If you haven't installed the FG pool yet, you may want to wait a season to add the heater. I'm in Central Jersey, installed a white fiberglass pool last year that received direct sun from 11AM on. The pool would stay warm through midnight. Not bearable, but WARM! There were actually two back-to-back days in June of last year where we got in the pool and got right back out because it was uncomfortable!

I guess a lot depends on whether you've got trees, and how the sun hits the pool, as well as the color of the pool, but for us, I can honestly say we would never even consider a heater after this past summer!

I've attached a link to our pool build. You can see the sun hitting at the end of the vid.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fiberglass Pool Build

jerseypool, thanks for your response. I was hoping to be able to hear from a few more about whether their heater extended the swimming season by much.

countrygal...you can expect the heater to add about a month to both ends of the swim season. This will naturally vary from year to year depending on how early fall starts or spring ends. We live in Louisiana and have a heater but rarely use it. Just can't justify the extra utility expense for making the water comfortable. We just jump in and 10 seconds later are used to the 70 degree water this time of year...same in October.

Like jerseypool recommended, I would make provisions for a heater to be added at a later date and then decide after year one if it's really needed.

If you are expecting the heater to make the pool swimmable when it's cold outside, that's probably not practical. As we say down here, "the water may be warm, but is anybody wearing bathing suits". Said another way, if it's 70 degrees outside does anyone really want to jump into water if it's not bath water.

BTW...I grew up in north central Ohio around Sandusky and remember swimming in June, July and August without a heater and having a blast. Now, of course, they have all the indoor water parks there to enjoy year round!

Hope this helps.

Thank you for your help. Yes, I'm really leaning toward making the provisions for a heater and adding it later if I want it.