How long do you run your pool pump?

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D

Dk1Projekt

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Feb 26, 2017
13
Orlando Florida
How long do you all run your pool system? I'm in central Florida which I'm sure varies from state to state. I run a PENTAIR INTELLIFLO VARIABLE SPEED 3HP pump... I know I can mess with the rpm and have it set at 2800 to run he pump generally. Thanks for any advice!
 
DK,

I have a SWCG and run my Intelliflo 24/7, at 1,200 RPM, for less than $20 bucks a month. I do this because I like the idea of a little chlorine all the time vs. lots of chlorine in bursts.

Here is what I normally say about pump run time...

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, just do what works for you.

Thanks for posting,

Jim R.
 
The very short answer is to run it long enough to keep the pool clean. I would suggest with your big VS pump you start at about 1800 rpm or less and run it maybe 12 hours daily.

If the pool is really clean start bumping the timer backwards until you find the minimum time you can run and keep the pool clean. Each pool is different.
 
I am going to be more aggressive than Dave and say you could run as little as 2 hours per day and as low as 1000 RPM but it depends on other factors.

Do you manually dose or are you using an SWG?

Are you running a floor cleaner?

Are you running solar or a heater?

How many skimmers are you running? - The lowest RPM should be where the water runs over the skimmer weir and not around the edges.

Do you have a solar cover on the pool most days?
 
I'm across the state from you, I run my pump at 1600 RPM's for 11 hours/day. I have SWG and also screen enclosure. I figure I could go slightly lower but few bucks of savings per month isn't worth the risk of possible problems for me. I'd spend more in chemicals if I had to SLAM it for some reason.
 
Running your pump that long wont solve chemistry issues. The only reason to run it that long is for constant debris removal or perhaps a heater.
 
Yes but the SWG should be sized large enough so it doesn't require such a long run time. I have no problem getting enough chlorine in a 20k pool with a T-15 in less than 2 hours. Yours should not be that much longer.

I did a quick calc and a T-9 running at 100% for 11 hours is 3.85 ppm (13k). There is no way you should need that much FC added to a pool each day.
 
Based on Hayward specs, my SWG is sized to twice my pool size which appears to be the recommended sizing. I have to run at 50-60% in summer and with 11 hour run times. I can't see how my SWG would generate enough if pump was sent to run 2 hours. Interesting to hear that you T-15 produces enough for your 20,000 gallon pool with 2 hour run, learning something new every day.
 

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Then you could at least halve your run time.

But what is your CYA level and the FC target you are using? If your CYA was at 80 ppm and FC target is 4 ppm, then that means you are losing close to 2 ppm per day which would be a 50% extinction level. That is very high. Pools with a CYA level of 30 ppm generally have extinction levels that high. My pool averages around a 15% extinction level at those levels which means I only need to add 0.6 ppm per day.
 
New build last year, PB recommended CYA at 40. Later, recommendations here suggested setting target to 50-60 (due to screen covering pool). Those CYA targets would account for my higher SWG %.

After learning more and getting feedback from users here I've readjusted all my targets with CYA target now at 80 (FC target of 4). Pool does get lots of sun, southern facing so gets sun from morning until just about dusk. With CYA target of 80 I may be able to keep my SWG % lower. However temps in mid-80's now (water temps around 78) and SWG is already at 40% with FC holding pretty steady. But I anticipate as we get further into summer and with even longer sun time on pool I may still have to slightly adjust my SWG %.

Always a learning experience here for me.
 
Not sure if you have a SWG or not, but I run my manual dosed pool around 4-6 hours per day. More if it gets pretty dirty, and its usually around 1600-1800 RPM. When we get a storm or bad wind, I'll run it more by turning it on and letting it go the default 12 hours 2-3 times.

Reading around and learning on the forum, I got inspired to experiment, and was shocked how little I could really get away with. I'll add other runs to it while people are in, cleaning it and such, but some can really do fine with surprisingly little.
 
Ever since I got my Pentair variable speed pump, I run 24/7 around 1400 RPM. In the summer my Auqua Rite SWG is on for about six hours a day at 30%. For my 14 K pool is perfect. Right now I have it at 20% and is doing fine, once it heats up I will increase to 30%.


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