Pool too cold

[CarolineH]

I have guests arriving tomorrow with children who are 7, 5, 3 yo and 3 months.

This is the first season that I have a swimming pool with cover and the temperature has come down over the last two weeks (with frosty nights) from 28° to 21°. I have had my pool consultant here this morning, who has pointed out some problems with the settings for the heat pump, which means that it is not working as efficiently as it should. I should be able to maintain the water heat at around 26°, but for this season (especially for next week) it will be impossible to get the temperature back to where it should be.

I am worried that the clients will be unhappy. What should I do? They are only here for 5 nights and have already had a reduction on the weekly rent. I will be honest and explain the problem to them, but that doesn't change the fact that they are expecting to be able to swim.

[wallypott]

They might want to swim a bit faster than usual! Sorry not a very helpful answer, but honestly for the kids it won't be an issue. My kids 5 & 7 will swim in the sea in January (in Normandy) and in unheated mountain pool in spain in April (in the rain). OK mine are little savages, but most kids won't notice for long. And because its colder out they will have less of a thermal shock.

Do you not have a plastic cover to put on too, to help bring the temperature up a bit quicker? Others here will surely know what to do, but logically if you can stop the heat bleeding out, it must be possible to bring it up quicker. Can you heat the air under the abri?

Why have they already had a discount? I don't know about you but I have just put the heating on, so discounts are a bit of a bummer from here on in.

[Ju]

When you say a cover I assume you mean an arbri. In which case 26C is fine, I wouldn't even mention it to the guests.

[pepsipuss]

I don't think 26 is much of a problem. My ideal swimming temp is between 26 and 29, but I suppose it does make a difference when the air temperature on exit is in the high twenties/thirties. But I also swim at 21 and it is ok as long as you get in quickly and move around!

[Montana]

Not sure I'd mention it - it's the end of October in Brittany so I doubt they are expecting Caribbean-like swimming conditions, and 26 sounds fine to me.

As others say, the children are unlikely to notice. My boys swim in an alpine lake in July which - to me - feels Baltic, but they love it

[KathyG]

I think 26º is perfectly acceptable Caroline. We aim to keep ours at 27º and explain this to guests and say 'but this is dependent on ambient temperatures'. I expect ours at the moment is probably something more likely to be in the low 20's (we don't have an abri ). We haven't had any comments from anyone about the pool temperature in the 5 years we've had it. So I wouldn't even mention it to guests at all.

[la vache!]

Caroline said her pool was 21°C not 26°C as she hoped.

21°C is quite chilly, but I wouldn't say anything to guests. Mine was 28°C last year as it was mild, but is only 26°C this half term - it has been cold at night.

[pepsipuss]

Caroline said her pool was 21°C not 26°C as she hoped.

I read that wrong too. But I still reckon 21 should be fine for kids - I don't suppose the sea around UK gets to that most summers!

[joddle]

We don't have any pool heating or a cover so the temp does rise and fall a bit and at the moment is around the 24 mark but can drop to 21ish at theis tie of year. No one has ever complained and many have commented on how the kids love it - even though its too cold for me!!! I think so long as you have not promised, or led peole to expect a high temperature, things should be OK.

[CarolineH]

Thanks for all your comments - sorry, was snowed under yesterday!

The pool has a large 3m high x 8m wide cover, which effectively creates a large cloud over the water, thus cooling it down - much better off with a lower cover for keeping the water warm (you'll be smiling LV!!). The main reason for the drop in temperature is that I have a super powerful filtration pump which filters at about 8m3 per hour, but the heat pump needs a much slower passage of water - max 3m3 per hour - I have three big taps to play with to regulate this, but it seems to be very hit and miss for my logical mind

Anyway, today temperature is 23° and I think that I will not mention it to the guests, if they say anything, just explain that we have had frosty nights last week ... what can they expect in October? They are already paying a reduced rate because they asked and I wanted the business ....

[brenda]

With the rain we have had over the past 48 hours our pool temperature has fallen to 22 degrees.

Our current Dutch guests are in the pool as I write this.

If you have told your guests to expect 26 degrees I think it is only fair to warn them that, due to adverse weather conditions, the temperature has dropped. If you have not quoted an average temperature I cannot see any reason to tell them.

[pepsipuss]

Our pool is about 22 as well and our German guests have been swimming happily since they arrived on Thursday.

[Big Sis..]

Thanks for all your comments - sorry, was snowed under yesterday!

Ow Blimey that would make a difference to the pool temperature

[pepsipuss]

Thanks for all your comments - sorry, was snowed under yesterday!

Ow Blimey that would make a difference to the pool temperature

[la vache!]

The main reason for the drop in temperature is that I have a super powerful filtration pump which filters at about 8m3 per hour, but the heat pump needs a much slower passage of water - max 3m3 per hour - I have three big taps to play with to regulate this, but it seems to be very hit and miss for my logical mind

It is easy, you can control the debit d'eau by turning the heat pump taps so the water flow in and out is either increased or decreased. You can also adjust the pool filtration unit to reduce the water flow through to the heat pump if necessary. It takes a little fiddling, but it isn't that difficult (I've always managed!)