Pool swim season in Rifle, CO
When can you swim in an outdoor pool in Rifle, CO?
An unheated pool in Rifle never reaches 78°F in a normal year. It peaks around 72°F in Aug. The air allows up to 5 swimmable months with a heater (May to Sep).
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What each heater buys you in Rifle
| 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 | 5 | May to Sep | $470 | $1,020 |
| Gas heater + cover | 5 | May to Sep | $576 | $1,001 |
For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at CO prices of 16.8¢/kWh electricity and $11/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.
The cheapest way to the full season in Rifle
Solar panels + cover: 4 of 5 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: Rifle 3ENE, 2.7 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Rifle 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 | 37° | 24° | 2.5 | 23° | 29° | – | – |
| Feb | 42° | 29° | 3.4 | 26° | 32° | – | – |
| Mar | 55° | 38° | 4.9 | 35° | 41° | – | – |
| Apr | 62° | 45° | 5.7 | 44° | 50° | – | – |
| May | 72° | 54° | 6.5 | 53° | 59° | $238 | $271 |
| Jun | 83° | 64° | 7.7 | 64° | 70° | $101 | $133 |
| Jul | 88° | 70° | 7.0 | 71° | 77° | $26 | $38 |
| Aug | 85° | 67° | 6.1 | 72° | 78° | $19 | $27 |
| Sep | 79° | 60° | 5.3 | 66° | 72° | $86 | $107 |
| Oct | 64° | 47° | 3.8 | 54° | 60° | – | – |
| Nov | 50° | 35° | 2.7 | 41° | 47° | – | – |
| Dec | 37° | 24° | 2.1 | 29° | 35° | – | – |
Heating costs most in May (about $238 with a heat pump, $271 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jun at 7.7 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 23.6 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Rifle compares with nearby cities
Rifle ranks 50 of 53 Colorado cities for unheated swim months; Grand Junction, Fruita nearby get a longer season without a heater.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glenwood Springs, CO | 23 mi | 0 | 5 | $416 |
| Grand Junction, CO | 53 mi | 2 | 5 | $115 |
| Fruita, CO | 58 mi | 2 | 5 | $175 |
| Montrose, CO | 74 mi | 0 | 5 | $237 |
| Steamboat Springs, CO | 82 mi | 0 | 4 | $479 |
| Vernal, UT | 113 mi | 0 | 5 | $270 |