Pool swim season in Riverside, OH
When can you swim in an outdoor pool in Riverside, OH?
An unheated pool in Riverside reaches 78°F in Aug, about 1 month a year. The air allows up to 5 swimmable months with a heater (May to Sep).
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What each heater buys you in Riverside
| Option | Months | Swimmable | Energy/yr | All-in/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No heater | 1 | Aug | $0 | $0 |
| Solar cover only | 3 | Jul to Sep | $0 | $50 |
| Solar panels + cover | 4 | Jun to Sep | $0 | $283 |
| Heat pump + cover | 5 | May to Sep | $181 | $731 |
| Gas heater + cover | 5 | May to Sep | $269 | $694 |
For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at OH prices of 18.8¢/kWh electricity and $14/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.
The cheapest way to the full season in Riverside
Solar panels + cover: 4 of 5 possible months for about $283 a year all-in, which works out near $94 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: Dayton Mcd, 3.5 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Riverside 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 | 36° | 28° | 1.8 | 30° | 36° | – | – |
| Feb | 40° | 31° | 2.6 | 29° | 35° | – | – |
| Mar | 51° | 41° | 3.6 | 37° | 43° | – | – |
| Apr | 64° | 53° | 4.9 | 49° | 55° | – | – |
| May | 75° | 64° | 5.5 | 61° | 67° | $144 | $210 |
| Jun | 84° | 73° | 6.2 | 72° | 78° | $23 | $38 |
| Jul | 87° | 76° | 6.1 | 78° | 84° | – | – |
| Aug | 86° | 75° | 5.5 | 78° | 84° | – | – |
| Sep | 79° | 68° | 4.6 | 73° | 79° | $14 | $21 |
| Oct | 66° | 55° | 3.2 | 61° | 67° | – | – |
| Nov | 52° | 43° | 2.2 | 48° | 54° | – | – |
| Dec | 41° | 33° | 1.5 | 36° | 42° | – | – |
Heating costs most in May (about $144 with a heat pump, $210 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jun at 6.2 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 45.0 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Riverside compares with nearby cities
Riverside ranks 5 of 176 Ohio cities for unheated swim months, and no nearby city gets a longer unheated season.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dayton, OH | 4 mi | 1 | 5 | $181 |
| Beavercreek, OH | 5 mi | 1 | 5 | $181 |
| Huber Heights, OH | 5 mi | 0 | 5 | $177 |
| Kettering, OH | 6 mi | 1 | 5 | $181 |
| Fairborn, OH | 6 mi | 0 | 5 | $259 |
| Vandalia, OH | 8 mi | 0 | 5 | $177 |