how long to run pool pump

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How To Calculate Pool Pump Run Time

If you have a pool, then you nigh assuredly take a pool filter pump. But how long should you run the filter pump? Knowing that a pool pump filter system is the 2d highest energy consumer during the summer, (after Air conditioning units), we desire you to get the most bang for your buck.

Allow's walk through a few common questions and so breakdown the adding behind finding the ideal pool filter pump run time for your swimming pool. We will show yous the standard calculation and a simple adding.

What does the pool filter pump do?

To sympathize how much run time yous demand, it'due south important to know exactly what your filter pump does for your pool. The puddle filter pump is the heart of your puddle filtration system. It circulates water from the pool and returns information technology back, distributing puddle chemicals and filtering your water. It is recommended that you "turnover" or circulate all of your pool water through the puddle filter at least in one case throughout the twenty-four hour period. This will ensure that the chemicals are evenly distributed and your water stays make clean and articulate. If you don't circulate the water, you run the adventure of algae growth and h2o balance or clarity issues. This may lead to water that is unsafe for swimmers.

How many gallons of water are in my pool?

Before nosotros kickoff, allow'south sympathize how many gallons of h2o are in your pool. To find your pool's book, use one of these like shooting fish in a barrel calculations. If you don't want to calculate the pool volume, have a quick await at the table on this helpful article: Calculating Pool Book.

Square and Rectangle Pools with Unmarried Depth:

Length ten Width x Depth x 7.5 = Estimate Volume (Gallons)

Square and Rectangle Pools with Variable Depths:

Length ten Width x Average Depth 10 seven.five = Guess Volume (Gallons)

Average Depth: If the pool has a shallow end and a deep end, add together the ii depths together and divide past 2. (Example: The shallow terminate is iii' deep and the deep finish is eight'. Using the Average Depth formula: (iii+8)÷2=v.five' Average Depth.)

Circular Pools:

iii.xiv 10 Radius ten Radius ten Boilerplate Depth 10 vii.5 = Volume (Gallons)

The Radius equals the diameter divided by 2. (Example: A sixteen' diameter divided past 2 = 8' radius.)

Notation: Nearly round pools have a single depth.

Oval Pools:

3.14 x Length 10 Width x .25 ten Boilerplate Depth 10 vii.5 = Approximate Book (Gallons)

Kidney-Shaped Pool:

(A + B) x Length 10 0.45 x Average Depth 10 vii.5 = Guess Volume (Gallons)

("A" and
"B" = Width at 2 widest points)

Irregular Shaped or Free-Form Pools:

Longest Length 10 Widest Width 10 Boilerplate Depth ten 5.nine = Judge Volume (Gallons)

What is the Turnover Rate?

At present that we have the pool volume in gallons, we can summate the Turnover Rate. The water flow of Flow Charge per unit for all pool filter pumps is measured in gallons per minute (GPM), versus gallons per hour (GPH). Here is how to get that number:

Total Pool Volume ÷ 8 = GPH

GPH ÷ 60 = GPM

Permit's do some math!

Now that nosotros have gallons per minute (GPM) and pool volume, we can summate the run time. The math is unproblematic. For this example, let'south say yous have a 20,000 gallon pool and the pool pump has a GPM rating of forty. Grab that calculator and just "sub-in" your measurements for these:

twoscore (GPM) X 60 (minutes per hour) = 2400 gallons per hour

xx,000 (gallons) / 2400 (gallons per 60 minutes) = viii.3 hours

In this case, the ideal pool filter pump run fourth dimension is 8.3 hours per solar day for one circulation or "turnover" of water.

A simpler calculation

Here is a simple rule of thumb for operating your single-speed filter pump during the swim season when the temperatures and bather loads are high:

Run the circulation system one (1) hour for every ten°F of air temperature if a single-speed filter pump is installed.

Example: If it is 100°F, the pump should run 10 hours a day minimum. Of course, if the puddle is full of algae or a major weather event has occurred, the pump may need to run 24-hours a solar day.

Variable-Speed Pumps:

Variable-speed filter pumps should run longer, based upon the operating speed. Well-nigh pool owners run their variable-speed pump 12 hours per twenty-four hours (3-four hours on high speed for the pool cleaning system and 8-9 hours on low speed for filtration). Keep in mind that certain water features — Salt H2o Chlorine Generators and heaters — may not operate properly or even turn on if the filter pump is running on low speed.

Any farther questions?

If you have any farther questions about pool pumps, we're hither to help! Stop by your local Leslie'south store to speak with ane of our friendly puddle experts.