Understanding The Benefits Of Running Your Pool Pump
The pump keeps the water clean and fresh by circulating water in and out of the pool. Note that the pump also helps with filtration which is critical in ensuring there is no buildup of chemicals, dust, and dirt particles.
Note that an above ground pool without proper water circulation is at risk of developing algae. Your swimming pool will, therefore, be unsafe for both you and your family. This is why you must understand how to effectively run your above ground pool pump.
How Do Your Work Calculate Pool Volume
The volume of your pool can be calculated by the following formula:
Square Pool Volume = L x W x average depthRectangular Pool Volume = L x W x average depth Circular Pool Volume = Pi x R Squared x average depth L = Length W = WidthR = Radius*Measurements are in feet or use meters if you use metric.
The above formula will help you work out the volume of your pool in cubic feet. But what is the volume in gallons? There are 7.48 gallons per cubic foot. So to calculate the volume in gallons divide the volume you calculated by 7.48 . You now have the volume in gallons.
To calculate your pools volume in litres, take your measurements in meters, calculate the volume using the above formulas then multiply by 1,000. You now know how many litres your pool holds.
Once you know your pools volume and your pool pumps flow rate, you can easily calculate how long your pump should run every day using the formula above. Here it is again in case you missed it the first time:
Pool Water Turnover Rate = Pool Volume / Pump Flow Rate
Why Is It Important To Know How Long Pool Pumps Should Be Run
For two reasons. First, if your pool pump run time is too short and all of the pool water hasnt been circulated properly, then its a waste since some of your pool water will remain unfiltered and that will leave debris and other baddies in your water. The second reason is the economy. Leaving your pump on long after the water has been fully circulated is a waste of energy and wasting energy means wasting money!
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What Is Turnover Rate
And how do we calculate it?
Turnover rate is the number of hours it takes to all the water in your pool through the filter once.
To determine the turnover rate, first, we have to calculate the volume of your pool. If you dont know how many gallons of water your pool holds, you can easily calculate it here.
The next part is to check your pool pump. How fast does it pump water through your filter?
Start your stopwatch and your pump. When your entire pool has gone through your filter, stop the timer. Thats your turnover rate. Just kidding, thats crazy .
Instead of sitting by your pool trying to figure this out with a stopwatch, we turn to math .
Once youve figured out the volume of your pool, divide the total by 8 to determine the number of gallons per hour that need to be pumped. For example, if you have a pool with 20,000 gallons youll need a pump that can move 2,500 gallons in an hour.
GPH is a little annoying to deal with because most pumps talk about water movement in gallons per minute , so then we divide that by 60. There are 60 minutes in an hour right?
You probably dont need the 6 repeating, so lets round it up to 42. So in our example, youll need a pump that will pump at least 42 GPM to cycle your entire pool in an 8 hour period.
How Long Can A Pool Go Without A Pump
If your pool pump breaks, so your pool will go without a pump until you can get it fixed, then obviously the water will no longer flow and be filtered. So from that moment onward, the water quality is likely to deteriorate. If you leave it like this for a long period of time then you may end up with the dreaded green pool but for just a few days it shouldnt be a problem.
If you intend to swim in it while the pump is broken then I would suggest that you test the water quality first with a test strip or whatever method you use.
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Should The Pool Pump Run Continuously
In an ideal world, yes. In reality, no.
As explained above, the pool pump is the lifeblood of your cleaning system. Only while it is active can the filter be effective at removing dirt. Therefore, you should ideally run your pool pump for as long as possible to ensure your swimming pool stays clean and healthy.
However, the reality for many pool owners is that we simply cant afford to have a pool pump running continuously. Not only is it expensive, but its also not strictly necessary. Furthermore, most domestic pool pumps are only designed to run for 8-10 hours a day .
What Does A Pump Actually Do
A pump pulls water in from your swimming pool and pushes it through your filter and then back into your swimming pool. Thats really it.
Its like the heart of your entire pool and depending on what kind of filter you have, whether its sand, DE, or cartridge, your pump is going to be pushing the water through that at a certain speed and your filter is going to either filter it or not.
Were trying to create the ideal situation where youre pulling enough water from your pool and pushing the right amount of water through your filter system, so that it can work effectively and finally, push that clean water back into your pool.
Now ideally, our aim is to move all of the water from the pool through a filter system at least once a day. This is called turnover rate.
