It was 70° this morning when I entered my above-ground pool. The temperature of the water was 86°. Finally, no pool-heater gas was needed.
In these past winter months, from November through February, my gas-operated pool pump has turned on each morning automatically at 6:30. In just one hour and 30 minutes, my pool was heated to 86°. There is usually an overnight loss of four degrees. So in the morning my pool temperature was around 82°. To get the pool temperature back to 86° each morning, the cost of gas for pool heating was three dollars.
I figured that my monthly pool heating took up $100 of our $180 monthly winter gas bill.
With the sunny days of March through October, the sun heats up the pool water in my DIY tent-covered above-ground pool. The water temperature reaches 90° by the end of the day. The four-degree overnight drop results in 86° pool water, just in time for my early morning swim. And, no pool gas heating is necessary.
Skin and Eyes
Besides saving gas money, my tent-covered pool saves my skin and my eyes.
The greenhouse plastic I use to tent-cover the 9’x11’ pool is UV resistant. I usually swim in the early morning, before the sun shines bright. If I swim later in the day, I will don my sunglasses to reduce the brightness. But there is no fear of UV radiation, which can result in damage to DNA and other cellular structures.
Muscle Tone and Balance
I do not swim laps, but I do keep moving with a variety of strokes. Thanks to my tent-covered pool, I can swim comfortably on cold, rainy, and windy days. When the outside temperature is 45° the temperature of the air inside the pool tent is 70°. I swim with and without hand weights. I do squats every day to strengthen my quads for better balance.
Outlook on Life
In the water, I am a happy fish. As I am swimming underwater a smile lights up my face. I realize how lucky I am to have my health, my family, and my happiness. I realize that my tent-covered-pool could be regarded as an eyesore to some. To me, though, this under-$200 investment is the best thing since sliced bread.
Mr. Ebsen may be contacted at robertzebsen51@gmail.com