Pool swim season in Traverse City, MI
Swim season in Traverse City without a heater, and with one
An unheated pool in Traverse City 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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What each heater buys you in Traverse City
| 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 | $283 | $833 |
| Gas heater + cover | 4 | Jun to Sep | $285 | $710 |
For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at MI prices of 21.7¢/kWh electricity and $11/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.
The cheapest way to the full season in Traverse City
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 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: Traverse Cy Cherry Capital Airport, 2 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Traverse City 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 | 29° | 23° | 1.2 | 24° | 30° | – | – |
| Feb | 31° | 24° | 2.2 | 23° | 29° | – | – |
| Mar | 41° | 32° | 3.5 | 29° | 35° | – | – |
| Apr | 54° | 43° | 4.6 | 39° | 45° | – | – |
| May | 67° | 55° | 5.6 | 52° | 58° | – | – |
| Jun | 77° | 66° | 6.2 | 64° | 70° | $129 | $131 |
| Jul | 81° | 70° | 6.2 | 71° | 77° | $33 | $36 |
| Aug | 80° | 69° | 5.3 | 72° | 78° | $24 | $25 |
| Sep | 72° | 62° | 4.1 | 67° | 73° | $97 | $93 |
| Oct | 59° | 50° | 2.4 | 55° | 61° | – | – |
| Nov | 46° | 39° | 1.4 | 43° | 49° | – | – |
| Dec | 35° | 29° | 0.9 | 32° | 38° | – | – |
Heating costs most in Jun (about $129 with a heat pump, $131 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jul at 6.2 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 29.4 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Traverse City compares with nearby cities
Traverse City ranks 83 of 90 Michigan cities for unheated swim months, and no nearby city gets a longer unheated season.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cadillac, MI | 36 mi | 0 | 4 | $382 |
| Mount Pleasant, MI | 90 mi | 0 | 4 | $192 |
| Escanaba, MI | 99 mi | 0 | 3 | $366 |
| Marinette, WI | 102 mi | 0 | 4 | $288 |
| Midland, MI | 103 mi | 0 | 4 | $205 |
| Two Rivers, WI | 106 mi | 0 | 2 | $114 |