How much temperature does a pool lose overnight?
Pools that are not covered can lose 4° F to 5° F overnight in most parts of the country. With a cover, you can reduce that heat loss by 50% or more.
The general rule of thumb for an outdoor unheated pool is that it's the average temperature for the preceding week (so if it's 90ºF/32ºC all day and 70ºF/21ºC at night, which is pretty common in August, you're looking at 80ºF/27ºC.) But if you prefer to swim in bathwater temperatures, then yes, pay to have it heated.
On average, swimming pools lose about a quarter of an inch of water each day, yet variations in wind intensity, humidity and sunlight can drastically change water loss rates. Some of the strongest and most intense wind in the country can be found in mountainous regions.
For the most part, water temperature is often a few degrees less than the outside temperature. According to the National Data Buoy Center, this tends to happen because heat travels at a slower rate in water than in air.
Tips to Get Your Pool Temperature Just Right
The average surface pool temperature for a heated pool is between 82°F and 86°F degrees, but anything lower than 77°F degrees will make it difficult to swim.
When water temperatures are between 60 and 70 degrees it becomes progressively more difficult to control your breathing. It becomes very dangerous in water temperatures between 50 and 60 degrees. You lose the ability to control breathing in this temperature range, according to the National Center for Cold Water Safety.
It is normal for water temperature to be less than air temperature because evaporation takes heat from the water. With lower humidity in the air, evaporation is greater, increasing the temperature difference.
The differential that occurs between the pool water temperature and the air temperature on late summer nights causes water to evaporate at an accelerated rate. In some cases you might see a water level difference of 1-3 inches overnight. Depending on the size of your pool, that can be over 500 gallons of water loss!
A pool that is uncovered can lose up to 5° F overnight; a good cover can cut that loss by half. Used at night or whenever your pool is not in use, the pool cover can help save fuel costs by cutting heat loss regardless of the type of heating you utilize.
The average pool water evaporation rate is about a quarter of an inch of water per day or more than two inches in a week, which on a 33′ x 18′ swimming pool (an average pool size) is more than 2500 liters or approximately 600 gallons a week; this may vary depending on your climate and the factors listed above.
Does an 80 degree pool feel cold?
Picking the Perfect Temp
Pool water temperatures typically run between 78 and 82 degrees. Any cooler than 78 and you may come out of the pool shivering. Any warmer than 82 and you may feel like you're taking a bath.
A Lukewarm Dip
You'll find the temperature between 77 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit to be neither too cold nor too warm. It could work for you with either preference. Should anyone from your household desire a lukewarm dip, then this could be their ideal temperature.

Safety and Comfort
For example, Mayo Clinic suggests that younger children and the elderly will generally need warmer temperatures ranging from 84°F to 94°F, while a comfortable pool temperature for adults is 85°F to 89°F. If you are swimming for fitness, cooler temperatures of 78°F to 84°F are recommended.
Pool water temperatures typically range from 78ºF to 82ºF. The American Red Cross recommends a temperature of 78ºF for competitive swimming. This coincides with good fuel savings. However, this may be too cool for young children and the elderly, who may require a temperature of 80ºF or higher.
Safety and Comfort. According to the American Red Cross the recommended water temperature ranges from 78°F to 85°F for the most comfortable and safe swimming experience, but it can vary depending on who is using the pool, and for what purpose.
According to The United States Water Fitness Association, water temperatures for younger children and the elderly will generally need warmer temperatures ranging from 84 to 94 degrees Fahrenheit, while a comfortable pool temperature for adults is 85 to 89 degrees.
The Timeline of Hypothermia
When the water temperature is 40 degrees or below, serious injury can result in as little as a few minutes. Even in water temperatures approaching 50 degrees, death can occur within the first hour of cold water immersion.
Water has much greater density than air, it immediately destroys most of the insulation provided by your clothing, and it also conducts heat away from your body much faster than air.
70 Degrees - 60 Degrees
Now things are getting chilly! This water temperature is, unless you are accustomed to it, probably uncomfortably cold. Your breathing will be harder to maintain in this temperature, and you won't be able to hold your breath nearly as long as you would otherwise.
According to the National Center for Cold Water Safety, water temperatures below 70 degrees Fahrenheit should be treated with caution. Water temperatures between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit makes it difficult to control your breathing, and anything lower than 40 degrees is painfully cold.
What is the 100 degree rule for water?
