole that's visible in my yard. Doesn't inhibit anything. PS. I never cover any furniture. It's all Sunbrella fabric and holds up really well in the sun.

 

[jark87]

Really interesting thread. I’m in the Dallas area and our high/low temp ranges are not as wide. There’s usually less than a 20 degree swing from high to low. I’m guessing that the air is a bit more dry for you.

I’ve been through everything you are attempting and even tried sail shades, but never had them permanently anchored. I anchored them to surrounding trees, which left me constantly worried about high winds snapping a tree into my pool. Every time a thunderstorm would pop up, I was running out to take the sails down - total PITA. The sails also interfered with our diving board and my wife hated them. I probably could have hidden posts in the trees and professional installation would have improved the look, but I suspect total cost would have rivaled Glacier chiller, which is what I ultimately went with.

Water temp has not exceeded 82 this summer. Was a refreshingly chilly 77 this morning!

 

[DB-Cooper]

Gotcha. Here's the only pole that's visible in my yard. Doesn't inhibit anything. PS. I never cover any furniture. It's all Sunbrella fabric and holds up really well in the sun.

View attachment 156266

Gorgeous pool! I also have Sunbrella stuff, but I do think our weather is a bit more fierce here.

Your pole isn't bad at all, with my elevation, the pole would standout like a sore thumb where as yours is hardly noticeable. Do you have a picture from further away, how much of the pool is covered by that?

 

[DB-Cooper]

Really interesting thread. I’m in the Dallas area and our high/low temp ranges are not as wide. There’s usually less than a 20 degree swing from high to low. I’m guessing that the air is a bit more dry for you.

I’ve been through everything you are attempting and even tried sail shades, but never had them permanently anchored. I anchored them to surrounding trees, which left me constantly worried about high winds snapping a tree into my pool. Every time a thunderstorm would pop up, I was running out to take the sails down - total PITA. The sails also interfered with our diving board and my wife hated them. I probably could have hidden posts in the trees and professional installation would have improved the look, but I suspect total cost would have rivaled Glacier chiller, which is what I ultimately went with.

Water temp has not exceeded 82 this summer. Was a refreshingly chilly 77 this morning!

82 is chilly for us.

The interest in the sails for me would be more the shade than the cooling because as stated, we are pretty happy with the water temps right now.

 

[Dirk]

Not to belabor (but I will!)... There are shade sails and there are "pretend" shade sails, which are just glorified tarps. That latter are usually cheap, don't last all that long and are hung with rope. They flop around even in a light breeze, collect water when it rains and are not particularly wind proof. A true sail is attached to hard anchors (not trees) with steel cable and tensioned up pretty tight. That's what makes them wind-safe. Generally they are made of much higher quality fabric (to handle the tension) and last much longer. They'll have D-rings, not grommets. I'll likely get 15-20 years out of mine. Five years in and I see no sign of wear and tear at all. You don't hang them daily, they go up permanently (or, like me, up and down just once a year). They're not cheap, but you get what'cha pay for...

 

[jark87]

The interest in the sails for me would be more the shade than the cooling because as stated, we are pretty happy with the water temps right now.

Yep - I get it and good for you in finding a cooling solution! Our trees give us plenty of shade in all seating/congregation areas, but pool still gets full sun most of the day. One other note: we have quite a bit of landscaping around our pool. Mist blowing back from the PVC fountains was slowly killing it and did some damage to a nearby red oak tree. I can’t see any plants in your pics, but wanted you to be aware of what we experienced.

 

[jark87]

Not to belabor (but I will!)... There are shade sails and there are "pretend" shade sails, which are just glorified tarps. That latter are usually cheap, don't last all that long and are hung with rope. They flop around even in a light breeze, collect water when it rains and are not particularly wind proof. A true sail is attached to hard anchors (not trees) with steel cable and tensioned up pretty tight. That's what makes them wind-safe. Generally they are made of much higher quality fabric (to handle the tension) and last much longer. They'll have D-rings, not grommets. I'll likely get 15-20 years out of mine. Five years in and I see no sign of wear and tear at all. You don't hang them daily, they go up permanently (or, like me, up and down just once a year). They're not cheap, but you get what'cha pay for...