So, the turnover rate is what we need to calculate in order to find out if you have the right size pump and the right filter for your pool.
So lets calculate.
The first thing we want to know is,
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Is It Okay To Keep My Pump Running All Night
Some people wonder whether it is okay to leave their pool pump running all night. While this will not hurt the equipment, it may waste energy which can cause your bills to go up more than necessary.
You can always leave your pump running until it cleans the pool, but then turn it off at night to make sure that it does not run all night.
If you want to make sure that your pool is clean before turning off the pump, simply run the system for two hours in the afternoon and two hours in the evening.
Should A Pool Pump Run Continuously
The simple answer is yes. In an ideal world, the best thing you could do for your pool would be to run the pump all day, every day. However, as you may have discovered, that will get you an electric bill so ridiculous that youll have to get two more jobs to cover it. Dont think that means you have to stop using your pool, though. While continuously pumping is technically best, its not necessary to have a safe, clean pool.
So, how long and how often do you need to run your pump? They dont go over this in the pool maintenance for beginners handbook.
Its generally recommended that all of the water in a pool needs to be filtered at least once every 24 hours. If the pool is being used heavily , youll probably want to cycle it through the filter twice that day.
Several variables will determine how long it takes your pump to cycle through all the water in your pool. The two major factors are the type and nature of the swimming pool pump being used and the size of the swimming pool. With regards to the pump, the efficiency and flow rate will dictate how fast and how well the pump cycles the pool water. The size of the pool tells you how much water a pump has to turn over. The larger the pool, the greater the amount of water, which means it will take the pump more time to get through a filter cycle.
Take note that these recommendations are for residential pools. Commercial pools need to have their water cycled over several times in a day.
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Tips For Shocking Swimming Pool Before Using
There arent any set tips for the best way to shock a swimming pool but there are a few swimming pool shock treatment facts that you should know.
Swimming pool chlorine or swimming pool shock treatment with lower concentrations is less harmful to swimming pool liner and swimming pool paint than swimming pool chlorine or swimming pool shock treatments with higher concentrations so always err on the side of caution and be careful when shocking the swimming pool during the process.
Want More Info About Pools
All year round, River Pools manufactures and installs fiberglass pools in Virginia and Maryland. We also operate in other areas of the country through our nationwide dealers.
If youd like to learn more about fiberglass pools, check out our comprehensive ebook “How to Buy a Fiberglass Pool in 2018. It discusses cost, design, durability, installation, special features, and moreeverything you need to know to make an educated pool decision.
You can also check out all our blog articles about maintenance for any other issues you may encounter. We want to help you make the most of your pool!
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Calculate Your Pools Turnover Rate
The first step in figuring out how long to run a pool pump for your pool is to determine your pools volume. In other words, how much water your pool holds in gallons. You may already know because its listed on your paperwork, but if you dont, you will determine it by the shape of your pool.
Here are the formulas to calculate your pools volume:
For a rectangular pool: Length X Width X Average Depth X 7.5 = Total Pool Gallons
For a round pool: Diameter X Diameter X Average Depth X 5.9 = Total Pool Gallons
For an oval pool: Length X Width X Average Depth X 6.7 = Total Pool Gallons
After you know how many gallons of water your pool holds, its time to calculate the turnover rate, which is the number of hours it takes for all the water in the pool to go through the filter.
To calculate the rate, use this formula:
Pool volume
8 = Gallons per hour that needs to be pumped.
Your pool pump may go by gallons per minute instead of GPH. To arrive at this figure, use this formula:
GPH ÷ 60 = GPM
Now that you understand your turnover rate, its important to ensure that your pool pumps rate matches the speed. If it pumps a little faster, thats okay, but you should never use a pump that pumps below the appropriate speed for your pool.
If I Use A Pool Cover Will That Affect The Time The Pump Should Run
Yes it will to some extent. As discussed above, light is an important factor in the growth of algae. So if you have a pool cover on, which are generally a dark blue, then less light shines on the water so algae will be less likely to grow. Therefore, in theory you could run the pool pump for less time.
In practice I rarely reduce the time the pump is on when I have my pool cover on .
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How Often To Run Pool Pump When Shocking A Pool
In most cases, running a swimming pool filter pump every day is not necessary even when shocking a pool.
However, following label instructions on your particular swimming pool shock use will be your best bet in terms of safety and results.
