Keeping Pool Cool

First off I wanted to thank everyone on here for their help. I'm a first time owner that knew absolutely nothing about maintaining a pool, until I stumbled upon this site.

I own a 2,800 gallon above ground pool, and live in Florida. It is in direct sunlight for roughly 5 hours a day, and lately it has been HOT down here! I just measured the water temp at 7:38pm and it is 94 degrees, and that's going all the way down to the bottom.

Is there any effective way to keep it cool? I have one of those cheap covers that's basically like a tarp. I thought about using that during the day but then I read that a lot of heat is lost due to evaporation. I know it's a small pool so it may be a lost cause until it cools down a little, but if there's anything I can do I would LOVE to know! Thanks!

I assume your pool is one of the smaller 'donut' pools with an undersized catridge filter and pump. There really is no way to cool a small pool like this down that will not cause excessive evaporation. Your pump will not have enough power to support an fountain, which cools by evaporation. The problem is that a small pool like that heats up quickly in the Florida sun. My own pool in N. Fl has been staying between 87 and 90 degrees so far all summer (which is fine with me since I prefer warmer water) My heatpump is reverse cycle so I can use it to cool the water if I want but I never have.

I run my pump at night with a cheap fountain from Leslie's, and it helps cool it a little bit. The only other thing I know is to add new water--my kids keep the slide running while they're swimming, mainly to play in the cooler water!

BTW,welcome to the site!!

Janet

Have you considered a cantilever umbrella to shield it from the sun? That's a small pool and the biggest umbrellas would easily shade it and angle to continue blocking the sun. We have a couple of the cantilever, angling umbrellas and they do a great job of protecting our deck as awning isn't possible.