Totally get it. I was trying a makeshift route before making the investment in the real thing.

 

[Dirk]

Thank you, here's the google view. My objective was not temperature relief, just enough shade to keep the sun off me bald head. I have lots of trees and lots of patio shade, so I don't need to cover my furniture and I never use sunscreen. Panels on the roof make up for sun loss from trees. I have no prep to go swimming, I jump in for 10 minutes at a time then out and back under the patios (when the sun is fierce). When I'm in the water I'm mostly under my little triangle of shade. And don't underestimate my climate, supposed to be 106° later today!!



This shot appears to be off season. This time of year the shade is pretty much directly under the sail and patio covers.

 

[jark87]

Too funny. I also have one spot that remains shaded all day. Ironically, it’s the “tanning” ledge.

 

[Dirk]

Nice setup ya got! Ledge looks like a nice place to relax with a cool drink. Besides, pools are for swimming, decks are for tanning, I always say...

 

[DB-Cooper]

Not to belabor (but I will!)... There are shade sails and there are "pretend" shade sails, which are just glorified tarps. That latter are usually cheap, don't last all that long and are hung with rope. They flop around even in a light breeze, collect water when it rains and are not particularly wind proof. A true sail is attached to hard anchors (not trees) with steel cable and tensioned up pretty tight. That's what makes them wind-safe. Generally they are made of much higher quality fabric (to handle the tension) and last much longer. They'll have D-rings, not grommets. I'll likely get 15-20 years out of mine. Five years in and I see no sign of wear and tear at all. You don't hang them daily, they go up permanently (or, like me, up and down just once a year). They're not cheap, but you get what'cha pay for...

What is the going rate for this high-end system?

 

[Dirk]

Hmm, been a while. Might have been six bills by the time you factor in the SS cable and fittings and posts and footings, etc (I bought the very best I could find). Seems like the sail was in the $400 range. But it's all size and shape dependent, of course. That website will give you a quote, and some fabric samples. They have some of their prices online. Much cheaper galvie hardware would have been fine, I'm sure, but I tend to overkill everything. I only take it down once a year to hopefully double its lifespan, defer some of that cost over more years sort-o-thing.

 

[mguzzy]

@Dirk that is cool! nice setup.. If you are looking to manage the temp on the pool I really think cutting sun exposure will make a huge difference. My neighbors pool is in the sun all the time (no trees), is 200 feet away, if that, and its routinely 20 degrees warmer than mine. Mine is has darker plaster than theirs so that is supposed to make it warmer, but mine is in the shade most of the time from all the surrounding trees. So the air temp is the same.. the only difference is the amount of Shade.. BTW. we just had four straight days of 100 degree weather and my pool was 70 degrees this morning.

 

[mguzzy]

I just stumbled accross this... its a company that does retractable sun sail type shades. I think they are out of Europe. I have not looked to see if there are what US companies that do these.

Sun-shade sails | ROLTEK

Sun-shade sails - Our retractable sun-shade sails are operated via premium quality motors. They are rollable in both directions via automatic sensor switches as we...

www.roltek.eu

 

[DB-Cooper]

Final update. With fall making an earlier entry into Austin, I've been having to run the heater the last two weekends. Even with that, low/mid 60s overnight dramatically cools the pool. As stated before, I think the early heat wave in June when days are longest and sun is the most overhead provides the intense heating. Later July/August continued heat is not as significant and despite warmer overnight temps, it's manageable without significant cooling. I've removed the fountain for the season, I think it helps to the tune of a degree or so.

