All the swimming pools are cold!
Discussion
All the swimming pools around us have turned their temperature down to the absolute minimum, making them an ok temperature for a fairly athletic adult swim session, but blooming miserable for both small children and the supervising adults. This includes the local 'fun pool' with slides/obstacles etc, even the little baby paddling crèche area they have which I remember being really warm as a kid, is proper cold.
Lots of the more conventional pool around us also now only use the smaller and warming 'training pool' for kids swimming lessons, leaving it heated but empty during public/leisure sessions due to 'staff shortages' . As well as retaining the fixed '50mins on, 10mins off' scheduled sessions they introduced for covid, rather than rolling 1hour slots with coloured lights/bands whatever.
I get the whole cost of living crisis, but the pool being cold has really put me off going and reduced the amount we would go from probably every other week as nice thing to do, to about once every 2-3months when we feel guilt our 2yo was 18months old last time we went! Putting 90% of the running costs in and having the pools empty half the time is surely madness.
We did do baby swimming lessons once a week, which were held at the local additional needs school in a lovely warm pool, but when my wife went back to work at 1yo it was too much on top of 3-4days a week and nursery and they where just tired and not enjoying it which was defeating the point.
Lots of the more conventional pool around us also now only use the smaller and warming 'training pool' for kids swimming lessons, leaving it heated but empty during public/leisure sessions due to 'staff shortages' . As well as retaining the fixed '50mins on, 10mins off' scheduled sessions they introduced for covid, rather than rolling 1hour slots with coloured lights/bands whatever.
I get the whole cost of living crisis, but the pool being cold has really put me off going and reduced the amount we would go from probably every other week as nice thing to do, to about once every 2-3months when we feel guilt our 2yo was 18months old last time we went! Putting 90% of the running costs in and having the pools empty half the time is surely madness.
We did do baby swimming lessons once a week, which were held at the local additional needs school in a lovely warm pool, but when my wife went back to work at 1yo it was too much on top of 3-4days a week and nursery and they where just tired and not enjoying it which was defeating the point.
Personally I prefer the colder temperatures. Our local pool has turned the temperature down a few degrees and I do shudder when I first get in, but after half a length, it is forgotten. I hated the warmer temperature as I would take ages for me to cool down afterwards.
However, I did grow up swimming in an unheated outdoor pool. I remember doing one of my personal survival tests in the hail and being annoyed as the examiner cancelled the test. I was perfectly fine.
ETA your kids probably don't notice the cold as they are active.
My niece pays £20 an hour to hire a private pool for her kids.
However, I did grow up swimming in an unheated outdoor pool. I remember doing one of my personal survival tests in the hail and being annoyed as the examiner cancelled the test. I was perfectly fine.
ETA your kids probably don't notice the cold as they are active.
My niece pays £20 an hour to hire a private pool for her kids.
Edited by Slow.Patrol on Wednesday 28th February 12:02
The baby pool near me used to be like a bath. It was actually unpleasantly hot for me, but they've gone from that extreme to the other. It's now so cold that my 18 month old can't be in there for more than 10 mins or so without shivering uncontrollably.
I complained to them, but AFAIK nothing has been done. We simply don't go there any more, not sure what more you can do.
I complained to them, but AFAIK nothing has been done. We simply don't go there any more, not sure what more you can do.
IJWS15 said:
Tell them you will meet the additional heating cost if they turn it up.
I have made it as clear as I can to anyone that will listen, that if they turn it up a bit I will go four times as often and be willing to pay significantly more.We once went to a local hotels swimming pool, which allow paying as public, but sadly it was a seriously run down, poorly lit and and generally squalid affair, which somewhat took the edge off.
The only other option seems to be to join a local gym solely to use the swimming pool but I would rather support the public baths.
My wife always complains the swimming pool is too hot! Although 72, she has always been a keen swimmer since teenage years, and we also swim in the sea here in North Wales quite a lot of the year. I am surprised the learner/fun/toddler pool is not heated, but maybe the plumbing does not allow for separate filling and heating. Councils are struggling to balance their books. The alternative is of course a private club.
Sheepshanks said:
I suppose the next thing is they'll close them as they'll say no-one is using them.
It comes up many times, one is already been 'temporally closed' for a year.Slow.Patrol said:
ETA your kids probably don't notice the cold as they are active.
Child is 2yo, enjoys it, but is shaking and visibility turning blue within half an hour.Granadier said:
I always found it intriguing that when you're getting into the water for the first time, the water feels much colder than the air... but when you've been in the water for some time and get out, the air feels colder than the water.
The set point for the air will only be 1 or 2 degrees above the pool water to minimise heat loss through evaporation. Depending on when the pool was built (our local leisure centre now demolished was built back in the 70's) the pool will be running old-school gas boilers which are at best only 60% efficient. They have a wonderful ability to consume vast amounts of gas!
Modern heat pump heating solutions are available which are much more efficient, but on a leisure pool, you'll be looking at a £100k investment to upgrade the heating systems, which with councils running at a loss, will be a long way down the priority list.
The only option they have to maintain any kind of viability is to turn the water temperature down.
Will they let you wear a wetsuit in there?
I can't remember where I saw it, but Exmouth leisure centre's pool is heated using the excess heat from their server room. Apparently there is some process where the server room is kept cool while the swimming pool is kept warm and everyone's a winner. Perhaps they could look into that?
dhutch said:
Sheepshanks said:
I suppose the next thing is they'll close them as they'll say no-one is using them.
It comes up many times, one is already been 'temporally closed' for a year.Slow.Patrol said:
ETA your kids probably don't notice the cold as they are active.
Child is 2yo, enjoys it, but is shaking and visibility turning blue within half an hour.PurpleTurtle said:
I've noticed this. I take our 9yo and to be fair to him he doesn't complain as he just thinks that's what they are like, but it's miles colder than I remember it as a kid.
You must be fairly young then. When I was a kid, it was the sea, or an outdoor swimming pool. Very few indoor pools existed back when I was a kid.Antony Moxey said:
I can't remember where I saw it, but Exmouth leisure centre's pool is heated using the excess heat from their server room. Apparently there is some process where the server room is kept cool while the swimming pool is kept warm and everyone's a winner. Perhaps they could look into that?
Their server room wouldn't generate that level of heat - it's a data centre - article here - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-64939558 On the face of it, a good solution. Antony Moxey said:
I can't remember where I saw it, but Exmouth leisure centre's pool is heated using the excess heat from their server room. Apparently there is some process where the server room is kept cool while the swimming pool is kept warm and everyone's a winner. Perhaps they could look into that?
Is the lesiure centre mining bitcoin in an underground lair?
No wonder they're turning the temperatures down!Chris Type R said:
Antony Moxey said:
I can't remember where I saw it, but Exmouth leisure centre's pool is heated using the excess heat from their server room. Apparently there is some process where the server room is kept cool while the swimming pool is kept warm and everyone's a winner. Perhaps they could look into that?
Their server room wouldn't generate that level of heat - it's a data centre - article here - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-64939558 On the face of it, a good solution. Gassing Station | Sports | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff