Does anyone keep their pump running 24/7?

[ForceEdge]

Was debating if I really need to have my pump running all day and night. Was thinking maybe 6pm to 6am have it running throughout night. So 12 hours running , then have it off from 6am to 6pm.

what do you guys recommend?

it’s a pentair intelliflo variable speed pump.
Chlorine, DE filter, 18x36 vinyl in ground pool

 

[Wobblerlorri]

I run my pump about 4 hrs a day, unless I have a SLAM going on. Then it's 24 hrs a day.

 

[duckcmmndr]

I run mine 24/7. I would not recommend that on a single speed or maybe even with a 2 speed...but with your variable speed...absolutely.

You can run at much slower speeds and use very little electricity. I run mine at 1700 RPM from 7AM till 10PM this is when my cleaner and SWG run. Then dial it back to 700 RPM from 10PM till 7AM. I like to keep the water moving and the skimmers skimming.

 

[ForceEdge]

I run mine 24/7. I would not recommend that on a single speed or maybe even with a 2 speed...but with your variable speed...absolutely.

You can run at much slower speeds and use very little electricity. I run mine at 1700 RPM from 7AM till 10PM this is when my cleaner and SWG run. Then dial it back to 700 RPM from 10PM till 7AM. I like to keep the water moving and the skimmers skimming.

I run my pump about 4 hrs a day, unless I have a SLAM going on. Then it's 24 hrs a day.

Thanks for the info. Yes true about my variable speed pump, I just worry of longevity with the pump. Main reason I’m asking if I should run it 24/7

I mean, would 12 hours on, then 12 off suffice and still keep pool clean?

 

[Wobblerlorri]

I should think so. Mine stays clean with 4 hours a day.

 

[reggiehammond]

Determine Pump Run Time

To figure out how many hours you need to run your pump, you need to know how fast your pump works. You can find this here.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Jimrahbe]

FE,

Just like people are different, pools are different.. Some pools get a lot of debris and some not so much. Some pools have saltwater chlorine generators, some do not.

Some owners don't care if "stuff" is floating in their pools and others do...

There is no right or wrong answer here.. Whatever works best for you, works for us..

In my case, there is no way I could run 4 hours a day, because I have a SWCG and I'm way more OCD about stuff floating in my pool than I should be..

I run my IntelliFlo pump 24/7, most of the time at about 1200 RPM.. I do this because I like to generate a little chlorine all the time, and I like to skim all the time.. And it costs me less than $20 bucks a month..

Logic says that running the pump 24/7 cuts the lifespan in half.. I don't know if that is really true or not, but either way, I don't care..

I actually have 3 IntelliFlo pumps that run 24/7. I am running an un-scientific test to see how long they will last. Not really why I'm doing it, but my plan is to report any pump failure as they occur.. One of the pumps has been running for almost 10 years, one for over 7 and one for almost 7.. My pools do not close so this is 24/7/365 operation.. My pass/fail criteria is 10 years, but I hope to get a lot more use than that.. Ten years would make my pump costs about $150 a year, at today's pricing, but I bought these pump for less than $1,000 bucks when originally purchased. For me, 24/7 operation is well worth the $150 bucks a year.. Anything longer is just gravy.

I would not spend too much time worrying about ROI and just do what makes you feel good about your pool..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[DeanP66]

I thought that I had heard that the starting and stopping of the pump is what wears it out more so than the longevity. Anybody else hear that?

I run mine 24/7 as well at 1200rpm and just keep my SWG turned on 24/7 as well but with much lower output (15-30%) depending on the time of summer.

 

[Bperry]

I thought that I had heard that the starting and stopping of the pump is what wears it out more so than the longevity. Anybody else hear that?

I run mine 24/7 as well at 1200rpm and just keep my SWG turned on 24/7 as well but with much lower output (15-30%) depending on the time of summer.

I’ve also understood start/stop on most electrical parts as something that degrades function over time. Variable speed motors sometimes have a kind of “soft start” that the single speed motors don’t so there might be some variability there.

 

[HeyEng]

I thought that I had heard that the starting and stopping of the pump is what wears it out more so than the longevity. Anybody else hear that?

I run mine 24/7 as well at 1200rpm and just keep my SWG turned on 24/7 as well but with much lower output (15-30%) depending on the time of summer.

In theory, yes. They are rated as "continuous duty" pumps and are designed to run...well, continuously. Not saying it's necessary...just that there isn't anything inherently wrong about running them all the time.

 

[ForceEdge]

FE,

Just like people are different, pools are different.. Some pools get a lot of debris and some not so much. Some pools have saltwater chlorine generators, some do not.

Some owners don't care if "stuff" is floating in their pools and others do...

There is no right or wrong answer here.. Whatever works best for you, works for us..

In my case, there is no way I could run 4 hours a day, because I have a SWCG and I'm way more OCD about stuff floating in my pool than I should be..

I run my IntelliFlo pump 24/7, most of the time at about 1200 RPM.. I do this because I like to generate a little chlorine all the time, and I like to skim all the time.. And it costs me less than $20 bucks a month..

Logic says that running the pump 24/7 cuts the lifespan in half.. I don't know if that is really true or not, but either way, I don't care..

I actually have 3 IntelliFlo pumps that run 24/7. I am running an un-scientific test to see how long they will last. Not really why I'm doing it, but my plan is to report any pump failure as they occur.. One of the pumps has been running for almost 10 years, one for over 7 and one for almost 7.. My pools do not close so this is 24/7/365 operation.. My pass/fail criteria is 10 years, but I hope to get a lot more use than that.. Ten years would make my pump costs about $150 a year, at today's pricing, but I bought these pump for less than $1,000 bucks when originally purchased. For me, 24/7 operation is well worth the $150 bucks a year.. Anything longer is just gravy.

I would not spend too much time worrying about ROI and just do what makes you feel good about your pool..

Thanks,

Jim R.

Wow 10 years continuous without major issues? Is so, that gives me some faith that the intelliflo will last a good while. Awesome experiment and thanks for doing it!

I’ve also understood start/stop on most electrical parts as something that degrades function over time. Variable speed motors sometimes have a kind of “soft start” that the single speed motors don’t so there might be some variability there.

I actually heard that to. I hope starting and stopping isn’t to much of an issue.

 

[LoneWolfArcher]

I run mine about 6-7 hours a night. I also like to run it when there are swimmers in the pool. It's probably a little overkill but it's just electricity!

 

[Kjp300]

One thing to keep in mind is based on your location your pump only runs about 5 months a year. I wouldn’t worry about running it 24/7.

 

[pjt]

Since you don't have a SWG, run your pump enough to skim the surface adequately. Keep in mind you can break up your total daily run time into a few smaller intervals.