Pool swim season in Ham Lake, MN
Swim season in Ham Lake without a heater, and with one
An unheated pool in Ham Lake never reaches 78°F in a normal year. It peaks around 72°F in Aug. The air allows up to 4 swimmable months with a heater (Jun to Sep).
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Heater options for a Ham Lake pool, side by side
| 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 | 3 | Jun to Aug | $0 | $283 |
| Heat pump + cover | 4 | Jun to Sep | $218 | $768 |
| Gas heater + cover | 4 | Jun to Sep | $290 | $715 |
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 Ham Lake
Solar panels + cover: 3 of 4 possible months for about $283 a year all-in, which works out near $94 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: Andover 1N, 4.8 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Ham Lake 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 | 22° | 12° | 1.8 | 14° | 20° | – | – |
| Feb | 28° | 17° | 2.9 | 15° | 21° | – | – |
| Mar | 41° | 30° | 3.9 | 24° | 30° | – | – |
| Apr | 56° | 44° | 4.7 | 39° | 45° | – | – |
| May | 68° | 56° | 5.4 | 53° | 59° | – | – |
| Jun | 78° | 66° | 6.0 | 64° | 70° | $90 | $123 |
| Jul | 82° | 71° | 6.3 | 72° | 78° | $19 | $28 |
| Aug | 80° | 68° | 5.2 | 72° | 78° | $19 | $27 |
| Sep | 72° | 60° | 4.0 | 65° | 71° | $90 | $112 |
| Oct | 58° | 47° | 2.6 | 53° | 59° | – | – |
| Nov | 41° | 32° | 1.6 | 38° | 44° | – | – |
| Dec | 27° | 19° | 1.2 | 24° | 30° | – | – |
Heating costs most in Jun (about $90 with a heat pump, $123 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jul at 6.3 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 36.3 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Ham Lake compares with nearby cities
Ham Lake ranks 91 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blaine, MN | 6 mi | 0 | 4 | $218 |
| Andover, MN | 7 mi | 0 | 4 | $218 |
| East Bethel, MN | 7 mi | 0 | 4 | $197 |
| Coon Rapids, MN | 8 mi | 0 | 4 | $218 |
| Lino Lakes, MN | 8 mi | 0 | 4 | $109 |
| Anoka, MN | 10 mi | 0 | 4 | $218 |