SwimSeasonCheck

Pool swim season in University Place, WA

When can you swim in an outdoor pool in University Place, WA?

An unheated pool in University Place never reaches 78°F in a normal year. It peaks around 67°F in Aug. The air allows up to 2 swimmable months with a heater (Jul to Aug).

  1. J
  2. F
  3. M
  4. A
  5. M
  6. J
  7. J
  8. A
  9. S
  10. O
  11. N
  12. D

Heater options for a University Place pool, side by side

OptionMonthsSwimmableEnergy/yrAll-in/yr
No heater0no month$0$0
Solar cover only0no month$0$50
Solar panels + cover2Jul to Aug$0$283
Heat pump + cover2Jul to Aug$125$675
Gas heater + cover2Jul to Aug$306$731

For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at WA prices of 14.4¢/kWh electricity and $18/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.

The cheapest way to the full season in University Place

Solar panels + cover: 2 of 2 possible months for about $283 a year all-in, which works out near $142 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 a heat pump sized to your pool's surface area; here it beats gas all-in (heat pump or gas).

Weather station: Tacoma Narrows Airport, 3.8 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.

University Place month by month: air, sun and pool water

MonthAir highAir avgSun kWh/m²/dayWater, unheatedWater, coveredHeat pump $Gas $
Jan46°41°1.039°45°––
Feb48°43°1.941°47°––
Mar53°46°2.844°50°––
Apr58°49°4.249°55°––
May65°56°5.255°61°––
Jun70°60°5.761°67°––
Jul76°65°6.366°72°$69$168
Aug76°65°5.467°73°$56$138
Sep70°61°3.964°70°––
Oct59°52°2.356°62°––
Nov51°45°1.247°53°––
Dec46°41°0.941°47°––

Heating costs most in Jul (about $69 with a heat pump, $168 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jul at 6.3 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 31.8 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.

How University Place compares with nearby cities

University Place ranks 62 of 91 Washington cities for unheated swim months, and no nearby city gets a longer unheated season.

CityDistanceUnheated monthsHeat pump monthsHeat pump $/yr
Lakewood, WA4 mi02$125
Tacoma, WA5 mi04$260
Gig Harbor, WA9 mi02$125
Fife, WA9 mi04$260
Federal Way, WA12 mi04$260
Puyallup, WA12 mi02$139