Paying for pool heat during winter months- experiences

[Penmac]

i just read a review on a nice VRBO property. The renter was disappointed that although they paid for pool heat during their early March trip, the water was way too cold for anyone to swim. She pointed out that her kids normally swim in colder water, so this was excessively cold. Not sure if it was broken, or pool heat was inadequate but I would love to hear if anyone can add to this topic.

We are considering a winter trip for the first time and would possibly rent a house with pool. Want to know if I am spending $40 more per night that it will actually be warm enough to swim. I know temps can range greatly at this time of year but overall, would love to know how others have fared with pool heat in Jan/Feb.

My kids will happily swim in 70 degree weather in New England oceans so they truly are not picky. But cold ocean water is sometimes easier to deal with than a feeezing pool!

 

[Macprincess]

I'm a pool owner in Florida. While I can't speak for every pool and type of heater, I can tell you that our pool/heater is 14 years old, and it takes several hours (24ish) to get a good heat when it has not been on for a while in the winter months. It's also quite expensive so most pool owners I know only heat it in the colder season if they use it daily. For us, we typically wait until the warmer weather has arrived for good before we give our pool a good heating. This is usually in mid March/early April. We turn on the heat and give our pool a good heat for a day or two. Knowing full well our next bill will be mighty high. Then we turn it off and let mother nature take over. After this heating we usually don't heat it again. We do also have a spa that is attached to our pool with and overflow water feature into the pool so when we heat up the spa hot it water does flow into the pool this way as well.

If I were in your situation I would want to know does the owner turn the pool heat on before you arrive? If so when and how long does that particular pool/heater typically take to give the pool a good heating?

I'm not sure if this information is helpful but it's been our backyard pool experience.

 

[Penmac]

I'm a pool owner in Florida. While I can't speak for every pool and type of heater, I can tell you that our pool/heater is 14 years old, and it takes several hours (24ish) to get a good heat when it has not been on for a while in the winter months. It's also quite expensive so most pool owners I know only heat it in the colder season if they use it daily. For us, we typically wait until the warmer weather has arrived for good before we give our pool a good heating. This is usually in mid March/early April. We turn on the heat and give our pool a good heat for a day or two. Knowing full well our next bill will be mighty high. Then we turn it off and let mother nature take over. After this heating we usually don't heat it again. We do also have a spa that is attached to our pool with and overflow water feature into the pool so when we heat up the spa hot it water does flow into the pool this way as well.

If I were in your situation I would want to know does the owner turn the pool heat on before you arrive? If so when and how long does that particular pool/heater typically take to give the pool a good heating?

I'm not sure if this information is helpful but it's been our backyard pool experience.

Thank you for this information. All helpful. From my research, it seems like most VRBO properties w/ private, heated pools offer the pool heat as an optional add-on for an additional fee. I guess it could be possible the pool could be heated for a week before we arrive if the renters before utilize it. Then, we would have nice warm water and could maintain it all week. It's equally as likely the pool heat may not have been turned on for weeks. So, I guess we run the risk of having 2 or 3 days where we pay for "heat" but don't reap the benefits until later in the week. You've provided me with several good questions to ask the owners/management companies if we do go this route, so thanks again!

 

[DISNEYSQUIRRELS]

I have rented rented several vacation homes in Florida over many years.
Every time we opted to heat the pool, we regretted it. As the previous poster mentioned, it takes time to adequately heat the pool, so if the house isn’t consistently rented & the pool heated, you will be starting from scratch.
When we go in the cooler months & need a rental home vs a hotel room, I opt for a rental that has a community pool.
It’s no fun being on the phone with your vacation rental company talking about how the pool heat isn’t working & having to defend yourself.

 

[OSUZorba]

As an option, you could look into Wyndham Bonnet Creek. Their pools are nice and warm in the winter. And $/room is as good or better than most VRBOs, in my experience.

 

[Penmac]

I have rented rented several vacation homes in Florida over many years.
Every time we opted to heat the pool, we regretted it. As the previous poster mentioned, it takes time to adequately heat the pool, so if the house isn’t consistently rented & the pool heated, you will be starting from scratch.
When we go in the cooler months & need a rental home vs a hotel room, I opt for a rental that has a community pool.
It’s no fun being on the phone with your vacation rental company talking about how the pool heat isn’t working & having to defend yourself.

Exactly what I was looking for!! Thanks

 

[Penmac]

As an option, you could look into Wyndham Bonnet Creek. Their pools are nice and warm in the winter. And $/room is as good or better than most VRBOs, in my experience.

We have stayed here and enjoyed it. It’s probably the route we will go again. I remember the lazy river was also warmer than the other pools.

 

[a1tinkfans]

We heat year round and yes, it’s costly but worth the expense. I also like it
“ ridiculously” warm per the hubby ... agree with others that unless it’s maintained warm.. it takes a bit of time to heat up. And with waterfalls etc.. will take some extra time to get it good and heated up.
Hope u find what works... it’s awfully nice to end the night relaxing in some warm pool water.

 

[OSUZorba]

We have stayed here and enjoyed it. It’s probably the route we will go again. I remember the lazy river was also warmer than the other pools.

Yeah, we were there the first week of Feb in 2017, and only swam at night. The pool was fine for me, but a little chilly for our not quite 1 yo DD. She was good in the lazy river by Tower 4 though, even at night and she was pretty sensitive to cold water back then.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We turn our pool heater on once the weather turns cooler. We also have a pool blanket that we use every night. When we plan to use the pool, we roll up the blanket. When we get out of the pool, we cover it back up. It just floats on top of the water. It does keep it warmer.

We replaced the pool heater and added the pool blanket last January. Our old pool heater was 17 years old and didn't work.

 

[MomOTwins]

It gets quite cold at night, so maybe consider a hot tub? I don't think any pool with heat is going to be actually warm in winter.

 

[mamaofsix]

We rent homes every time we go (Windsor Hills, Windsor Palms) and always pay for the extra pool heat in the Winter. It has ALWAYS been warm. The only time we had a problem was actually when it was TOO warm (like, a bath tub). A quick call to the rental company and it was fixed immediately. I imagine the story you heard was someone who either didn't call to have it fixed/adjust, or didn't have a great person they were renting from. If they paid for pool heat and it was cold, they should have been given the $$$ back they paid for heat immediately. We've had times where pool heat wasn't on for the renters before us. It never took more than 12 hours for the pool to get up to the right heat. When you're staying for an entire week, 12 hours isn't that big of a deal.

 

[McKelly]

When we rented a house with a pool in Windsor Palms in March, we paid for heat. The water was like bath water the entire week.

 

[Penmac]

Anyone who has had good success with renting homes close to Disney with warm pools in winter, I would love some recommendations. We are looking around now and it would be great to have some options. We will likely go with a hotel condo with community pool, but we are also considering splitting a home with my friend and her family. We would need a 4-5 bedroom home that sleeps 12. I have found some reasonably priced options on VRBO, etc., but it's impossible to differentiate the bath water rentals from the freezing cold ones!

 

[mamaofsix]

We have found Windsor Hills homes to be the best. Do a search for Windsor Hills and the size of home you want on Trip Advisor. There will be lots of reviews for you to read and stories about pool heat