Pool swim season in Pottsville, PA
Swim season in Pottsville without a heater, and with one
An unheated pool in Pottsville 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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- F
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- D
Heater options for a Pottsville 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 | 4 | Jun to Sep | $0 | $283 |
| Heat pump + cover | 4 | Jun to Sep | $275 | $825 |
| Gas heater + cover | 4 | Jun to Sep | $395 | $820 |
For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at PA prices of 21.1¢/kWh electricity and $15/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.
The cheapest way to the full season in Pottsville
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.
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: Mahanoy City 2 N, 11.2 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Pottsville 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 | 33° | 25° | 1.8 | 26° | 32° | – | – |
| Feb | 35° | 26° | 2.7 | 25° | 31° | – | – |
| Mar | 44° | 34° | 3.6 | 31° | 37° | – | – |
| Apr | 57° | 47° | 4.8 | 43° | 49° | – | – |
| May | 67° | 57° | 5.3 | 54° | 60° | – | – |
| Jun | 76° | 66° | 6.0 | 64° | 70° | $115 | $167 |
| Jul | 80° | 70° | 6.0 | 71° | 77° | $32 | $49 |
| Aug | 78° | 68° | 5.2 | 72° | 78° | $30 | $44 |
| Sep | 72° | 62° | 4.2 | 66° | 72° | $98 | $135 |
| Oct | 60° | 51° | 2.9 | 56° | 62° | – | – |
| Nov | 48° | 39° | 2.1 | 44° | 50° | – | – |
| Dec | 37° | 30° | 1.5 | 33° | 39° | – | – |
Heating costs most in Jun (about $115 with a heat pump, $167 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jul at 6.0 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 31.7 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Pottsville compares with nearby cities
Pottsville ranks 62 of 68 Pennsylvania cities for unheated swim months, and no nearby city gets a longer unheated season.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hazleton, PA | 22 mi | 0 | 4 | $278 |
| Bloomsburg, PA | 26 mi | 0 | 5 | $396 |
| Lebanon, PA | 26 mi | 0 | 5 | $308 |
| Berwick, PA | 26 mi | 0 | 4 | $312 |
| Wyomissing, PA | 27 mi | 0 | 5 | $251 |
| Reading, PA | 28 mi | 0 | 5 | $251 |