About Pool Heat...
We have included pool heat in our pool -- with some conditions. We have added a small amount to our rates during the winter months to help cover the cost of trying to heat the pool to make it comfortable for you. If we are unable to heat the pool sufficiently during October thru February, we will refund up to $10 per day to you of the rent on the home. A condition which applies to you as our guest is that during the times that you are not using the pool, you must re-cover the pool with the solar blanket to prevent heat loss. Without your cooperation,a refund of a portion of the rent can not be honored. Our goal is to provide you swimming enjoyment in 85 degree water everyday of the year...
A Solar pool heater consists of collectors on the roof through which the pool water is pumped. The sun heats the collector and the heat is transferred to the water then returned to the pool.
Heat from the pool is lost as the heat radiates away from the water. During the summer, the solar system is able to replace the heat as quickly as it is lost. During cooler weather the heat loss can be very quick. The temperature of the pool can drop 40 degrees overnight! To stop the heat loss a solar blanket is placed on the pool to hold the heat in.
When you come to Florida to vacation, you expect to be able to play and swim in the warm Florida weather! But, the weather in Florida does not always cooperate. The average temperatures during the year range from
Month 
Avg. Avg. Avg
Avg. Avg. Avg High Low Mean
Jan 71°F48°F59°F
71°F48°F59°F Feb73°F49°F61°F
73°F49°F61°FMar79°F54°F66°F
79°F54°F66°FApr 83°F57°F70°F
83°F57°F70°F May88°F63°F76°F
88°F63°F76°FJun 90°F69°F80°F
90°F69°F80°F Jul 92°F 71°F81°F
92°F 71°F81°F Aug91°F 71°F81°F
91°F 71°F81°FSep89°F 70°F80°F
89°F 70°F80°FOct 83°F 64°F74°F
83°F 64°F74°F Nov77°F 57°F67°F
77°F 57°F67°F Dec72°F 50°F61°F
72°F 50°F61°F The roof top solar system can maintain heat up to 85 degrees on a sunny day. But getting there is a slow process. So, we have a natural gas heater in series with the solar system to provide heat at a faster rate. Most other vacation rentals charge $25 or more per day for gas generated heat. The third vital component for pool heat is the use of a solar blanket to keep the heat in the pool! We have provided a thick solar blanket which retains the heat. If left off, over-night the pool temperature would drop anywhere from 20 to 50 degrees depending upon weather conditions. If the swimming pools were all inside, it would be possible to provide reliable pool heat. But then the indoor environment would preclude enjoying the sun and fresh air. If bitter cold weather blows down from the north, not many people would want to venture out to swim, and it would not be practical to attempt to heat a pool when the temperature outdoors is in the 40 degree range! Even if we tried, the solar and gas heater on the pool probably would not raise the temperature enough to make it comfortable. They simply are not designed to produce that much heat.
Generally, if the night time low goes below 45 degrees and the following daytime high temperature does not reach 65 degrees, the design of the two systems may not be able to economically raise temperatures into the comfortable swimming category. .
It would take hours of appling heat and it would be lost almost as fast as it was added.
More Details about the conditions for pool heat
January is actually Florida’s coldest month and if the area gets hit with a severe winter storm, providing pool heat may become impossible. For example if the temperature were to drop to the mid-thirty degree level, we could run the pool heater 24 hours a day and the water would still be too cold to swim. Here are the average weather stats for January and February:
Monthly Averages for Kissimmee, FL (34747)
MonthAvg.HighAvg.LowMeanRecord HighRecord Low
Avg.HighAvg.LowMeanRecord HighRecord LowJan 71°F 47°F 59°F 89°F (2006)18°F (1985)
47°F 59°F 89°F (2006)18°F (1985)Feb 73°F 50°F 62°F 89°F (1988)17°F (2000)
50°F 62°F 89°F (1988)17°F (2000)Our goal is to provide your with the ability to swim comfortably every day during your stay. Our advertising reflects that pool heat is included in our rates, but contains the caveat that “some conditions apply”. There are some days when it is not possible to provide heat. For example in the statistics shown above, you can see dates when the temperatures were so low that pools literally froze! During periods of extreme cold or rainy weather when few guests would want to swim, we do not attempt to heat the pool. Almost eight months of the year, the solar system is able to keep the pool at or near 85 degrees. As a back-up, a gas heater supplements the solar system – unfortunately it is a more expensive system to operate.
Here are the “rules” about pool heat:
1.The guest is required to cover the pool with the provided solar blanket whenever the pool is not in use. If the pool is not covered, then gas heat will not be applied to replace lost heat. An uncovered pool can lose as much as 30 degrees of temperature. To restore that loss, the gas system would require more than eight hours of continuous operation.
The guest is required to cover the pool with the provided solar blanket whenever the pool is not in use. If the pool is not covered, then gas heat will not be applied to replace lost heat. An uncovered pool can lose as much as 30 degrees of temperature. To restore that loss, the gas system would require more than eight hours of continuous operation.2.Heating of the pool using gas will not be attempted on any day on which the previous night time temperature registered below 50 degrees or the current daytime temperature is below 60 degrees.
Heating of the pool using gas will not be attempted on any day on which the previous night time temperature registered below 50 degrees or the current daytime temperature is below 60 degrees.3.Heating of the pool using gas will not be attempted on any day during periods of heavy clouds and or rain for more than six hours.
Heating of the pool using gas will not be attempted on any day during periods of heavy clouds and or rain for more than six hours.4.Guests are requested to advise us by a short email or phone call if they will be on other adventures for a number of days and don’t plan to swim (such as visiting Disney World for two or three days in a row…). If we were charging you for pool heat, and you were spending three or four days at Disney, it would not be fair. So, if you know you will be in the parks please let us know so we don't waste money heating a pool that won't be used...
Guests are requested to advise us by a short email or phone call if they will be on other adventures for a number of days and don’t plan to swim (such as visiting Disney World for two or three days in a row…). If we were charging you for pool heat, and you were spending three or four days at Disney, it would not be fair. So, if you know you will be in the parks please let us know so we don't waste money heating a pool that won't be used... 