As a general rule, if the air and water temperature added together equal less than 100 degrees Fahrenheit you should take the following steps: Wear a properly fitted life jacket. There are even special life jackets that have extra insulation to double as an additional warm layer. This could save your life!
A good rule of thumb to follow is the "120° rule." This means you should wear a wetsuit or dry suit whenever the sum of the air temperature and water temperature is equal to or less than 120°F. Warm weather does not cancel out the danger of cold water, wearing lighter clothing on a warm day increases risk.
Even though these circumstances have a lot to do water loss, they should not have a drastic effect on your water level. Most pools experience between 3mm - 7mm of water loss each day, depending on where you live.
The differential that occurs between the pool water temperature and the air temperature on late summer nights causes water to evaporate at an accelerated rate. In some cases you might see a water level difference of 1-3 inches overnight. Depending on the size of your pool, that can be over 500 gallons of water loss!
In the dry season, water will need to be added to your pool each week. If you are adding more than 2″ of water/week, you probably have a leak.
Now: If your pool temperature is 60 degrees and you want to swim in 80 degree water, you will have to run pool heater for 10 to 12 hours; the current per gallon cost of propane in CT is approximately $3.00. So the bottom line in this scenario: 10 hours X 4 gallons per hour X $3/gallon = $120 to heat your pool.
Use a Quality Solar Cover
Another great way to keep your pool warm is to use a solar cover over the top of the water. Solar blankets not only cover the water when it is not in use, but they absorb energy from the sun and convert it into heat to keep your water temperature topped up overnight.
If you're using a gas pool heater, it will typically take about 8-12 hours to heat up your swimming pool. Gas heaters are actually the fastest option for pool heating since they use natural gas to generate heat in cold temperatures.
The warm temperatures during the day heat your pool up, then the cooler temperatures at night cause the water to evaporate. This happens throughout the evening, until the sun comes out to warm the pool water again. Humidity: When humidity levels are high, evaporation is low.
Losing more than ½” of pool water per day indicates you likely have a leak in your pool's structure or your pool pump system.
Do pools lose more water at night?
The intense heat during the day mixed with the cooler weather at night is the perfect recipe for evaporation. Here's an easy explanation on why this water evaporation occurs. The difference in temperature between your pool water and the outside air is what causes evaporation.
Pool water temperatures typically run between 78 and 82 degrees. Any cooler than 78 and you may come out of the pool shivering. Any warmer than 82 and you may feel like you're taking a bath. So you could say that 78 degrees is the minimum swimming pool temperature and anything over 82 degrees could be too warm.
Most people prefer to swim in water that is between 78 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit (25 to 28 degrees Celsius). Water that is too cold can be uncomfortable and cause hypothermia, while water that is too warm can be unpleasant and cause overheating.
Difference Between Water and Air Temperatures
For the most part, water temperature is often a few degrees less than the outside temperature. According to the National Data Buoy Center, this tends to happen because heat travels at a slower rate in water than in air.
Pool water temperatures typically run between 78 and 82 degrees. Any cooler than 78 and you may come out of the pool shivering. Any warmer than 82 and you may feel like you're taking a bath. So you could say that 78 degrees is the minimum swimming pool temperature and anything over 82 degrees could be too warm.
To quickly heat up your swimming pool, electric heat exchangers work better and faster than the solar methods explained above. They contain a corrosion-resistant heating element made from titanium. The electricity heats the resistor, which in turn transfers the heat to the water flowing past the resistance.
Retaining Water
Why do you feel Pool water warmer at night? Because Air has a normal tendency to absorb the heat and cools faster than water.
LiveStrong suggests these ideal water temperatures for various activities: For lap swimming or racing, 78-82 degrees. For children and older adults, 82-86 degrees. For babies, 84-86 degrees.
If you're looking for a perfect pool temperature, not too hot, not too cold, 77 – 82 degrees (25 – 28°C) may be the way to go according to most recreational swimmers. In most cases, pools should be comfortable, and the average swimmer will agree with this.
Casual swimming—Most casual swimming pool users like the water in the 84-86 degree range. Hotels and resorts typically try to maintain their pool water temperature in this range. Warm water swimming—There are some people that like the water to be in the low 90's before they are real comfortable in the water.
What water temperature is too hot for swimming?
But swimming, training or standing in hot or warm water that is 90 degrees or above for too long can raise your body temperature, leading to hypothermia, exhaustion, dehydration, fatigue, nausea, loss of body fluids through sweat. (Yes, you sweat when swimming.) And even heat stroke.
