Pool Heating and Cooler Temperatures

[mizzy]

i'm a bit worried and would ask for some clarifcation and advice from villa owners pls

we plan to go back to florida during the much cooler month of Jan(we've been early feb last year and it was frosty some mornings) and i've been advised to book a villa with gas pool heating as these can still heat a pool if the temps fall where'as i've been told an elec heater will fail and cut out [msneek]

is this correct? and am i right in thinking that most of the more modern villas do not have gas heating and that only much older communities have this?

i have put out a request for a villa with specific criteria as i did not want to waste owners time but i did not request a gas heated pool and to be honest i'm a little disappointed with the response, it will be my 5th booking and i've not had that many replies at all really to choose from [msnsad] normally i get loads and my inbox gets pretty full

i put champions gate area because it's a area we know well but perhaps i should be looking further afield to get a better choice?

any helpful advice much appreciated [msnsmile]

[chris c]

We were out in January this year for three weeks and the weather was cooler for longer than it has been in previous years.

We have an electric pool heater, which I kept on for the duration of our stay with the pool blanket in place.

To be honest, I didn't fancy venturing in when the weather was really chilly, but the pool temperature was managing to get up to the mid 80s. When we had warmer days, where the air temperature reached 78 degrees, the pool temperature got up to 90 degrees.

If a pool doesn't have a pool blanket and the nights get cold then it is going to lose a lot of heat regardless of what type of heater is used.

[ellie]

Mizzy you are partly right about electric pool heaters, but the new pool heaters work considerably better than the older ones, which as you say would cut out at around 50 degrees. They have improved pool heaters in the last few years so ours which is brand new and top of the range, for instance, does not cut out until 40 degrees - and to be honest you wouldn't want to be on the pool deck at lower than 40 degrees F!

As Christine so rightly says, a pool cover is absolutely essential to keep the heat in when you are not using the pool. Without it you are wasting your money as you are essentially heating the rest of Florida, and could lose 15-20 degrees overnight. It really does make a huge difference, so make sure you ask for a pool cover as well.

So if you cannot get your first choice of gas pool heater then perhaps you should widen the net a bit further and ask for a villa with a new pool heater? Ask your owners about the age of their pool heater and what temperature it will cut out at, and that way you won't have any surprises.

As for your choice of area, of course that is very personal, but there are lots of wonderful areas to choose from so don't dismiss everything but Champions Gate. There are plenty of communities which are close to Disney and which have good amenities close by.

Hope you have a great time searching for your home. I am sure you will be spoilt for choice. [msnwink]

[mizzy]

we requested being close to the champions gate area as this has been the place we have stayed for our last 3 visits and with 2 autistic children the familiarity helps, for my son going to florida and driving through those champions gate arches that's seems more important to him than seeing the castle at magic kingdom [msnoo]

we've stayed 3 times on windwood bay, once at glenbrook which was a lovely villa but that drive up and down the 192 everyday was a nightmare and once at tuscan ridge, it's hard to change from what you're familiar with [msnembarrased]

[ellie]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by mizzy
we requested being close to the champions gate area as this has been the place we have stayed for our last 3 visits and with 2 autistic children the familiarity helps, for my son going to florida and driving through those champions gate arches that's seems more important to him than seeing the castle at magic kingdom [msnoo]

[/quote]

Mizzy it is quite understandable that you want familiarity for your children, and I am sure that you will find plenty of lovely villas in your preferred area which will meet your requirements. Good luck and hope you have a wonderful holiday.

[caroline]

Gas pool heaters are not only fitted on older communities. We have a gas pool heater and all our January guests were swimming in lovely warm water and we don't have a pool blanket - mainly due to the shape of the pool and the fact that we can't have a roller. As long as the heater is switched up and is on for enough hours the pool will be lovely and warm.

I'm sorry to hear you didn't get loads of villas to choose from, was there something in your specific requirements that was unusual?

[SDJ]

I responded as my villa had all the necessary requests that Marie asked for, but Marie kindly replied that my villa was too large for their family of 4. We often do have families of 4 staying which is why I responded. Maybe you should add to your request that you don't want a large 5 bed villa and maybe you will get the responses that are more suitable for your circumstances.

Hope you find somewhere soon.

Sandra

[Lyn]

If the villa and price is right than the size being larger than needed should not be a problem. There are just 2 of us and in Jan/Feb stayed in a 4 Bed villa.

[AshleyLodge]

I can understand that your children are happier in a familiar area and this is obviously important for all of you. I can confirm that gas pool heaters have worked well this winter. Our guests have enjoyed warm water - it has been the air temperatures that have been the problem.

Why not go back to the owners who have responded and check which villas which you have short-listed have gas heaters?

Lynne

[ShirleyD]

Although I wasn't in Florida for the prolonged cold spell this January, we have always been able to use our pool whatever the weather with electric heating. I hate the cold and the 20 foot dash to the shower afterwards is pretty awful, but the pool is always toast [msnsmile2]
What you should be asking for is confirmation that the villa has a pool blanket, then keep it on day and night, when you are not in the pool. That way the electric or gas, will heat the water and not Florida [msnwink]