As with anything that varies between different swimming pools or swimming pool shock treatments then making sure that everything has dissipated into the swimming pool water before swimming again is always the best course of action.
What Does All This Mean For Me
Typically having your pool pump run through one full cycle a day works well for fiberglass pools. A full cycle means that all of the water in your pool moves through the filter once. This can usually be accomplished in a fiberglass pool in about 8 hours.
So that means that in every 24-hour period, you would need to run the pump long enough to move all the pools water through the filtration system. 8 hours is not an exact amount of time though. The size of your pool and the kind of pump you have factors into the amount of time it takes.
Talk to your pool builder about the ideal amount of pump-running time for your pool.
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How Long Should You Run Your Pool Pump
- |May 19, 2020
Running your pool pump is the first step in Pool Maintenance 101. Every savvy pool owner knows that this is one of the easiest parts of owning a pool: cleaning your pool without breaking your back. The science to running your pool pump, however, can be a bit more ambiguous.
Every pool is different and every pool filter has its own specifications. Knowing how long to run your particular pool pump and what time of day makes the most sense can actually save you a bundle in the long run.
Answering these two questions can make a huge difference to your pool chemistry and more importantly, your utility bills. So, how long should you run your pool pump?
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How Long Should I Run My Pool Pump
Category : Maintenance
Running your pool pump is one of the most important steps you can take to keep your pool water crystal clear. This is because moving water is much less susceptible to mucky contaminants so prevalent in stagnant water.
Circulation is key in preventing algae growth and keeping your water swimmable. This circulation is produced by your pools filtration system, which contains the pool pump. The pump sucks in water and then pushes it back out through the filter trapping debris and bacteria to return clean water.
So you might think that the more you run your pump, the cleaner your water. In an ideal world, perhaps, youd always be running your pump. Thats 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. But think again: Constantly running it might not be the best option. Instead, a better practice is to determine the appropriate length of time to filter your pool, and then just run the pump for those hours.
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Timely Run A Pool Pump For Non
It is true that you need to run a pool pump for at least eight hours every day to complete at least one rotation cycle. However, it does not necessarily mean that you must run it for eight hours straight.
You can refer to your non-peak hours. For example, you may operate your pump for three hours early in the morning, two hours at lunchtime, and then three more hours at night. As long as your pump runs for at least 8 hours every 24 hours, youre good.
Use pool timers and schedules to plan your pool pump operation around non-peak hours to save electricity bills.
Running Your Pump During The Day
Some pool owners opt to run their pool pump during the day. The reason behind this is that algae grow when the sun is at its strongest. Thus running the pump at midday can help with the algae buildup.
If you need to run your pool for 8 hours straight during the day, it would be best to run your pool pump from 8 am to 4 pm.
It is also best to let your pump run as you swim in your pool to ensure that there will be no debris, dirt, and insects that will interrupt the enjoyment of your pool time.
Moreover, running your pool in the daytime can help slow down chlorine degradation in the swimming pool water. Chlorine degrades at a faster rate during the day as the sunlight is at its peak.
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How Long Should I Run My Pool Pump Every Day
It seems like a simple question with an obvious answer, doesnt it? It shouldnt be difficult to figure out how long to run a pool pump. And really, its not.
But before you just turn it on, walk away, and forget about it, you do want to consider a few important factors into account like circulation, chemical balancing, and cost. Especially cost. Because this is one of those parts of pool care that, if you get it wrong, can cost you quite a bit of money.
Knowing If Your Pump Is Running Too Much
Your pool pump may be running too much if you notice any of the following.
- It Is Too Loud If your pump is running but it sounds louder than usual, then this could signify a problem. An increase in noise can mean that there is something wrong with the equipment and that it will need to be fixed as soon as possible.
- It Uses Too Much Electricity If you notice that the electricity bill has suddenly increased, then this could be because your pump is running more than usual. You can also tell if this is the case if it takes much longer for the water to reach a certain temperature or if there are any problems with the water chemistry.
- The Temperature Of The Pool Drops Too Fast If you notice that the water is taking much longer to heat up or that it is cooling much faster than usual, then this could be a sign that your pool pump is running too often.
If your pool pump does not meet any of the above criteria, then you will not need to worry about when to turn it on and off. It will only need to be cleaned every few days and the maintenance required will be minimal. It should also not have a negative impact on your electricity bill.
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