Pump/Filter Utilization vs. Temperature

[lagman]

Hi All,

I'm planning to integrate my pool filter with my home automation system this summer. One of the things I will be able to do is turn on/off the filter pump depending on certain conditions. I've read the amount of time the filter should running per day depends on the temperature (e.g. on hot days, run the pump continuously, but cooler days, it can be turned off every hour or so for some period of time or at night). I'm wondering if anyone has a good rule of thumb I can use to define how often the pump should run. For example:

If the temp is above 80, run continously
If the temp is between 70 and 80, turn off 1 hour every 4 hours
If the temp is between 60 and 70, turn off 1 hour every 2 hours
etc...

Right now I have the ability to monitor current air temp, but I can also add a sensor to monitor water temp if that makes a difference (I'd think air temp would always influence water temp, but I could be wrong).

Thanks!
Dan

 

[mas985]

I've read the amount of time the filter should running per day depends on the temperature (e.g. on hot days, run the pump continuously, but cooler days, it can be turned off every hour or so for some period of time or at night).

I don't agree with that.

Chlorine is used up faster with warmer weather so you need more of that but that doesn't always mean you need to run the pump longer (unless you have an SWG).

I run 4-5 hours per day in the summer but only because of solar and not because of water temp. In winter I run 1-2 hours per day and I would not hesitate doing that in the summer if I didn't need solar. However, I do need to adjust my SWG setting depending on water temperature.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Agreed. Pump run time has little or nothing to do with air temp. Pool builders, with little or no scientific justification for it, will often tell people to divide the maximum air temperature for the day by 10 and round up to get run time. But there is no justification for doing that; it's simply an "old wives tale"...

 

[lagman]

Wow only 4 to 5 hours? The guy at the place we get our pool supplies first told us to run it 24/7. After getting my first electric bill, I asked again and he said it is probably ok to shut it down between 11PM and 5AM but to go back to 24/7 if temps stay in the 80s at night. Sounds like I may be running it too long..

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Wow only 4 to 5 hours? The guy at the place we get our pool supplies first told us to run it 24/7. After getting my first electric bill, I asked again and he said it is probably ok to shut it down between 11PM and 5AM but to go back to 24/7 if temps stay in the 80s at night. Sounds like I may be running it too long..

Its 115F during the day here in the hot part of the summer (Jun/Jul) and "cools" down to 90F at night, if you're lucky. You know what my pump runtime was last summer?

5 hours per day...at its peak (started off at 4 hours/day but then I bumped it up to add a little extra run time for the suction ckeaner). I could have actually cut it back to 3 hours and I would have been fine.

Pool was perfectly clean and clear all summer long.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mas985]

+1 to what Matt said.

Somehow the industry has got the mistaken belief that it is run time that prevents algae when it is really all about chemistry.