Any downside to running pool pump at night?

[wayner]

I would prefer to run my pool pump at night as my electricity is WAY less overnight. My pool is covered most days by a solar cover. Any downside to the pump not running during the day. I have a SWCG as well so I need to run the pump enough so that it is generating enough chlorine, which I can deal with by changing the % on the SWCG.

 

[Newdude]

No issues. Just recognize you will be producing FC at night, yet losing it all during the day. Expect and treat the swing similar to an LC pool.

 

[wayner]

True, but do I lose more chlorine during the day with a solar cover on the pool all day long?

 

[Newdude]

You lose all of whatever you'll lose during the day. It's less with a cover, but still a loss.

See how it responds, test in the late afternoon/evening (at the low point) and adjust the cell as needed so that you have wiggle room after the next days loss.

 

[wayner]

Thanks, will do. We have a new pricing regime here in Ontario called ULO. Overnight electricity is 2.8c/kWh. Peak from 4-9pm is 28.6c/kWh. The rest of the weekday is at 12.2c/kWh. Weekend daytime rate is 8.7c/kWh.

Would there be any benefit to running the pump for an hour or two in the early afternoon to mix things up a bit?

 

[bobloblaw42]

Thanks, will do. We have a new pricing regime here in Ontario called ULO. Overnight electricity is 2.8c/kWh. Peak from 4-9pm is 28.6c/kWh. The rest of the weekday is at 12.2c/kWh. Weekend daytime rate is 8.7c/kWh.

Would there be any benefit to running the pump for an hour or two in the early afternoon to mix things up a bit?

A swimmer in the water or pool brushing would accomplish the intent behind running in the early afternoon at no hard dollar cost.

 

[wayner]

True, but I am thinking more from Mon-Fri when the pool isn't normally used and is covered with the solar cover.

 

[Newdude]

15 mins is enough to mix, especially if only for insurance. No need for an hour or two.

 

[bobloblaw42]

Sounds like not running at 4pm-9pm is the biggest win in the schedule. Experiment with other times and see how you like the results.

 

[Darin]

the only difference you will find by running it at night is a smaller energy bill. And no there is no benefit to running it an hour or two during the day.

 

[Brendan799]

Thanks, will do. We have a new pricing regime here in Ontario called ULO. Overnight electricity is 2.8c/kWh. Peak from 4-9pm is 28.6c/kWh. The rest of the weekday is at 12.2c/kWh. Weekend daytime rate is 8.7c/kWh.

Would there be any benefit to running the pump for an hour or two in the early afternoon to mix things up a bit?

Hi I am switching my hydro to the ULO plan and wondering if you encountered any issues with only running it overnight? I usually run it from 9am - 6pm but it is becoming too expensive.

 

[wayner]

No, I haven't had any issues at all with that. I run it about 13 hours per day from 11pm to noon. If you are running 9 hours then I would do 11pm to 8am or so. You could run it more on weekends if you have a more sophisticated timer that lets you do different schedules based on day of week.

 

[Brendan799]

No, I haven't had any issues at all with that. I run it about 13 hours per day from 11pm to noon. If you are running 9 hours then I would do 11pm to 8am or so. You could run it more on weekends if you have a more sophisticated timer that lets you do different schedules based on day of week.

OK awesome I will try it out. Just curious have you noticed a diffence in your Hyrdo with the ULO?

 

[wayner]

It is hard to say as I have an EV so my bill is driven by how much I drive and how much my AC runs. But running my pool pump overnight save about $0.25/hr vs running in the peak time of 4-9pm. So that saves about $40/month. I also try to shift other usage out of the prime time - like having the thermostat setting a bit higher from 4-9 in the summer. And I shut off the heater to my hot tub from 4-11pm.

 

[Brendan799]

It is hard to say as I have an EV so my bill is driven by how much I drive and how much my AC runs. But running my pool pump overnight save about $0.25/hr vs running in the peak time of 4-9pm. So that saves about $40/month. I also try to shift other usage out of the prime time - like having the thermostat setting a bit higher from 4-9 in the summer. And I shut off the heater to my hot tub from 4-11pm.

OK that is helpful thank you! I also have an EV so hoping this helps a bit.