How to either cheaply heat a pool, or heat a pool for one day?

[gcorcoran13]

I am having a graduation party in May, and my pool tends to be cold at this time of year. It usually sits around 63-66 degrees. I would really like people to be able to swim at the party, and the only way I realistically see that happening is if I can get the pool up to at least 70, possibly approaching 75 degrees.

Does anyone have any advice on how I can do this without spending thousands on a heater? Ideally, I would spend as little as possible with as much benefit as possible.

I know that solar covers work, but in the past they have only increased our pools temperature by around 2 degrees. It's a start, but is there anything else I can do?

Thanks so much!!!

[PoolDoc]

The only people who consistently enjoy swimming in a 70 degree pool in May are 11 year old boys, and residents of Maine who think they are having a heat wave when the water at the beach gets up to 60! For most others, 75 is comfortable for many under FULL sun; but it has to be 80+ before most people enjoy a pool on an overcast day.

Those are pretty much the 'people' parameters you have to work with. Now for the water ones. You want 10 degrees of heat; that's a lot.

Solar heating systems -- the flat black poly panels -- might give you that . . . if you have sunny days, well placed panels, cover the pool at night, don't circulate the water through the panels at night, and so on. And such a system might only cost you a few hundred dollars . . . if you install it yourself (correctly), and get a good deal on the panels, and have a fairly small pool.

But, when you're asking for 10+ degrees of reliable (can-count-on-the-pool-for-the-party-plans) pool heat, you're asking for a lot.

Al (Poconos, one of the moderators) can probably come up with something that will work, but it will take a lot of tinkering.

BTW, if you have an inground pool, and paint it with Viking Blue epoxy, that's probably good for 3 - 5 degrees in a typical May.

[Poconos]

Welcome to the forum.
Sorry I don't have any solution to your problem. Believe me, if I did I would have done it myself many years ago. The things that Ben mentioned, solar cover and solar panels, do work but as he said, not guaranteed when you need it. Unfortunately a gas heater is the only device I know of that has enough BTU capacity to do what you want as fast as you want.
Al

[PoolDoc]

Thanks, Al. I knew of there was a way to do what he wanted, you'd know.

[Poconos]

Know? I didn't know.

[PoolDoc]

So, now I know that what I thought I knew before -- that there was no method -- was knowledge and not it's absence. (it's almost 2am; I need to go to bed.)