If you're eyeing this property because you'd like a well heated pool, think again. I spoke with the owner and we agreed that I'd pay the heating costs and manage the temperature on my end. He agreed, I sent a deposit to cover costs, he unlocked the pool heater remotely. The heated pool was the main factor in my decision to stay at Casa Sonoma by myself during the pandemic.
As a pool enthusiast, I know the equipment and how long a pool of that size needs to reach 80F, the default setting for most pools, so I turned it on Friday morning. By Saturday noon it was a perfect 89F. Then the landscaper came and instead of me enjoying the pool I waited for him to mow the lawn then use a blower which covered the pool in debris. There wasn’t a functional pool net. I turned the pool heater off Saturday evening, on Sunday morning, off Sunday evening. An 80F pool is ideal for intense exercise and swimming laps and maybe hot summer days, but if you want to lounge the recommended temp is 86-92. Google it.
On Monday I set the heater to 90F but after a couple hours it wasn't heating and was set back to 82F. Hmm. The owner texted he was getting a warning that the pool is going above 82F and that can 'overload the system'. He said I had 'tripped the safety switch' and the system isn’t 'rated to go higher than 82F without risking damage to the equipment'.
If you know anything about pools there are some problems with this interaction. The Jandy Jxi pool heater there is designed to operate continuously and heats water at 104F while on. It doesn’t run hotter or colder to heat the pool or spa to a temperature, it only runs less or longer. There isn’t a safety switch and the warning was an app notification because I set the pool temperature higher than the owner’s preference. There also isn’t 'overload' from heating the pool 12F less than the owner's preferred 102F spa setting. I was never told & it’s not written in the listing, contract, or stay guide, that there is an arbitrary 82F owner remotely enforced maximum pool temperature.
The owner misrepresented his preference as being the maximum for the equipment and being safety or equipment related and reneged on our agreement after I'd paid and was halfway through the trip. Luckily he allowed me to set the Nest thermostat and hot tub to my preferred temperatures. I paid the gas bill in full after the trip. I expect honest and clear communication from property managers and I didn't get either.