Pool heater and AC temp recommendations

Hi all,
What does everyone feel is a fair temp for the pool heater to be set at and also the air conditioner.
Take into account that the weather is in the 90’s.
We recommend 72 for the AC and 82 for the pool. I ask because the tenants like the house at 68 And the pool at 85. The ac unit can not keep the house that cool with out running constantly with the chance of getting iced up (it has happened) and the pool heater also struggles to maintain without help from a pool cover at night.
I am just wondering why people want to freeze in the house and roast in the pool. Lol. Any thoughts?

Yes that is ridiculous.
I would prefer it the other way around… 68 in the pool and 82 in the house.

:grin:

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Even here in South Florida, the recommended pool temperature for comfortable swimming is 84-85F. Of course this time of year it’s running 89-90F with ambient air temp and sun! We use a passive solar (water pumped from pool to black roof panels and back) to have 80+ temps during our winter.

We would NEVER let guests control pool temperature.

My partner & I prefer indoor temps of 78-80F year around. That’s where we set the listing’s independent AC. However we do allow the guests to adjust to suit themselves. We do not, however, have long term “tenants” – we have guests who stay for only a few days at a time.

BTW AC’s “ice up” because the drain lines get clogged with slimy dripping “water” and do not drain adequately, regardless of temp. I use a small “shopvac” to suck out the drip lines at least monthly all year around.

Perhaps if your AC and pool heater are “struggling” so much, you need to upgrade them to more powerful units (you can take those costs as a tax deduction).

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We have actually considered putting some type of lock so guests can’t change the temperature in the house. I think 72 is comfortable when it’s 90+ outside but guests have lowered it as low as 58! Then used every comfortable in the closet. Soaring my electric bill!

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Take a look at some of the many threads here about temperatures and you’ll see that we all tend to disagree about what the right temperature is.

For example, I have just turned by AC off because it was set to 78 and I’m cold.

We let guests set the AC to whatever they want. Yes, some have it set to ridiculously cool temperatures and others hardly use it at all. It balances out. Personally, I’d pay a few dollars extra to stay in accommodation where I can adjust the temperature. Others differ :slight_smile:

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LOL…you are right about everyone having their own internal comfort zone and temperature. My A/C is currently set at 72 and I am warm, not uncomfortable but still warm but we have very high humidity today with it being in the mid/high 80’s which is typically very mild for this time of the year. Maybe it is because I get used to being in cold with temperatures down below zero in the winter…whatever works for you and yours guests. I would be extremely warm at 78 but that is me. Whatever you decide your temperatures are please indicate them in your House Manual and the adjust if necessary.

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Just last night there was a documentary on TV that was pretty interesting. I rarely watch TV but settled on the sofa to watch it. My other half works in an air conditioned office and is used to arctic conditions so the temperature was set at 78.

I was wrapped in a blanket - so cold!

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I rent in Mexico, where elecricity is very expensive …
For me the main thing is not the temperature the guests adjust.
When they feel comfortable at 65, I am fine.
But: when they do not turn off the ACs when leaving the house for the whole day, this is
what makes me unhappy.
So my solution: Smart Inverter technology.
These ACs save about 60-70% electricity and I have schedules (works via Internet / WLAN) which turnes them off at reasonable times (11:00am).
For the pool heater: I do not let guests adjust the temperature. In winter time I turn it on at 80.
Also with a smart outlet I can turn on (or off) via Internet / WLAN to make the pool warmer, if needed.

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I’m outside the Tampa, FL area and I keep my house at 80 during the day and 77 at night when I’m alone. The pool is set at 85 - anything higher is too hot IMHO. Solar heated through roof panels with a cover, so it’s set warm during the winter months, too. When guests are here I ask how cool they like the house for sleeping and adjust as low at 75. There are ceiling fans in every room in the house except bathrooms. My HVAC is fairly new and the guest side of the house is shaded by a giant tree, so it’s cooler than the rest of the house. I’ve had guests ask for lower AC temps and then use every quilt in the closet. When I see that, I adjust the AC upwards. I’ve only had one potential guest while inquiring about the booking (who didn’t book) request access to the AC and threw a temper tantrum when I said no - because she wanted it at 65 24/7.

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Thank you for your thoughts. We do not allow anyone to access the pool heater, they ask us to turn it up. We also have a nest thermostat for the house that we can control but there again they ask us to lower the ac below 70.
We do our best to make people comfortable but very few like it the temperature we think is acceptable. :sunglasses:

OMG 58* is crazy! I can feel your pain!

I have recently sent a message to upcoming guest that I hope will clarify our temperature in the house and pool. I find people don’t read things thoroughly, be it the listing or the manual.
I think i will do as you say and also write it in the manual.

I am going to look into one of those! Thank you!

Our (unheated, surrounded by shade trees) pool rarely climbs above 24C (75F) even on the hottest day. We call it refreshing! I hate swimming when it’s really hot in what feels like a warm bath. Very few pools here in Spain are heated … I shudder to think what it would cost to install heating.

As for aircon, most people only have it on at night (I hope!) and we don’t control it in the guest apartments. We don’t have aircon in our part of the house and though I constantly moan about how hot I am, when we have a vacancy and I take advantage of it to sleep in the guest apartments, oddly I sleep less well than in our bedroom with just a ceiling fan.

I would hate having the AC locked at 72…I would want it at least up to 78!!!

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I am grateful for this thread. Thanks for bringing this up.
This is my first season doing AirBnB with A/C and Pool.
I just finished with 2 sets of guests for 9 days.
6 guests for 6 days
then 8 Adults + 3 small kids for the next 3 days.
My windows/doors were never open the entire time! Except for the turn around day when my cleaner and I were there for a few hours. I shut the AC off, opened the window and doors and we were very comfortable working.
These guests had the AC on 24/7 !
First set of guests had it set at 22 cel and 2nd set of guests had it set at 20 ! Brrr. My feet were freezing on the bathroom floors. Outside temp was 25 ! So open doors and windows would have been the norm for me.
Thankfully the cost is approx $5 daily extra according to my “consumption summary”.
I am having a hard time getting used to doing a summer AirBnB.
Also I provide quilted duvets like I did in the Ski AirBnB. I knew that was a mistake… Now guests use those to get cosy under the blankets while they chill the house down.
Am now shopping for thin quilts and blankets on Amazon… lesson learned, (I hope!!)

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I have thought about this as well, and wonder if providing warm and comfortable blankets encourages guests to leave the AC on all night or even (gulp) to turn the down the AC before going to bed?

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Reminds me of a regular I have that when she stays at my whole house listings for whatever reason (usually my unavailability at my farm) turns the AC to 55…she did it again last night. And the house was at 78 F for her when she arrived at 9:30 pm. I need to charge her more when she stays at my foreclosure house across the street. For only ($25).

I believe it. I’m going to look for thinner duvet inserts for next summer.