Date:	Air Temp High	Air Temp Low	Air Temp Diff	Pumps	Fountains	Water Temp Start	Water Temp End	Water Temp Differential	Other
09/20/20	83	62	21	Day	No	86	79	7	Heated Pool to 86
09/19/20	86	67	19	Day	No	85	80	5	Heated Pool to 85
09/18/20	85	71	14	Day	No	81	79	2
09/17/20	91	76	15	Day	No	82	80	2
09/16/20	90	74	16	Day	No	83	81	2
09/15/20	89	73	16	Day	No	84	81	3
09/14/20	92	73	19	Day	No	86	82	4	Heated Pool to 86
09/13/20	91	74	17	Day	No	86	82	4	Heated Pool to 85
09/12/20	83	67	16	Day	No	76	73	3
09/11/20	65	63	2	Day	No	74	72	2
09/10/20	79	57	22	Day	No	80	75	5	Rained 3" day prior and 1" overnight
09/09/20	87	77	10	Day	No	84	82	2
09/08/20	96	76	20	Day	No	86	83	3
09/07/20	94	73	21	Day	No	85	82	3	Ran Heater up two degrees from 83 to 85
09/06/20	90	72	18	Day	No	82	80	2	Rained 3" day prior
09/05/20	81	74	7	Day	No	80	79	1	Rained 3" day prior
09/04/20	86	74	12	Day	Yes	82	80	2	Rained 3" day prior
09/03/20	82	78	4	Day	Yes	85	83	2	Rained 1" day prior
09/02/20	99	79	20	Day	Yes	88	85	3	Did not run pumps overnight
09/01/20	101	82	19	Night	Yes	89	86	3
08/31/20	100	82	18	Night	Yes	89	86	3
08/30/20	103	79	24	Night	Yes	88	85	3
08/29/20	104	79	25	Night	Yes	88	85	3
08/28/20	99	80	19	Night	Yes	87	84	3
08/27/20	94	76	18	Night	Yes	86	83	3
08/26/20	99	77	22	Night	Yes	86	83	3
08/25/20	97	74	23	Night	Yes	86	83	3
08/24/20	95	75	20	Night	Yes	86	83	3
08/23/20	93	68	25	Night	Yes	85	82	3
08/22/20	102	70	32	Night	Yes	87	82	5	Rained 2" in the morning
08/21/20	100	76	24	Night	Yes	85	82	3
08/20/20	101	71	30	Night	Yes	87	82	5
08/19/20	101	75	26	Night	Yes	88	83	5
08/18/20	97	76	21	Night	Yes	88	84	4	Cooled down starting around 5pm last night
08/17/20	105	76	29	Night	Yes	90	85	5
08/16/20	106	79	27	Night	Yes	89	86	3
08/15/20	105	78	27	Night	Yes	89	85	4
08/14/20	103	78	25	Night	No	90	86	4	Forgot to put fountain up
08/13/20	103	79	24	Night	Yes	90	86	4
08/12/20	102	78	24	Night	Yes	89	85	4
08/11/20	101	79	22	Night	Yes	88	85	3
08/10/20	100	79	21	Night	Yes	88	85	3
08/09/20	100	78	22	Night	Yes	88	85	3
08/08/20	100	76	24	Night	Yes	88	85	3
08/07/20	100	76	24	Night	Yes	88	85	3
08/06/20	101	77	24	Night	Yes	88	84	4
08/05/20	100	77	23	Night	Yes	88	84	4
08/04/20	101	74	27	Night	Yes	88	83	5	Rained at 5pm, got very cold
08/03/20	101	73	28	Night	Yes	87	84	3
08/02/20	97	75	22	Night	Yes	87	84	3
08/01/20	98	73	25	Night	Yes	86	83	3	Rained 2" at 4pm previous day, got very cool
07/31/20	98	80	18	Night	Yes	88	84	4
07/30/20	97	77	20	Night	Yes	88	84	4
07/29/20	101	75	26	Night	Yes	88	84	4	Rained at 5pm previous night
07/28/20	97	76	21	Night	Yes	88	85	3
07/27/20	95	77	18	Day	Yes	86	84	2	Ran Spa up to 95 with heater. Hit 95 at 5pm then rain storm came in and cooled to 77
07/26/20	93	77	16	Day	Yes	86	84	2	Ran Spa up to 95 with heater. Hit 93 at 5pm then rain storm came in and cooled to 77
07/25/20	99	79	20	Day	Yes	88	85	3	Ran Spa up to 92 with heater
07/24/20	100	82	18	Night	Yes	89	85	4
07/23/20	99	79	20	Night	Yes	89	85	4
07/22/20	94	79	15	Night	Yes	89	85	4	High humdity over night
07/21/20	98	77	21	Night	Yes	89	85	4
07/20/20	99	76	23	Night	Yes	89	86	3
07/19/20	97	76	21	Night	Yes	89	85	4
07/18/20	100	77	23	Night	Yes	90	86	4
