Run the pump at night or day time?

[DaveInNJ]

Hi all,

I'm a pool newbie with a brand new 12 x 24 AG in NJ. I've read through pool school - thanks to all for setting that up, it was a great help. I know how long to run my pump, but my question is when. Is it best to run at night or during the day? I'll be using a solar cover until it heats up if that's a factor.

Thank you, Dave

 

[JasonLion]

Welcome to TFP!

It doesn't make a huge difference when your run the pump. Personally, I would run the pump during the day, unless you have time of day electrical rates, in which case you want to run the pump at night.

 

[Nikki in IL]

We're on the opposite schedule -- we run it at night after we've been in it all day and stirred up whatever debris might be in there.

 

[AnnaK]

We run ours at night because the rates are very much less. There's a 45% rate decrease between 7P and 7A during the week and all weekend. I've found that if the nights are appreciably cooler than the days the water cools down more when the pump is run at night but that's only an issue during the first and last month of the swimming season.

We run the pump for an hour during the day after the dogs have had their lap swimming to skim the hair off the water surface.

 

[hayfarmer]

our rates are very low, we/I run it 24/7 i know that i dont need to run it that much, i figure more is better!!
this is just we do
good luck

 

[mofoism]

I run 24/7 on speed 2 and turn it up just when i need to vacuum/circulate chemicals/have fun with jets.

Intelliflo FTW!



But as others said... run it when it's cheaper. If there's no difference in price... then it doesn't really matter. Though if you have it on to broadcast bleach when shocking I'd definitely say do it at night, simply to keep your FC up and out of the sunlight.

 

[chem geek]

If you have a solar system, then you need to run the pump during the day for it to operate and heat the pool. If you have a saltwater chlorine generator (SWG) system, then it should run during the day to add chlorine that is lost from sunlight if there is no pool cover (with a pool cover and light pool use, then running the pump and SWG at night should be fine).

From an ideal circulation point of view, running the pump 24/7 at low speed or even every now and then throughout the day and night is better, but this is certainly not required. I also have an Intelliflo variable-flow pump and were it not for my solar system, I'd run the pump on and off throughout the day/night. The main downside to always running it at a very low speed, however, is that you don't get great skimmer vortex action.

Richard

 

[AV8TOR]

We run our during the day during swim season because the pool is cleaner when we swim (thanks to the skimmers). During the winter when the frost guard kicks on we run the filter during late evening when it will be running anyway.