A professional swimming pool water thermometer is a necessary temperature measuring instrument. It is easy to use, just put the water temperature meter directly into the water, it usually takes 1-2 minutes, just remove the water surface to read the degree.
Swimming pool water temperature matters for your comfort as well as for the water chemistry. If the water is too warm it invites bacteria and algae to grow and bloom. Water temperatures in the 85 degree range is an invitation for bacteria to curl up in a corner of the pool and begin growing.
Many recreational pool temperatures are kept around 80 degrees, but children are happiest when the water temperature is closer to their natural body temperature. Ideally, this is around 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
It all depends what you are relating your reference point to. 75 degree air from a heater feels warm on a very cold day. Jumping into the same temperature water feels cold because the liquid contacts the skin all over and the body can't warm the water at all before new cold water comes onto it.
There are three different pieces of equipment that dealers suggest using to cool a pool: aerators, mechanical evaporative coolers and reverse-cycle heat pumps. All of these are effective and affordable for pool maintenance.
It depends on a few things to determine how long it takes a heat pump to heat a pool. However, overall a heat pump generally heats a pool after 24 to 72 hours by 20-degrees Fahrenheit. For smaller pools like a spa pool, the heat pump can heat a pool between 45 and 60 minutes.
With summer temperatures in full effect at this point, your swimming pool water is in the high 80's or above 90 degrees. At this point, if you haven't balanced your water chemistry or monitored your filtration it won't take long for algae to grow.
This culprit is evaporation, through which water molecules liberate themselves from warm water and escape into the air as water vapor. As the water molecules leave the pool, they take heat energy with them, causing the pool water temperature to fall.
Because Air has a normal tendency to absorb the heat and cools faster than water.
Is 75 degrees too cold to swim?
Safe temperatures for swimming pools vary with type of activity. According to the World Health Organization, water temperatures ranging from 78 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit are generally comfortable and safe for those engaging in moderate physical activity in a pool.
According to the National Center for Cold Water Safety, water temperatures below 70 degrees Fahrenheit should be treated with caution. Water temperatures between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit makes it difficult to control your breathing, and anything lower than 40 degrees is painfully cold.
When water temperatures are between 60 and 70 degrees it becomes progressively more difficult to control your breathing. It becomes very dangerous in water temperatures between 50 and 60 degrees. You lose the ability to control breathing in this temperature range, according to the National Center for Cold Water Safety.
According to the World Health Organization, water temperatures ranging from 78 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit are generally comfortable and safe for those engaging in moderate physical activity in a pool.
After the sun goes down, the pool radiates much of its heat into a cool or cold night. The morning sunlight will begin to heat the water and you won't notice the rise is pool temperature until later in the day.
Safety and Comfort. According to the American Red Cross the recommended water temperature ranges from 78°F to 85°F for the most comfortable and safe swimming experience, but it can vary depending on who is using the pool, and for what purpose.
No matter where you're swimming, avoiding water below 70 degrees Fahrenheit is a good rule of thumb for the average swimmer. The truth of the matter, though, is that 70 degrees is still pretty chilly. You'll probably have a better time if you wait for warmer water. In fact, you'll be safer, too.
The Timeline of Hypothermia
When the water temperature is 40 degrees or below, serious injury can result in as little as a few minutes. Even in water temperatures approaching 50 degrees, death can occur within the first hour of cold water immersion.
Javier Mendez, parks and recreation director, said studies have shown several potential health problems associated with colder water temperatures and that 72 seemed to be a good cutoff temperature. “If it goes below 72, then we'll close it,” Mendez said. “That way we won't have any issues with that pool.”
The water was exceptionally cold, averaging around 28°F (-2°C) when the Titanic sank. These freezing temperatures greatly affected the passengers and crew in the shipwreck, as hypothermia quickly set in for those exposed to the water.
What temperature is warm enough to swim?
Safe temperatures for swimming pools vary with type of activity. According to the World Health Organization, water temperatures ranging from 78 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit are generally comfortable and safe for those engaging in moderate physical activity in a pool.
At a water temperature of 40 to 50 degrees, death may occur in 1 - 3 hours. At a water temperature of 50 - 60 degrees, death may occur in 1 - 6 hours. At a water temperature of 60 - 70 degrees, death may occur in 2 - 40 hours.
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