Pool swim season in Garden City, NY
When can you swim in an outdoor pool in Garden City, NY?
An unheated pool in Garden City reaches 78°F in Aug, about 1 month a year. The air allows up to 5 swimmable months with a heater (May to Sep).
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Heater options for a Garden City pool, side by side
| Option | Months | Swimmable | Energy/yr | All-in/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No heater | 1 | Aug | $0 | $0 |
| Solar cover only | 3 | Jul to Sep | $0 | $50 |
| Solar panels + cover | 4 | Jun to Sep | $0 | $283 |
| Heat pump + cover | 5 | May to Sep | $321 | $871 |
| Gas heater + cover | 5 | May to Sep | $382 | $807 |
For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at NY prices of 29.3¢/kWh electricity and $18/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.
The cheapest way to the full season in Garden City
Solar panels + cover: 4 of 5 possible months for about $283 a year all-in, which works out near $94 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: Mineola, 1.5 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Garden City 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 | 42° | 34° | 1.9 | 36° | 42° | – | – |
| Feb | 44° | 36° | 2.8 | 35° | 41° | – | – |
| Mar | 51° | 43° | 3.8 | 40° | 46° | – | – |
| Apr | 62° | 53° | 5.0 | 50° | 56° | – | – |
| May | 72° | 62° | 5.6 | 60° | 66° | $246 | $285 |
| Jun | 81° | 71° | 6.1 | 70° | 76° | $66 | $86 |
| Jul | 87° | 77° | 6.2 | 77° | 83° | – | – |
| Aug | 85° | 75° | 5.5 | 79° | 85° | – | – |
| Sep | 78° | 69° | 4.4 | 73° | 79° | $9 | $11 |
| Oct | 67° | 58° | 3.0 | 63° | 69° | – | – |
| Nov | 56° | 48° | 2.1 | 52° | 58° | – | – |
| Dec | 47° | 40° | 1.6 | 42° | 48° | – | – |
Heating costs most in May (about $246 with a heat pump, $285 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jul at 6.2 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 27.9 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Garden City compares with nearby cities
Garden City ranks 6 of 90 New York cities for unheated swim months, and no nearby city gets a longer unheated season.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mineola, NY | 1 mi | 1 | 5 | $321 |
| Hempstead, NY | 2 mi | 1 | 5 | $321 |
| New Hyde Park, NY | 2 mi | 1 | 5 | $321 |
| Floral Park, NY | 3 mi | 1 | 5 | $321 |
| Westbury, NY | 4 mi | 1 | 5 | $321 |
| Rockville Centre, NY | 4 mi | 0 | 4 | $143 |