Does a low humidity climate keep my swimming pool from heating up?

Question

I live in Las Vegas where the weather is very hot with low humidity. No matter how warm it gets outside the water temperature of the pool water remains cold. I am from the mid-west where it is more humid and the water warms up much faster. Is it possible that the lower humidity makes the water evaporate faster and cools the water?

Answer 1

Yep, the evaporation removes the heat from the pool.  Something like 60% of the energy leaves through evaporation.

A solar blanket makes a HUGE difference, because it prevents that evaporation.  Check out In The Swim.  They have great prices, and no charge on a lot of next day deliveries.

Answer 2

Yes,what you say is correct.

Answer 3

Relative air humidity has no effect on the water temp.  Simply put the air is way less dense than water.  A cover will improve your water temperature by acting as a solar collector, they are usually a dark color and will pass their collected heat to the pool water they float on.  But the cover will keep the heat in the pool better bacause of this fact.  The cover will keep the wind off the water.  Evaporation will be minimized with a cover as well as chemical loss.

All sounds really good huh?  

The bad thing about covers is you have to hold them down some how due to the wind.  Some use rocks and cinder blocks for this.  If a small animal falls onto the cover the cover sinks and surrounds the animal making swimming difficult. Same happens to people.

You could get a fully secured cover but they are very expensive.

Last, the worst thing about a cover is your pool is out of sight and mind.  People tend to forget their pools and they go south really quickly.  A lot say, why I had no idea my pool turned into a frog pond.

You still want a cover?  Promise yourself that you will revove the cover several times a week to survey the pool and check water chemistry then recover.

Lastly, here in sunny Southern California my pool now is 70* and outside 95* today.  Overnight 60*.  What I have found is here the pool/spa temperature is dictated by the overnight temp. My pool is naturally heated and white plaster.  Pools with darker plaster heat up faster.

You're welcome!!

Answer 4

The low humidity does make the pool cooler.  It is why you don't feel the heat as much there.  The water evaporating off your body cools you the same way.