pool pump run times ?

[alf1956]

in a cost cutting exercise i was just wondering what is the minimum time you can run the pool pump during the day?i am on the dual rate meter which gives me the cheaper rate from 10pm to 8am so the expensive rate is during the day hence me enquiring what would be the least amount of time it can be used in the day?

[matoserrao99]

in theory to keep a pool healthy you need to pump all of the water through the filter twice each day.
So you need to work out the amount of water in the pool / the rate the pump operates at.

However we have 2 pools
1 12x6 (with a very large filter / pump) and we filter that for 3 hours at lunch and 6 hours at night and so long as we keep it brushed and clean, with a good ph and good free chlorine levels never have any problems.
slighty smaller 9x 4 we filter for 2 hours at lunch and 6 at night, again so long as its kept clean no problems.

We now keep the pools open over winter and gradually reduce the filtering to 50% as the temperature drops

All of the above can be very variable depending on amount of usage / temperature, amount of debris etc.

But basically if it looks good its ok, if not increase it to suit.
This also depends on getting everything else right, chemicals, cleaning etc
Best of luck

[steve]

I have a 10 by 5 pool which I filter for 6 hours a night at the off peak rate. It is cleaned and checked twice a week in the summer and once a week in the winter. No problems. I do have an electric cover which keeps a lot of dirt and debris out of the water.

[alf1956]

i have my pool cleaned&kept right with chemicals etc twice a week in the summer months&once a week in the winter months my pool is similar to a semi-circle 28ft longx14ft at the widest part&is 3ft deep for approx 3/4ft then slopes down to approx 6ft.so i am thinking that maybe i can run my pump for approx 6 hours during the night on the cheap rate???

[EMM]

I think that there is no simple answer to this.
If there are just two of you using the pool a few times a week then the amount of filtering required will be very different to a pool used for hours a day . every day by a family with children on holiday for weeks at a time.
The way the pool is constructed,Sun tan lotion , general human detritus . leaves pollen etc etc plus those things we all know small children can do in a pool can affect a pool very quickly.
I do not know how many " real experts " there are on the forum but I prefer to be guided by our pool man on such matters and if he says to run it during the day and a few hours at night that better than having a cloudy pool with slimy sides.

[maccasa]

This is a difficult one and must be case-by case dependent, However I ALWAYS run my pump/filter - as recommended by the filter equipment makers - when there is someone in the pool and even in the hottest times it is only recommended for a max of 6 hrs/day - so no need to pump at night.

The Chlorine in the water is driven off by particularly sunlight and general evaporation, in all cases, and so if you dont use a cover at night, there will be a chemical (and heat loss) when you are pumping.

The pool cleaning man is clearly the best guy to give an opinion

[ANDY]

Pump Run Time
To calculate how many hours per day your pump should run in order to "turn over" your total volume of water at least once per day, you will need to know how many gallons per minute are pushed through your pump and how many gallons of water are in your pool.

To ascertain how many gallons per minute your model of pump is pushing, check the owner's manual that came with your pump, or contact the pump manufacturer. The typical pump on a swimming pool will push 40 - 80 gallons per minute (gpm)

Determine your necessary run time using the following formula:

gpm x 60 (minutes) = total gallons per hour through your pump
gallons in your pool ÷ gallons per hour = run time
For example, let's assume that your pool holds 36,000 gallons of water and your pump pushes 40 gpm:



In this case, you would need to run your pump for 15 hours per day to turn over your pool's water once.

[maccasa]

Thats a very large pool Andy! a 10 x 5 x 1.5 m deep (average) is only ~16000 gals (using ~220 gal/m3 conversion) - what have you got a pedalo dockyard

[ANDY]

well the dogs love it