SwimSeasonCheck

Pool swim season in Harper Woods, MI

When can you swim in an outdoor pool in Harper Woods, MI?

An unheated pool in Harper Woods never reaches 78°F in a normal year. It peaks around 74°F in Aug. The air allows up to 4 swimmable months with a heater (Jun to Sep).

  1. J
  2. F
  3. M
  4. A
  5. M
  6. J
  7. J
  8. A
  9. S
  10. O
  11. N
  12. D

What each heater buys you in Harper Woods

OptionMonthsSwimmableEnergy/yrAll-in/yr
No heater0no month$0$0
Solar cover only2Jul to Aug$0$50
Solar panels + cover4Jun to Sep$0$283
Heat pump + cover4Jun to Sep$190$740
Gas heater + cover4Jun to Sep$195$620

For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at MI prices of 21.7¢/kWh electricity and $11/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.

The cheapest way to the full season in Harper Woods

Solar panels + cover: 4 of 4 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: Grosse Pointe Farms, 3 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.

Harper Woods month by month: air, sun and pool water

MonthAir highAir avgSun kWh/m²/dayWater, unheatedWater, coveredHeat pump $Gas $
Jan32°24°1.426°32°––
Feb34°26°2.324°30°––
Mar43°34°3.430°36°––
Apr56°46°4.742°48°––
May67°57°5.554°60°––
Jun77°68°6.366°72°$101$106
Jul82°72°6.273°79°$11$12
Aug80°71°5.474°80°$3$4
Sep73°63°4.368°74°$75$73
Oct60°51°2.857°63°––
Nov47°40°1.844°50°––
Dec37°30°1.333°39°––

Heating costs most in Jun (about $101 with a heat pump, $106 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jun at 6.3 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 35.9 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.

How Harper Woods compares with nearby cities

Harper Woods ranks 50 of 90 Michigan cities for unheated swim months, and no nearby city gets a longer unheated season.

CityDistanceUnheated monthsHeat pump monthsHeat pump $/yr
Grosse Pointe Woods, MI2 mi04$190
Eastpointe, MI2 mi04$190
St. Clair Shores, MI4 mi04$190
Grosse Pointe Park, MI5 mi04$190
Roseville, MI5 mi04$190
Warren, MI6 mi04$121