Do I Need To Run My Pool Pump Everyday
Your pool pump is the single most important part of your pool. It maintains water quality, cleans out dirt and debris, and helps distribute water chemicals.
If you don’t run the pool pump as often as you should, you risk creating an unhealthy environment in your pool that could make swimmers fall ill. The water quality will fall, and the pool will start to look less appealing. Stagnant water isn’t good for anyone’s home, and that’s why running your pool pump regularly is necessary.
But how often should you run your pool pump?
What Does A Pool Pump Do
A pool pump works by circulating the water in your pool. It does this by first pulling in the pull water into its filtration system, and the pushing it out through the filter.
This helps your pool stay healthy in two ways:
- By circulating the water, the pool doesn’t become a standing source of stagnant water.
- The filter catches dirt, debris and other foreign contaminants. This keeps your pool clean, especially is you have a garden or plants near the pool.
Your pool pump needs to circulate all the water in your pool at least once a day. So you need to run your pool pump for the amount of time it’ll take for the pump to circulate all the water in your pool once.
Pool Pump Turnover Rate
The turnover rate for a pool pump is the amount of time it takes the pump to push all the water in your pool through its filtration system once.
Typically, this number is in the hours. For larger pools, the number of hours can be as high as eight. Smaller pools can take less time.
Large pools can take up to 8 hours to turnover
Smaller pools can take much less time to turnover
Pool Pump Flow Rate
The flow rate of your pool pump is the amount of water that passes through the filtration period. This is calculated by the amount of water pushed through within a set period of time.
There are two measurements associated with the flow rate. The number will be available in your manufacturer’s guide.
You’ll see it as either:
- Gallons per hour (GPH)
- Gallons per minute (GPM)
The flow rate is essential, as it lets you know what kind of pool equipment you should use. It’s also responsible for maintaining water health, providing clean and clear water in your swimming pool at all times.
Now let’s look at the kind of pool pump speeds available to you.
The flow rate is essential, it’s responsible for maintaining water health, providing clean and clear water in your swimming pool at all times
Single-Speed Pool Pump
Different modern pumps have different speeds, but a single-speed pump can only be operated on one setting.
For many years, a single-speed pump was the only option available to pool owners. They would run their pool pumps every day on a timer. A traditional swimming pool, such as a fibreglass pool, takes between eight to twelve hours for all the water to be filtered once.
With a single-speed pool pump, all anyone had to do was use the provided timer on the pool pump. People would set their pool pump on the provided timer, and the timer would take care of the rest.
Since the single-speed pump comes with a single flow rate, there were no options that allowed pool owners to change speeds. This means that you couldn’t control energy expenditure or your utility bills with a single-speed pump.
Two-Speed And Variable Speed Pumps
A two-speed pump comes with two flow rates – usually a ‘low’ speed option and a ‘high’ speed option. This lets you decide what speed you want your pool pump to run at.
Variable speed pumps are also available in the market these days. These provide even more flow rates that let you choose the speed, and in that way, the amount of time you should run your pool pump.
At higher speeds, the pool pump will be able to circulate and filter the water faster, but it’ll also be working harder for that period of time. At lower speeds, the pool pump will take longer, but it’s not working as hard, and not draining energy as much for the time it’s working.
With a two-speed or variable speed pump, you can adjust the settings so that your pool pump is consuming less energy. At low speeds, the pump will make less noise as well, giving you a more peaceful environment through the day.
Correct pump usage will ensure clean and safe swimming water
How Long Should You Run Your Pool Pump For Everyday?
There’s a simple formula that can help you determine how long you should run your pool pump every day.
It’s:
Total volume of pool ÷ Flow rate of pool pump = Amount of time taken to complete one full turnover
If you aren’t comfortable with doing these calculations yourself, then you can use an online pool pump use calculator to get the number. But you’ll need to know basic details about your pool, such as the volume of water it holds, as well as the flow rate of your pump.
Remember, the flow rate is the number of speeds that a pool pump has. For pool pumps with variable speeds, you should check the manufacturer’s guide or ask the installer to let you know what the flow rate is.
Total Volume Of Pool/Flow Rate Of Pool Pump = One Full Turnover
Things To Keep In Mind About Pool Pump Use:
If you’re using your pool alone or if there are just a few swimmers. Or if the weather is temperate, then you can turn on the pool pump for the standard required time. Following these instructions will help you maintain a clean pool.
But there are certain conditions during which you may need to run the pool pump longer. These include:
- There are more swimmers using the pool that day, for example, you’re having a pool party.
- The Sun is extremely hot, and this is warming up the pool water.
- There’s been a storm that deposited more foreign contaminants into your pool than usual.
When you think there’s a need for the pool pump to be turned on longer, it’s a safe bet that your pool needs the help. This shouldn’t be a usual thing however, as over-running the pool pump can lead to it wearing down faster.
There’s another way you can fix this issue – run it at different times. You don’t have to circulate all the water in your pool at the same time.
You can turn on the pool pump for a few hours, switch it off, and then turn it on later. This is also a good way to control your energy expenditure. Turning on your pool pump at non-peak hours helps you save on energy bills. Why? Because energy is charged at lower rates during non-peak hours.
Maintaining a clean and clear pool can make your fibreglass pool more appealing to swimmers. It’ll be naturally healthier to swim in the pool’s pristine waters, and it’ll maintain your property value.
As long as you switch on your pool pump once a day for the required amount of hours, you can enjoy the benefits of good pool health.
