Pool swim season in Ames, IA
Swim season in Ames without a heater, and with one
An unheated pool in Ames never reaches 78°F in a normal year. It peaks around 75°F in Jul. The air allows up to 5 swimmable months with a heater (May to Sep).
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Heater options for a Ames pool, side by side
| Option | Months | Swimmable | Energy/yr | All-in/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No heater | 0 | no month | $0 | $0 |
| Solar cover only | 2 | Jul to Aug | $0 | $50 |
| Solar panels + cover | 4 | Jun to Sep | $0 | $283 |
| Heat pump + cover | 5 | May to Sep | $232 | $782 |
| Gas heater + cover | 5 | May to Sep | $330 | $755 |
For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at IA prices of 14.6¢/kWh electricity and $11/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.
The cheapest way to the full season in Ames
Solar panels + cover: 4 of 5 possible months for about $283 a year all-in, which works out near $71 for each month it adds.
Before you pay for any heater, buy a solar cover: on its own it adds 2 months here for about $50 a year (why a cover comes first). If you get quotes, ask for gas as well as a heat pump: once the purchase price is counted, gas comes out cheaper all-in here (heat pump or gas).
Weather station: Ames Municipal Airport, 2.5 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Ames month by month: air, sun and pool water
| Month | Air high | Air avg | Sun kWh/m²/day | Water, unheated | Water, covered | Heat pump $ | Gas $ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29° | 20° | 1.9 | 21° | 27° | – | – |
| Feb | 33° | 24° | 3.0 | 22° | 28° | – | – |
| Mar | 47° | 37° | 3.8 | 32° | 38° | – | – |
| Apr | 61° | 49° | 4.8 | 45° | 51° | – | – |
| May | 72° | 61° | 5.6 | 58° | 64° | $146 | $201 |
| Jun | 81° | 71° | 6.2 | 69° | 75° | $40 | $63 |
| Jul | 84° | 73° | 6.4 | 75° | 81° | – | – |
| Aug | 82° | 71° | 5.5 | 75° | 81° | – | – |
| Sep | 76° | 63° | 4.4 | 69° | 75° | $46 | $66 |
| Oct | 63° | 51° | 3.0 | 57° | 63° | – | – |
| Nov | 47° | 37° | 2.1 | 43° | 49° | – | – |
| Dec | 34° | 25° | 1.6 | 30° | 36° | – | – |
Heating costs most in May (about $146 with a heat pump, $201 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jul at 6.4 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 53.6 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Ames compares with nearby cities
Ames ranks 33 of 41 Iowa cities for unheated swim months, and no nearby city gets a longer unheated season.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boone, IA | 13 mi | 0 | 5 | $247 |
| Ankeny, IA | 20 mi | 0 | 5 | $207 |
| Johnston, IA | 24 mi | 0 | 5 | $188 |
| Grimes, IA | 26 mi | 0 | 5 | $188 |
| Altoona, IA | 27 mi | 0 | 5 | $207 |
| Urbandale, IA | 28 mi | 0 | 5 | $188 |