pump times for different chlorination methods

[Ferd]

Hi,

I am trying to optimize the pump running time. Some background: the previous owner used to run the pump 24/7; there is only one working skimmer (the other was filled following a leak).

Here's the question. Pool school says "It is important to remember that as the water temperature increases during the summer, chlorine extinction will increase so you may need to add more chlorine to the pool which may or may not require more pump time depending on the method of chlorination." I could not find more details in other forum threads - in particular, which methods require more time. Any insights or links?

So far, I am using trichlor pucks in the skimmer basket plus liquid chlorine as needed (only needed once in the two months we've controlled the pool).

Thanks!

 

[ajw22]

If you use liquid chlorine it all immediately gets dispersed in the water without much pump runtime.

If you use trichlor pucks then you need to run your pump to dissolve and disperse the chemicals that are being dissolved. In addition you should put trichlor in a floater and not in your skimmer. In the skimmer trichlor will create very acidic water when your pump is off that can damage your pool and equipment. In a floater the tablets will dissolve and enter the water without requiring your pump running.

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

 

[Ferd]

Thank you! So, I'm going to use a floater. Good catch. Beyond that, any suggestions as to whether I would run it during the day vs. during the night?

 

[ajw22]

Thank you! So, I'm going to use a floater. Good catch. Beyond that, any suggestions as to whether I would run it during the day vs. during the night?

Does not make a big difference.

I like running the pump during the day when the sun is doing its thing to the water chemistry.

Others like running their pump at night if their nighttime electrical cost is very low.

Get a VS pump someday and you can run your pump 24/7 at low speed at low cost.

 

[Ferd]

perfect, thanks.