Pool swim season in Grand Rapids, MN
Swim season in Grand Rapids without a heater, and with one
An unheated pool in Grand Rapids never reaches 78°F in a normal year. It peaks around 69°F in Aug. The air allows up to 3 swimmable months with a heater (Jun to Aug).
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
What each heater buys you in Grand Rapids
| Option | Months | Swimmable | Energy/yr | All-in/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No heater | 0 | no month | $0 | $0 |
| Solar cover only | 0 | no month | $0 | $50 |
| Solar panels + cover | 2 | Jul to Aug | $0 | $283 |
| Heat pump + cover | 3 | Jun to Aug | $230 | $780 |
| Gas heater + cover | 3 | Jun to Aug | $307 | $732 |
For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at MN prices of 16.4¢/kWh electricity and $11/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.
The cheapest way to the full season in Grand Rapids
Solar panels + cover: 2 of 3 possible months for about $283 a year all-in, which works out near $142 for each month it adds.
A solar cover alone adds no swim months here, so if you want a longer season you need a heater (why); still use one at night to hold the heat you pay for. 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: Grand Rpds Forest Lab, 1.7 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Grand Rapids 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 | 19° | 9° | 1.4 | 10° | 16° | – | – |
| Feb | 26° | 14° | 2.5 | 11° | 17° | – | – |
| Mar | 39° | 27° | 3.7 | 21° | 27° | – | – |
| Apr | 53° | 40° | 4.7 | 35° | 41° | – | – |
| May | 66° | 53° | 5.3 | 49° | 55° | – | – |
| Jun | 75° | 63° | 5.8 | 61° | 67° | $128 | $167 |
| Jul | 80° | 68° | 6.1 | 68° | 74° | $52 | $72 |
| Aug | 78° | 66° | 5.1 | 69° | 75° | $50 | $68 |
| Sep | 68° | 56° | 3.7 | 62° | 68° | – | – |
| Oct | 53° | 43° | 2.3 | 49° | 55° | – | – |
| Nov | 36° | 28° | 1.4 | 34° | 40° | – | – |
| Dec | 23° | 15° | 1.0 | 19° | 25° | – | – |
Heating costs most in Jun (about $128 with a heat pump, $167 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jul at 6.1 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 29.2 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Grand Rapids compares with nearby cities
Grand Rapids ranks 100 of 103 Minnesota cities for unheated swim months, and no nearby city gets a longer unheated season.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hibbing, MN | 30 mi | 0 | 3 | $363 |
| Cloquet, MN | 60 mi | 0 | 3 | $280 |
| Bemidji, MN | 65 mi | 0 | 3 | $199 |
| Hermantown, MN | 68 mi | 0 | 3 | $281 |
| Brainerd, MN | 69 mi | 0 | 3 | $180 |
| Duluth, MN | 73 mi | 0 | 2 | $129 |