How long to run a pool pump

[RobbieH]

You can pay for the timer with the first month's savings.

 

[RussH]

So here is the breakdown for me.. Xcel Energy in MN charges approx $.08 KWH. My pool is about 15,500g and my pump is 1.5hp. When I plug this info into the Pentair pump calculater (link below) I come up with:

8hr run time = $1.22 a day
24 hour run time = $3.65 a day

So yeah.. three times as much which is expected.. but since we are only talking about a few dollars a day and the fact we only have a pool open a third of the year if we are lucky, it seems worth it too me.

http://www.pentairpool.com/staging/...esources/calculators/pool-pump-calc/index.htm

That's about $73 a month extra though. I started ours initially 24/7 which was $100 / month and then later scaled it back to about 8 hours a day. I changed out that pump to a two speed pump which I now run on low about 10 hours a day. I intend to scale that back when the pollen is finally gone. It pulls about 3 amps, so its around $13 / month right now. The pool looks fine. The water is very clear. I think the skimmer works better on low as on high the water moves around the pool so fast that the skimmer couldnt pull floating debris in unless it was really close to it.

Russ

 

[jjdurrant]

I guess it does add up quickly over several months. I am going to scale back and see if the pool gets disgruntled.