Pool swim season in Lebanon, OR
When can you swim in an outdoor pool in Lebanon, OR?
An unheated pool in Lebanon 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).
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
Heater options for a Lebanon pool, side by side
| Option | Months | Swimmable | Energy/yr | All-in/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No heater | 0 | no month | $0 | $0 |
| Solar cover only | 1 | Aug | $0 | $50 |
| Solar panels + cover | 4 | Jun to Sep | $0 | $283 |
| Heat pump + cover | 4 | Jun to Sep | $151 | $701 |
| Gas heater + cover | 4 | Jun to Sep | $331 | $756 |
For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at OR prices of 15.5¢/kWh electricity and $17/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.
The cheapest way to the full season in Lebanon
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 1 month here for about $50 a year (why a cover comes first). If you get quotes, ask for a heat pump sized to your pool's surface area; here it beats gas all-in (heat pump or gas).
Weather station: Lebanon, 0.4 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Lebanon 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 | 49° | 43° | 1.3 | 41° | 47° | – | – |
| Feb | 53° | 45° | 2.2 | 43° | 49° | – | – |
| Mar | 58° | 48° | 3.1 | 47° | 53° | – | – |
| Apr | 62° | 52° | 4.5 | 52° | 58° | – | – |
| May | 69° | 58° | 5.7 | 58° | 64° | – | – |
| Jun | 76° | 64° | 6.4 | 65° | 71° | $86 | $184 |
| Jul | 85° | 70° | 7.4 | 71° | 77° | $22 | $52 |
| Aug | 86° | 71° | 6.3 | 74° | 80° | $2 | $6 |
| Sep | 79° | 65° | 4.6 | 69° | 75° | $41 | $89 |
| Oct | 65° | 55° | 2.8 | 60° | 66° | – | – |
| Nov | 54° | 47° | 1.5 | 50° | 56° | – | – |
| Dec | 47° | 42° | 1.1 | 42° | 48° | – | – |
Heating costs most in Jun (about $86 with a heat pump, $184 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jul at 7.4 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 32.5 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Lebanon compares with nearby cities
Lebanon ranks 9 of 57 Oregon cities for unheated swim months, and no nearby city gets a longer unheated season.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany, OR | 11 mi | 0 | 4 | $255 |
| Sweet Home, OR | 13 mi | 0 | 4 | $292 |
| Corvallis, OR | 18 mi | 0 | 4 | $255 |
| Independence, OR | 27 mi | 0 | 4 | $256 |
| Monmouth, OR | 27 mi | 0 | 4 | $256 |
| Salem, OR | 28 mi | 0 | 4 | $197 |