Above Ground Pool in the Shade

by Barbara
(Colorado Springs , CO)

We are considering placing a 12 ft diameter above ground pool very close to the house, and will therefore be in the shade for half the day. It will receive the morning sun and will start to lose sun at about noon or 1:00. The summer temperatures here range in the 80s and 90s and nights are in the 60s.

Do you think that the 6 or 7 hours of morning sun with a solar cover are enough to keep the water at a comfortable temperature? Do you have any warnings about placing a pool so close to the house?

Hi Barbara.

Placing the pool close to the house should not be a problem. Keeping it a comfortable swimming temperature should be easy enough with a solar cover. Since it will need to stay on daily you will probably want a cover reel system to make it easy to get off the pool and back on.

Solar panels are inexpensive and easy to set up if you find you need the pool just a few degrees warmer.

Pages related to a pool in the shade.

Swimming Pool Solar Panels

Solar Pool Cover

How Much Sun Does A Pool Need

by Bill
(Long Island, NY)

I'm installing an 18' round above ground pool. The area in which it is going will only get sun about half of the day. Will that create enough warmth to make the pool worth it?

Are there any low cost pool heating solutions?

Hi Bill.

How warm you want your pool water is purely a personal matter. A pool in Arizona, sitting in full sun all day when the temperature is 110, is just right for me.

There are some ways to make use of the limited amount of sunshine to keep your pool comfortable.

The first step is to get a good quality solar blanket and keep it on the pool most of the time. When the sun is out the solar cover will gather the heat and warm the water. During the times when there is no sun the cover will keep the heat in the pool, not letting it rise up into the cold air.

Solar panels are the next investment you could make. These are fairly inexpensive and could easily add ten degrees of warmth to you pool water.

Insulating your pool wall is another way of keeping the water warm. This can be done with a layer of wall foam on the inside of the pool or simply attaching Styrofoam to the outside.

The links below go to pages with more information about heating above ground pools.

Swimming Pool Solar Panels

Solar Pool Cover

Heating an Above Ground Pool