Best temp for water?

Lainey - no need for engineers, just put 15 5 year olds in a one end of a pool and you will have a warm zone quite quickly.

It would seem to me it would take more energy to keep an outdoor Florida pool at 78 than 88-90 in the summer. I swam at lunch today. I normally swim early in the morning. With all the talk about the water aerobicizers, I decide to observe them. Well, nothing has changed. In fact, it was worse than ever. So, I draw the following conclusion: Laineybug is the only legitimate water aerobic instructor in the land and she is tucked into an inaccessible corner of Georgia. I know this because I have been to her town and it is really far away.

Originally posted by Gareth Eckley Mr Earl What really happens is that a facility opens with a temp of 80 to 82' F, which is the official guideline set for fitness/leisure swimming. Very quickly, the water aerobics, paddlers, floaters and others complain constantly until the temp is raised to 86' (or hotter). !!! The pool where I swim was kept at 78F when it first opened. Then the water aerobes and floaters moved in......... Now if the pool gets down around 83, the heat is turned on - even if it is July!! This is an outdoor pool in Florida. Turning the heat on in July in FLORIDA not only makes for a pool that is stifling in 90 degree heat, it is also an outrageous waste of money and resources imho. But of course water aerobics rules at my pool, as it seems to at many YMCAs.

Mr Earl Most pools used to be kept at about 83° as a compromise, but since lap swimmers are better organized (though fewer in numbers) than the general public, they've been able to convince pool managers to lower water temperatures (almost everywhere) to between 79° and 81°. The area you live in must be unique ! I have swum in many pools in different countries and in almost every one the water temp has been too warm for serious swimming. What really happens is that a facility opens with a temp of 80 to 82' F, which is the official guideline set for fitness/leisure swimming. Very quickly, the water aerobics, paddlers, floaters and others complain constantly until the temp is raised to 86' (or hotter). These people have the choice to actually move their bodies at faster than a slow motion pace to warm up and get fitter in the process but choose not to do so. A swimmer in training needs to work for at least 60 mins at a target heart rate of 120 to 140 bpm, for aerobic work, higher for anaerobic work and higher still for speed work. A well constructed workout will raise core body temp by 1'F for each 10 min of activity. That is an increase of 6'F in 1 hour. If the water temp is above 82' F then the body cannot dissapate heat into the water effectively. The result is that the swimmer gets overheated, which leads to exhaustion. The swimmer in training has 2 choices in warm or hot water: slow down and not get an effective workout or get out of the pool and abandon the attempt to swim. We could just give up altogether and join the floaters and noodlers but we do actually like to swim ! It is very hard to have planned a season of workouts leading up to a big meet, with your percentage of aerobic, anaerobic and lactic carefully measured only to turn up at the pool at 6:30 (after waking at 5:30 am) to find that you have to abandon your planned workout because some IDIOTS want to swim in water as hot as my bathtub !!!

Originally posted by aquageek It would seem to me it would take more energy to keep an outdoor Florida pool at 78 than 88-90 in the summer. I Yes, it does, and the 78 was the pool temperature in the winter. In the summer they have to aerate the pool at night to cool it down, and in the good old days they would run the aerators regularly, which probably kept the temperature around 80 or so. Now that water aerobics rules, the guidelines call for the aerators being turned on then the pool temperature reaches 86. The Swimming Hall of Fame pool in Fort Lauderdale is kept at 78 year round, and they aerate it regularly - also, I think they may have something that cools the water down before it is pumped back into the pool.

These people have the choice to actually move their bodies at faster than a slow motion pace to warm up and get fitter in the process but choose not to do so. I have to disagree here. Yes some may be able to, but many of the little ole men and women can't because of age or medical conditions. I am almost 52 and can do the the floor and step aerobics classes but not as fast as the 20 something pretty thing teaching the class. She may do 4 reps of a partictular move in a certain amount of time and I can only get in 3. This summer was the first time I swam in a pool with a temperature above 82. In mid summer, the water in the outdoor competition pool was approaching 88, I could do some laps, but like you said, I got exhausted quickly. Ironically, water in the play pool was much colder because of the constant airation by all the fountains and 'water features.' Water temperature is a problem that won't be able to be solved until someone comes up with a way to 'zone' heat a pool. So all you engineers out there start thinking on a way to do that (I already have an idea but not sure it would work) When you come up with something, remember I was the one who gave you the idea and deserve some of the profit! Lainey

OK Guilty as charged. Some in the pool are unable to move quickly through the water. Could someone not invent "insulated swimsuits" that may help them to stay warm ? Should we all struggle with hot water for the comfort of a very small minority ?

I'm a big baby in my middle years. I don't like the 85 to 86 degree water nor do I like the 78 and below. 78 and below and I have to swim 200 yards just to get use to it. I like in-between around 81 to 82. That's higher than most people here like but I think its a comprise with the different people who use the pools.

Mr Ed - I think you've found the wrong forum to rant about pool water being too cool. Most of us are serious swimmers, not noodlers, and think that 83 degrees is way too warm. I'm not sure why you even brought this complaint to this discussion forum. It has been documented time and again that hot water is not good for a decent workout. The only thing hot water is good for is a hot tub or a cup of coffee/tea. You're right, we may be knuckleheads but notice how the only person who is agreeing with you is you. I agree with Michael Heather below. If the water is too cool, try actually doing some phycial activity. That should solve the problem.

Well, I seem to have gotten a few knuckleheads hot under the collar. Not sure why there's such resistance to the idea of maintaining two pools... one - kept cold - for those who use a pool as an excercise machine, or for competition, and another - kept warm - for the majority of people who'd like to come swimming, but are put off by ice water. I certainly agree that a compromise temperature isn't really going to please anybody... especially the 'serious' swimmers who need cold water. BTW, I'm 63 years old, 5' 6" tall, and weigh in at 121 pounds (soaking wet). I can climb 20 stories, taking the stairs two at a time. I can outrun most high schoolers. And, I can swim the entire length of a 50 meter pool underwater. But I can't stand swimming in water that's less than 83°, and I'd sure like to find these pools where the water is allegedly kept at 86°.