Best time of day to run the pump

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A

aztony

Bronze Supporter
Oct 10, 2012
209
Maricopa, Arizona
Pool Size
15000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Hi, is there a recommended time of day or night to run the pump? I usually have mine run overnight when electricity rates are lower. With AZ temps being over 100F and over 110F, so often this summer, I was wondering if the pump should run during the day to help keep the water cooler.
 
Run Whenever you want. Unless you’re running a sprinkler,fountain, or pool cooler it won’t make much of a difference whether it’s on or off as far as temp goes.
You can run the above mentioned items day or night.
Do you have a single speed pump?
 
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What rpm/speed are you running?
At low rpms it should be quite efficient/inexpensive to operate.
Most here with swcg’s & vsp’s run around the clock pretty much at low rpms- just a couple hundred or so over what it takes to engage the flow switch which is usually enough to accommodate for the possibility of the filter getting dirty.
 
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With a SWG, running the pump and SWG during the day will allow the SWG to make chlorine when chlorine is being used most - by the sun and bathers.

What is the minimum rpm you can run the pump at that allows the SWG flow switch to close?

In Chandler, with SRP electric (not time of day rates), I run my pump and SWG 24/7 for less than $20/month.

Your biggest electrical use is likely your air conditioner - especially if you aren't running your VS pool pump at a high speed.
 
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Right now, it starts at 2500 rpm for a few hours then lowers to 1250 until 5 AM. It's been set that way since it was put in. We have ED3 for electricity, not on time of day rates either. As for the minimum RPMs needed for the flow switch to close, I have no idea. How do I find out?
 
Invest in a flow meter and install it in your plumbing. Figure out what component requires the minimum amount of flow and set your pump speed to flow slightly above that GPM. For me that is my heater, 25 GPM.

I also calculated the total gallons in my pool and wanted 3 water changes in 24 hours. For me this came out to 28 GPM so I have my VSP set to 30 GPM and it runs 24/7 w/ my SWG.

IMO the flow meter is one of the best investments and is really the only way to optimize the pump/system. There is a whole spreadsheet of calculations and graphs I ran when I optimized my system but I won't get into the details for now.
 
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aztony said:
Right now, it starts at 2500 rpm for a few hours then lowers to 1250 until 5 AM. It's been set that way since it was put in. We have ED3 for electricity, not on time of day rates either. As for the minimum RPMs needed for the flow switch to close, I have no idea. How do I find out?
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Do some testing as follows. Set your pump to run at 1200rpm. Does the flow switch close and activate the SWCG? If yes - then lower to 1100rpm and see if SWCG still operating. Find the rpm where the SWCG does not turn on. Then add 200 rpm to that and set that as the minimum rpm to turn on the SWCG. This accounts for a dirty filter where the flow may decrease slightly. It is also in important to see if you skimmer is moving any water.

Every pool is different on the minimum flow rate to turn on a SWCG. At my minimum rpm, there is also a slight flow over the weir door of the skimmer. Then run the pool mostly at that minimum speed and only increase the speed to something higher to improve skimming.
For example, I increase my rpm to over 2000 rpm for 4 hrs to have good skimming action.

Always ensure your pump is running when you add other chemicals such as MA.
 
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ttroglio said:
I also calculated the total gallons in my pool and wanted 3 water changes in 24 hours. For me this came out to 28 GPM so I have my VSP set to 30 GPM and it runs 24/7 w/ my SWG.
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This is absolutely a myth and has nothing to do with pools. Pools don't need turnover. All they need is the flow it takes to keep the heater and SWCG's happy and the rest is totally unnecessary. If you were to satisfy your pool with proper chlorine in an hour you'd be able to stop right there but you really want a well filtered water too so you keep it going but the water could care less about pump speed/gallons per hour.....
 
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Jimrahbe said:
The key about 'turnovers' being a myth is all about the difference between "Wanting" and "Required"... :mrgreen:

We do not care if a pool owner "Wants" to turnover their pool 100 times a day.. We just want everyone to understand that turnovers are not "Required" to have a clear and sanitized pool.

Thanks,

Jim R.
Click to expand...
Well said Jim.
 
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This is absolutely a myth and has nothing to do with pools. Pools don't need turnover. All they need is the flow it takes to keep the heater and SWCG's happy and the rest is totally unnecessary. If you were to satisfy your pool with proper chlorine in an hour you'd be able to stop right there but you really want a well filtered water too so you keep it going but the water could care less about pump speed/gallons per hour.....
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Maybe what I wrote didn't come across what I meant. I didn't define 'turnover', others did. I just used it as a starting point to figure out some sort of GPM that would run my volume of water thru the filter some number of times. I know I really just need to run it slightly above that which is required for the heater (25) and the SWG (also 25). I set it at 30 GPM because it covers me when the filter starts to get a bit dirty and the flow reduces, something my gage never picks up on. I'm not sure how people get along w/o some sort of measure of actual flow, based on my experience w/ the gage and flow meter.
 
ttroglio said:
I'm not sure how people get along w/o some sort of measure of actual flow, based on my experience w/ the gage and flow meter.
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AJ,

If what you are doing works for you, then that is all that matters... :goodjob:

But... You still do not understand that you do NOT have to run X amount of pool water through your filter each day. The idea that this is requirement is just wrong. 99.5% of pool owners do not need a flow meter of any kind.. It is just not necessary to have a well managed pool..

We are not against you using a flow meter, we are against making it sound like it is a requirement. There is nothing wrong with you using one or loving it.. But that does not mean everyone needs to have one.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
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ttroglio said:
I'm not sure how people get along w/o some sort of measure of actual flow, based on my experience w/ the gage and flow meter.
Click to expand...
I use a filter pressure gauge that reads 0-30 instead of 0-60 and is fluid dampened.
They are available in numerous places - usually for under $20.

My pump shows RPM. I determined the minimum flow the SWG flow switch would close with a clean filter and added 200 RPM to that number. I also clean the filter any time the filter pressure rises 25% above clean pressure. One could use the same procedure to determine the RPM to comfortably run to satify the heater needs.

Many flow meters actually restrict the flowabit so they can get a flow reading.
 
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Jimrahbe said:
We are not against you using a flow meter, we are against making it sound like it is a requirement. There is nothing wrong with you using one or loving it.. But that does not mean everyone needs to have one.
Click to expand...
Hi Jim,

Understand. Definitely not a requirement. Early on I had made some TDH vs. RPM graphs charts using data from gages on both sides of the pump to get an idea flow rate. The geek engineer in me used it as an exercise to refresh my fluids classes. And, maybe figure out the minimum speed I could run my VSP. Probably pointless I know but I did enjoy the time spent learning more about the system. My spouse thought I was nuts but that is not out of the ordinary. When I did add the flowmeter however, everything became simpler for me. Now I just watch the flowmeter and know what I need to do.
 
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AJ,

If every pool owner was an engineer, then a flow meter would be installed on most pools. :mrgreen:

You guys are a cursed lot... :poke:

Many of my friends are RF engineers.. Nothing is ever simple for them.. Even simple questions almost never have a yes or no answer... :scratch:

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
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