how long to run pool pump?

[Splaker]

Hey folks I have a quesiton; how long do you run your pool pumps?

I run mine about 10 to 12 hours continously... that is what I was told to do and I run it from 8 am to evening...

Pool is 32x16 lagoon, vinyl, chlorine and 8 feet

 

[clambert1273]

For me here in SoCal... winter/rainy season (non-use) I run it a couple hours early morning and during season I run 4 hours


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[Splaker]

holy smokes! In another thread someone mentioned 4 to 6 hours! Am I running mine too long??

I live in the toronto, Canada area so our climate is similar to Detroit and Buffalo

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should I put the pump on a timer?

 

[clambert1273]

I only have a single speed pump and it has extreme pressure / suction so I personally don't need to run it any more than that which I am happy about lol


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[Splaker]

I only have a single speed pump and it has extreme pressure / suction so I personally don't need to run it any more than that which I am happy about lol


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not sure what mine is but I havent noticed that the pump changes pressure while in operation.. so i guess it's single speed too??

 

[Jimrahbe]

S,

Each pool is a little different... You generally run a pump for three reasons:

1. To keep surface debris moving and being pushed into the skimmers. The more debris the more often you need to run the pump.

2. If you have a Salt Water Chlorine Generator (SWCG) you'll need to run it long enough to generate the amount of chlorine needed.

3. To circulate the water to ensure the chlorine is effectively distributed throughout the pool. Two or three hours per day is all that is needed for this to happen in most pools.

There really is no one answer that fits everyone.

Why do you ask? Are you just thinking about reducing the time your currently run, or do you have a problem that you think might be caused by your current schedule?

Thanks for posting,

Jim R.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Yes, in the winter 10-12 hours a day seems excessive. Do you have a lot of leaves or other debris in the pool that requires filtering out?

 

[Splaker]

Guys I live in Canada! There's 6 inches of ice on my elephant cover right now!

If I dont need to run it 12 hours then I'd like to reduce the amount of time it's on and for 2 main reasons:

1. We have very high hydro rates
2. I don't want to wear out the pump which is costly to replace

So monetary reasons, for the most part. I suppose I would add that if it doesn't need to be run that long then I'd rather simply not run it.

Another question; if we are swimming in the pool, should the pump be on?

Thanks

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And would you recommend a timer where it goes on and off throughout the day? say every couple of hours, run it for say 90 min?

 

[GaryT58]

S,

Each pool is a little different... You generally run a pump for three reasons:

1. To keep surface debris moving and being pushed into the skimmers. The more debris the more often you need to run the pump.

2. If you have a Salt Water Chlorine Generator (SWCG) you'll need to run it long enough to generate the amount of chlorine needed.

3. To circulate the water to ensure the chlorine is effectively distributed throughout the pool. Two or three hours per day is all that is needed for this to happen in most pools.

There really is no one answer that fits everyone.

Why do you ask? Are you just thinking about reducing the time your currently run, or do you have a problem that you think might be caused by your current schedule?

Thanks for posting,

Jim R.

This is the perfect answer from Jim. I bought a variable speed pump so that I can run in active swim season 24/7 at lower speeds for very low $. I have lots of pine trees so like the circulation to keep pool clean and at night in peak summer I run fountains to cool the pool.

 

[woodyp]

A timer is a great idea for just convenience sake, whether you decide to split run times or not. 2-3 hours in winter is fine for just keeping chems stirred up.

 

[Mark R]

3-4 hours a day from November -March here in the desert for me. April -October 5-6 hours and dump gallon after gallon of 10% bleech it seems 3-4 gallons a week anyway, unless kids/adult party happens, which on the weekend can happen

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Splaker- you mean you are keeping the pool open in the winter and not closing it down?

I'm in Georgia and on nights that temps are going down below freezing I run the pump all night. Most folks in the north close their pool down to avoid problems with freezes.

Yippee

 

[Nectarologist]

Hey folks I have a quesiton; how long do you run your pool pumps?

I run mine about 10 to 12 hours continously... that is what I was told to do and I run it from 8 am to evening...

Pool is 32x16 lagoon, vinyl, chlorine and 8 feet

Hi. I have the same sized pool and live in southern NY so I also close for the winter and have similar summers as you (though I'm probably a bit warmer earlier). My pool is open mid May through September. I have a 1 hp single speed pump. I was running 8 hours per day and then scaled it back to 6 hrs per day. I could probably go a little less but I like to run it to get the debris off the surface.

Yes, definitely run it when people are swimming. It will clean surface debris (esp long hair) and if you are covered in sun tan lotion like I am it will help move that off the surface too. But the biggest advantage, imo, is when people are swimming when the pump is not running water sloshes in and out of the skimmer moving all the leaves, dead bugs, hair, etc out of the skimmer and into the pool. So running it prevents this. Summer is coming, we're counting the days!

 

[bmoreswim]

Yes, definitely run it when people are swimming. It will clean surface debris (esp long hair) and if you are covered in sun tan lotion like I am it will help move that off the surface too. But the biggest advantage, imo, is when people are swimming when the pump is not running water sloshes in and out of the skimmer moving all the leaves, dead bugs, hair, etc out of the skimmer and into the pool. So running it prevents this. Summer is coming, we're counting the days!

+1



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[CovingtonPoolGuy]

I'm new to TFP and had the same question. I live in Louisiana and do not winterize our pool. When we bought our home it was running for 12 hours. With the help of TFP members I was able to determine that 3-4 hours is plenty of time to run the pump during the winter season. I would say you could definitely decrease the time you run your pump for. I would also suggest that you get a timer for your system. It allows it to work without you having to be there. You could set the timer to run off hours when electricity may be less expensive.