Is your pool too hot !

swimming in 85F water might be a little warm, but running in the same air temp is much worse (for me at least)

swimming in 85F water might be a little warm, but running in the same air temp is much worse (for me at least)Swimming in 110+ air temp with >85F water = summertime training in Arizona. I might be a complete cold wimp, but 85F water temp is a good day for training in the desert.

I used to teach swimming at a club where the pool was heated to 84 degrees - for the comfort of the small children taking 30 lessons. This also allowed the pool to be used for adults doing physical therapy. But the temperature was uncomfortable for serious swimmers. Much too hot. And bad news for the many club members who have multiple sclerosis. They need to swim or do PT in cooler water. So all of them had to find a different swimming pool. I don't think the higher temperature had anything to do with the comfort of water aerobics classes. These members, unlike the swim school students, didn't pay extra. It was all about the comfort of those who paid extra.

The outdoor pool that our club trains in is now too hot. In the past 3 months most of the time it was around 30°C (86°F), but in recent week it is now 32°C (90°F) so the squad training is a real pain for me. In particular, when the pool was 27°C (81°F) I was in the middle of the lane, but now I can't even catch up the group or complete the whole set! However, it is a pity that the club moves away from the home pool to a heated pool from December to March when the home pool is normally at the perfect temperature (18 - 22°C / 65 - 72°F) for me!

The outdoor pool that our club trains in is now too hot. In the past 3 months most of the time it was around 30°C (86°F), but in recent week it is now 32°C (90°F) so the squad training is a real pain for me. In particular, when the pool was 27°C (81°F) I was in the middle of the lane, but now I can't even catch up the group or complete the whole set! However, it is a pity that the club moves away from the home pool to a heated pool from December to March when the home pool is normally at the perfect temperature (18 - 22°C / 65 - 72°F) for me! Well maybe it's not always about you. There's probably someone at the opposite extreme who likes the overly warm water. It's all about choices, dealing with what you've been given and making the best of it. Just like in open water swimming, you have to deal with the conditions and be ready for them. You can't do that by practicing in YOUR perfect conditions all the time.

There are some regulations around temps for therapy so it depends on what the pool is generally used for and the guidelines around it. www.usaswimming.org/ViewMiscArticle.aspx Your link redirects to a generic "Resource Programs & Services" page. What is the title of what you are trying to link to? I've read that both FINA and the Red Cross recommend 77-82 for lap swimmng, and 82-86 for lessons, etc. I've had an ongoing argument with my local gym about that, and at least the Zumba instructor is pretty assertive about it "It iisn't a lap pool, it is a dual use pool" "It is a lap pool 24 hours 4 days a week, and 23 hours 3 days a week, and a Zumba pool 3 hours a week. And it is considered dangerous for lap swimmers at anything over 82." Which inevitably leads to pointing to the Health Department's approval. I'd love to have something to take the the health department, but I have not found any sort of "official" document. She also says it is always set to 84, when it is often 86.

"At temperatures above 78 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit, chlorine dissipates faster, algae grows better, and the formation of scale (calcium carbonate deposits) is more likely to occur." From Pool Chemistry Fact Sheet (link is a pdf) "Water chemistry is another factor that comes into play when the water is too warm it is very problematic to treat warm water with chemicals. Bacteria, algae and other organisms thrive under warm water conditions this is obviously harmful not just for athletes but the general public in a commercial swimming pool, for competitive pools the water should be no higher than 82°F (28°C), for recreational pools the recommended maximum is 84°F (29°C)." From What is the ideal temperature for a commercial pool. "When your pool water heats up to around the 85°F (29°C) mark, bacteria and algae get nice and comfy, and start reproducing at exponential rates. Keeping your pool below that mark won’t get rid of algae and bacteria completely, but will make it more difficult for them to bloom and grow and become a problem." From What is the perfect pool temperature. I have used this info successfully in the past when swimming in an overheated pool. The swim instructor complained that the kids were too cold at 89F. When I pointed out the possibility of cooties (technical term) from bacteria and more work/chlorine shocking required, they put a lock on the thermometer and set it at 84F.

Well maybe it's not always about you. There's probably someone at the opposite extreme who likes the overly warm water. It's all about choices, dealing with what you've been given and making the best of it. Just like in open water swimming, you have to deal with the conditions and be ready for them. You can't do that by practicing in YOUR perfect conditions all the time. Here, once the water cool down to 24°C most people start putting their wetsuit on, at 21°C nearly everyone is in neoprene, except the very few hardcore marathon swimmers (like those swimming E-F, J-F, doing channel relay, doing ice miles, etc.) I won't sign up any long distance races if the expected temperature is more than 28°C, therefore the whole South-east Asia is out of my consideration. Anything more than 25°C is uncomfortable for me at race intensity. I did races last month in 22°C - 23°C and thought that it wasn't cool enough.

Fran Crippen died of heat stroke in 84 degree water. Skin temperature will vary widely, with many factors, internal (i.e. one's own body) and external (i.e. ambient temperature). But, if the water feels cool, you are experiencing heat transfer. 82 degree water feels cool, but 82 degree air feels hot......because the water can absorb over times as much heat as air. WHich is, of course, why people wear wetsuits when the water is 70, but shorts when the air is 70. If the water does NOT feel cool, then you are not going to experience any heat transfer. I've tried to swim in 90 degree water. Got maybe half of my workout done, and I had already been through a quart of water. I usually drink half to 2/3rds of the quart. Our primary way of regulating our temperature is through sweating, which works by heat of vaporization, which is a couple of orders of magnitude higher than just normal heat transfer. In water, you can't cool off that way, because the sweat won't evaporate. 2 degrees of water temperature is like 8.5 degrees of air temperature. That's a big difference, particularly when you are exercising. If anyone runs or anything, I'm sure they'd say there is a big difference between 81.5 degrees and 90. It isn't just having SOME heat transfer, it is through ENOUGH heat transfer. It is about an equilibrium. You swim, you burn calories. Your body produces heat (as in energy, not just "temperature"). IN order to keep your core temperature at a safe level, you need to be able to shed that excess heat through some means. When you swim, the water absorbs it (and yes, you exhale some, too). So if you want to use 90 degrees as a baseline, then at 82 degrees, the water will be able to absorb 33% more heat than it can at 84. What happens to that extra 33% heat? Well, again, an equilibrium. Your core temperature will rise some, which will change the delta T, which helps the heat transfer. But at some point, it rises to a dangerous point. That's heat stroke, and that is how people die swimming in warm water. According to this site, the Red Cross actually recommends 78 degrees, and 81 for recreational swimming. Unfortunately, the references are no longer working links, so I can't find the real source. www.livestrong.com/.../

Fran Crippen died of heat stroke in 84 degree water. I've seen some conflicting information, but this story says the water temp was measured to be 31 degrees C (about 88 F) at the finish: www.thenational.ae/.../death-of-us-swimmer-fran-crippen-was-a-disaster-waiting-to-happen-1.355354