07/17/20	100	79	21	Night	No	89	86	3	Forgot to put fountain up
07/16/20	101	76	25	Night	Yes	90	86	4
07/15/20	104	78	26	Night	Yes	90	86	4
07/14/20	108	77	31	Night	Yes	91	86	5
07/13/20	106	79	27	Night	Yes	91	87	4
07/12/20	102	79	23	Night	Yes	90	87	3
07/11/20	100	79	21	Night	Yes	90	87	3
07/10/20	100	79	21	Night	Yes	89	86	3
07/09/20	97	79	18	Night	Yes	88	84	4
07/08/20	99	79	20	Night	Yes	88	84	4	High temp went to 88 at 4pm and clouds
07/07/20	93	79	14	Night	Yes	88	84	4
07/06/20	100	78	22	Night	Yes	89	86	3	Drizzle overnight, high humidity
07/05/20	100	76	24	Night	Yes	88	85	3
07/04/20	99	74	25	Night	Yes	89	85	4	Put some umbrellas out during daytime
07/03/20	96	77	19	Day	No	88	84	4
07/02/20	94	79	15	Day	No	86	83	3
07/01/20	92	79	13	Day	No	85	83	2
06/30/20	89	79	10	Day	No	85	82	3	High humididty
06/29/20	86	75	11	Day	No	86	82	4	Rained at 5pm previous night
06/28/20	93	79	14	Day	No	86	83	3	High humidity
06/27/20	86	76	10	Day	No	84	82	2	Some rain and high humidity
06/26/20	94	73	21	Day	No	85	83	2	Some rain and high humidity
06/25/20	82	72	10	Day	No	83	81	2	Some rain and high humidity
06/24/20	92	73	19	Night	Yes	86	82	4
06/23/20	92	71	21	Night	Yes	87	83	4	Overnight low of 77, but 1-2" of rain at 7am lowered to 71
06/22/20	96	78	18	Night	Yes	88	84	4
06/21/20	94	77	17	Night	Yes	87	84	3
06/20/20	94	70	24	Night	Yes	86	82	4	Overnight low of 77, but 1-2" of rain at 7am lowered to 70
06/19/20	95	77	18	Night	Yes	87	83	4
06/18/20	94	72	22	Night	Yes	86	83	3
06/17/20	94	72	22	Night	Yes	87	83	4
06/16/20	94	76	18	Night	Yes	86	83	3
06/15/20	94	69	25	Night	Yes	N/A	N/A	N/A
06/14/20	94	67	27	Day	Yes	86	81	5
06/13/20	93	68	25	Night	Yes	86	81	5
06/12/20	95	64	31	Day	Yes	86	81	5
06/11/20	93	63	30	Night	Yes	86	81	5
06/10/20	100	69	31	Night	Yes	91	84	7
06/09/20	100	77	23	Night	Yes	90	86	4
06/08/20	95	74	21	Night	Yes	90	86	4
06/07/20	95	74	21	Day	No	89	86	3

 

[Dirk]

Wow, nice work. What a great effort. If you make changes to your cooling (adding a chiller, shade, more/different fountain(s), etc), you'll have this great baseline resource to compare to. Did you come to any other conclusions? Or decide on any specific course of action for next season?

 

[DB-Cooper]

Wow, nice work. What a great effort. If you make changes to your cooling (adding a chiller, shade, more/different fountain(s), etc), you'll have this great baseline resource to compare to. Did you come to any other conclusions? Or decide on any specific course of action for next season?

We really like warm water. There was only 1 or 2 days that were a little too warm but not too warm to not have a blast. If anything, I’ll dial back my cooling efforts if I see cooler days in the forecast.

88-89 is our perfect water temp so I’m able to mostly control that. The record breaking June heat we had was the real anomaly. The long July/August heat didn’t really bother with the pool temps.

 

[duraleigh]

I only skimmed the thread but got a good look at the pic in operation up in post #2.

If you haven't already modified it, your droplets are too big. Make them smaller, make your fountain "spray" even mist-like, and you will see a dramatic improvement