| West Pool | Center Pool | East Pool |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 15 to Jan. 31 | ||
| Feb. 1 to April 15 | Feb. 1 to April 15 |
Beginning in October the center pool will be heated to 84 degrees. Starting Feb. 1, the east and west pools will be heated. As utility prices have risen sharply, the board decided in 2021 to begin heating each pool once rather than twice per season. Spas at all pools will continue to be heated year-round to 102 degrees.
Original post: The east and west pools will be heated in October and November, the center pool in December and January, and all three pools in February through April.
UPDATE: 2/7/23: The center pool was heated for December-January a little late because of the need to complete a gas line repair, and we have left it heated for the first few weeks of February.
The HOA board had decided in August 2022, based on input from homeowners, to heat all three pools in February through April, although possibly not all to the same temperature. With the sharp rise in natural gas prices and the recent cold, the current board decided to revisit the new plan at its Feb. 21, 2023 meeting after it reviews the January gas bill. The initial heating of a pool is a major expense.
UPDATE: 2/21/23: After reviewing how far over budget the Association has been this winter on gas and electric bills, the Board voted to leave the heat on for the already-heated center pool and not heat the east and west pools this season.
All three spas should be at the proper temperature now, after repairs were made.
UPDATE: As of late January 2022, the East Pool is heated and repairs are being scheduled on the Center Pool heater.
The east and west pools will be heated October 15 through December 31. The center pool must be drained this fall for bead blasting of the waterline tile and acid wash of the plaster. The center pool will be heated Jan. 1 through April 30.
The HOA board decided in 2020 to stop alternating the heating at two-month intervals from Oct. 1-May 31 to save considerable money by bringing pools up to 84 degrees twice instead of four times. The board decided at its Sept. 29 meeting to further reduce pool heating in October and May.
All spas will continue to be heated to 102 degrees year-round.
The pools will be heated October through May, but we will not be alternating the heating at two-month intervals as in the past. We will save considerable money by bringing pools up to 84 degrees twice instead of the usual four times.
All spas will continue to be heated to 102 degrees year-round.
To help with COVID-19 distancing requirements, we started heating two pools – east and west, on October 1, 2020. The center pool is being heated in addition to the east pool through May 31, 2021 so that users can more easily maintain proper distancing. (UPDATE: Heating at the East Pool ended as of May 1.)
The pools will be heated October through May, but we will not be alternating the heating at two-month intervals as in the past. We will save considerable money by bringing pools up to 84 degrees twice instead of the usual four times.
All spas will continue to be heated to 102 degrees year-round.
To help with COVID-19 distancing requirements, two pools – east and west, will be heated October 1, 2020 through January 31, 2021. The center pool will then be heated February 1, 2021 through May 31, 2021. (Update as of December: We may continue to heat only the East and West pools so that users can more easily maintain proper distancing.)
The waterline tile at the center pool will be cleaned and the plaster acid-washed this fall. This will require that the pool be drained and refilled. The east and west pools were cleaned this spring.
During this heat wave, the Board is eager to allow residents to cool off in our pools, which the HOA has continued to pay to clean and maintain. But to do so, we would have to implement and enforce county and city rules that do not seem realistic for us at this time. Please read the “single occupancy” rules for yourself on the city website and note that our HOA could be fined or sued over violations of the order. The Board will continue to monitor orders from the county and city and will revisit our decision as soon as we can meet the requirements for safe use. Thank you for your continued patience and understanding.
You can find information about the state stay-at-home order here. The order says, “It’s okay to go outside to go for a walk, to exercise, and participate in healthy activities as long as you maintain a safe physical distance of six feet and gather only with members of your household.” In Riverside County, as of Friday, May 1, “face coverings are NOT required to be worn by people who are outdoors, walking, hiking, bicycling or running. However, people must comply with social distancing during these activities, including maintaining at least 6 feet of distance from other people. People also should have a face covering readily accessible.” Face coverings continue to be required in other public settings, including stores, taxis, buses, bus stops and when picking up food at a restaurant. The May 1 update of the county order is here.
Stay safe and healthy,
The Canyon South 1 Board
The center pool is heated to 84 degrees for two months beginning in October. December and January will see the east and west pools heated, then back to the center pool for February and March, finishing with the east and west pools for April and May as needed. Spas at all pools will continue to be heated year-round to 102 degrees. But one or more spas will be closed for short periods for water-line tile cleaning. Pools that are not being heated will also be cleaned in turn this winter.
Beginning in October the center pool will be heated to 84 degrees for two months. December and January will see the east and west pools heated, then back to the center pool for February and March, finishing with the east and west pools for April and May as needed. Spas at all pools will continue to be heated year-round to 102 degrees.
We’ve learned lessons from having lived with our desertscape for four years. We’ve learned that while saving water, the removal of lawns raises the ambient temperature around our homes and plants. In at least three cases, our landscape contractor Ismael has had to install multiple rings of soaker hoses around suffering citrus trees that had been in the lawn but now have surrounding desertscape. Pyracantha hedges also have suffered until additional water supplies were brought to them.
This past summer was so hot that more shade screens had to be built just to keep plants alive. We are used to shading such as the Sago Palms, but this past summer we had to drape burlap over the Mexican fencepost cacti to protect them on the south and west exposures. Next month, our landscapers will begin an aggressive treatment of all the agave in our complex. The stress of heat has made them more susceptible to boring-type worms and we have lost several this past year. We will use both liquid and granular poisons to control these pests.
During the ungodly hot part of the summer, Ismael and an expanded crew spread ten tons of fresh decomposed granite on the thin spots over the entire desertscape area. If you’ve been near the east pool recently, you probably noticed that the landscaping has been updated. New bougainvillea and lantana were planted as well as a new pyracantha hedge around the pool to hide the pool equipment. Some cobblestone mulch was installed along with annual geraniums.
We got a break this year from pool and spa tile and plaster renovation, but some of our supporting pool and spa equipment needed replacement. The east spa got a new filter, new pump and new heater this past summer. The center spa also got a new pump for a total cost of almost $7,000. The main entry handrails of all pools and spas have been covered with blue insulating sleeves. No longer do we have to drape a towel over the rail or risk burning our hands.
The center pool is, for February and March, being heated to the standard temperature of 84 degrees. All spas are always programmed at 101 degrees.
—Carl Toland