Pool swim season in Salem, OH
When can you swim in an outdoor pool in Salem, OH?
An unheated pool in Salem never reaches 78°F in a normal year. It peaks around 73°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 Salem
| Option | Months | Swimmable | Energy/yr | All-in/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No heater | 0 | no month | $0 | $0 |
| Solar cover only | 2 | Jul to Aug | $0 | $50 |
| Solar panels + cover | 4 | Jun to Sep | $0 | $283 |
| Heat pump + cover | 5 | May to Sep | $378 | $928 |
| Gas heater + cover | 5 | May to Sep | $539 | $964 |
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 Salem
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.
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 a heat pump sized to your pool's surface area; here it beats gas all-in (heat pump or gas).
Weather station: Millport 4 NE, 9.4 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Salem 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 | 34° | 26° | 1.6 | 28° | 34° | – | – |
| Feb | 38° | 29° | 2.4 | 27° | 33° | – | – |
| Mar | 48° | 38° | 3.4 | 34° | 40° | – | – |
| Apr | 61° | 49° | 4.6 | 45° | 51° | – | – |
| May | 70° | 59° | 5.4 | 57° | 63° | $206 | $280 |
| Jun | 78° | 68° | 5.9 | 66° | 72° | $82 | $126 |
| Jul | 82° | 71° | 5.9 | 72° | 78° | $17 | $27 |
| Aug | 81° | 70° | 5.3 | 73° | 79° | $8 | $13 |
| Sep | 74° | 63° | 4.3 | 68° | 74° | $65 | $93 |
| Oct | 63° | 52° | 2.9 | 58° | 64° | – | – |
| Nov | 50° | 41° | 2.0 | 46° | 52° | – | – |
| Dec | 39° | 32° | 1.3 | 35° | 41° | – | – |
Heating costs most in May (about $206 with a heat pump, $280 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jul at 5.9 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 53.8 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Salem compares with nearby cities
Salem ranks 161 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alliance, OH | 14 mi | 0 | 5 | $272 |
| Youngstown, OH | 17 mi | 0 | 5 | $383 |
| Niles, OH | 20 mi | 0 | 5 | $437 |
| Warren, OH | 23 mi | 0 | 5 | $437 |
| New Castle, PA | 27 mi | 0 | 5 | $347 |
| Ravenna, OH | 27 mi | 0 | 5 | $385 |