Best times for running pump/swg

[CosmicMiami]

My pool receives 8+ hours of SoFla sun everyday. At least when there are no clouds.

I'm wondering if there is an ideal time to run the pump and the SWG. Is it better at night or day? Currently, I'm running 8 hours during the day from 9A-5P. Would it be better at night? Thanks in advance.

 

[Richard320]

If you're on tiered electric rates, do the majority of running when it's cheapest. Unless you have a weird situation like the ones a couple paragraphs down.

For demonstration, say your minimum is 3 FC and your target is 5. Does it matter if it gets to 5FC at 5PM, stays pretty much at 5 all night long, dips to 3 FC sometime during the day and slowly builds back up to 5 before the pump shuts off OR it gets to 5 FC at 5 AM, slowly drops to 3 FC during the day, and gets raised to 5 FC during the night? Not really. It never dipped below minimum. That is the key.

Some people like to run the pump in two or more blocks to keep the surface skimmed. A little circulation during the worst of the daytime heat will help equalize the temperature between the top and bottom of the pool. If the water gets too hot, you may want to rig up an evaporative cooler at night to cool it down.

There is no wrong way, so long as your FC never gets below minimum.

 

[Teald024]

It ends up being a personal choice really as long as you keep FC above minimum values, it doesn't matter really.
I'll tell you my method, other members choose differently. I have 3 kids + their friends that swim in my pool and kids do things that kids do. Like track dirt, grass, odd stuffed animals (toys) and swim for hours without getting out. We have a no-P policy for the pool but you never know. I dose my chlorine bleach through a Stenner pump in the evening around 9pm. This is almost always after the last swim for the day and will be when the pool will be it's dirtiest. This allows the FC to work it's magic overnight without any loss to the sun. My electric rates don't change based on time of day. I know I don't need to, but I typically run my pump on low speed 24/7 regardless. It makes my wife happy to know that the filter is cleaning all the time. For the extra $10 a month, it's worth it.

 

[Melnic]

While school is still in session, I get all my activity after 5PM weekday and weekends. I adjust things dynamically from my phone just for the fun of it.
I do have it set to run 6am-6pm but also overnight Friday. That way if kids are coming over Friday evening, I can run the heat pump Friday and overnight Friday night.
Last few weeks, Teenager has had 4-6 kids over.
I like to get the skim and cleaner done before they come over.

So, just to add, I have adjusted the run duration and pump speed based on anticipated as well as actual use. My Variable speed pump pulls very little electricity anyway and my electricity does not change rates during the day.

No pool party yet this year but the first time I get 20 12 year olds over here, I'll be prepping the pool and recovering it afterwards.

 

[CosmicMiami]

Thanks for the replies. They were what I suspected but wanted some reassurance. It's an above ground pool so circulating for temp isn't really necessary. Besides, I'm in SoFla. I could use a water chiller in the summertime. This will be our first summer with the pool.