Pool Pump Run Times

[displacedhoosier]

Hi All! Just recenly closed on a home in TV that has a smallish (20x12) pool, no spa. The pool was installed by T&D back in 2023. Just wondering about experiences on how many hours per day we should run the pool pump to adequately filter the pool water at the same time keeping costs and longevity of the pool equipment in mind.

Previous owners have it set to run from 8am to 10pm. Seems like that is probably longer than needed unless the pool is in continual use.

Thanks!

[villagetinker]

Try contacting pinch a penny as they service and sell pool equipment.

[tophcfa]

When our 12 X 24 pool was built by T&D about 7 years ago they set the pool pump to run from 9-5 and it has been that way ever since. One thing to consider, assuming you have a salt water pool, is that the salt cell (chlorinator) only runs when the pump is running. All other things being equal, the shorter/longer you run the pump, the chlorinator has to be corresponding set higher/lower to yield the same chlorine output. Typically, the pump is set to run during daylight hours to produce chlorine when the sun is out because the sun eats up chlorine.

[asianthree]

Our angle salt water 28’ 12x18’ is programmed 4a-noon December-March heat to 89 to warm for early swim.

Summer 6a-2p, & 7-8p chiller kicks in @88. So our chemical use is lower. The higher the summer water temp, higher chlorine loss. Rain changes salt and stabilizers.
Summer is harder to maintain balance due to sun and rainstorms.

Our pool company did extensive training with us, and we maintain our own. But is family run and if I need help I can text one of the owners and get a response within a few hours. Chemicals runs $30ish or less a month. We don’t need to maintain brushing or keeping pool clean, because we have a robot.

That said if you are first time pool owner, and T&D built, they will service you pool, for a substantial fee. Test water Clean your filter, cell when needed, add chemicals and that famous 5;minute brushing. However once you are comfortable you can always drop them.

[revkev]

Blue Moon installed our pool 3 years ago. They recommend 10 hours a day, to run the pump. I have done that from the start with no issues.

[Lottoguy]

If electric rates are cheaper to run at night vs daytime then run your filter while your sleeping. That is what I did up north when I had a pool. Not sure if that applies in Florida. When I did run it, I set it at 8 hours.

[Kenswing]

There are variables involved. It depends on what you have the pump set at. Running the pump at 100% for four hours is the same as running it at 50% for 8 hours. You also have another variable with your salt cell. Depending on how much water you pump through the salt cell and what percent you run your salt cell at will determine how much chlorine you produce.

[Pballer]

Variable speed pumps are made to run efficiently at slower speeds for longer times. Running at 50% speed reduces by 75%-85% the energy used per hour as compared to running at 100%, while flow is only reduced by 50%. Google "pump affinity laws". As an added bonus, pumps are much quieter at slower speeds so you will not disturb yourself and your neighbors.

[tophcfa]

Variable speed pumps are made to run efficiently at slower speeds for longer times. Running at 50% speed reduces by 75%-85% the energy used per hour as compared to running at 100%, while flow is only reduced by 50%. Google "pump affinity laws". As an added bonus, pumps are much quieter at slower speeds so you will not disturb yourself and your neighbors.

Our pump is programmed to automatically adjust the speed depending on what features are running and how much water needs to be circulated through the plumbing. If it’s just the filter, the pump runs at 40%. If we turn on the waterfalls or the heat pump, it bumps up to 60%. If the rooftop solar heat is running it jumps to 90% so it can push the water up onto the roof and through the 6 solar panels. When in the pool, if I stick my finger into one of the water return outlets to block the flow, you can see a noticeable increase in water flow coming out of the waterfalls. I can easily tell when the filter needs cleaning by the flow of water from the waterfalls. If I stand under the waterfall with my head against the wall, I know the filter needs cleaning if the waterfall hits my nose. Everything is connected.

[displacedhoosier]

Thanks everyone for your input. I spoke to the T&D pool person yesterday and they recommended 8hrs per day in the summer for our saltwater pool. Maybe I'll try 9 to 5 and see if that works and saves a few $...

[PoolBrews]

Thanks everyone for your input. I spoke to the T&D pool person yesterday and they recommended 8hrs per day in the summer for our saltwater pool. Maybe I'll try 9 to 5 and see if that works and saves a few $...

As mentioned earlier, make sure that you set your salt water chlorinator (SWG) output to match your pump run time. i.e. - if you run the SWG at 100% for 2 hours, running it at 50% for 4 hours will generate the same amount of chlorine. So if you were running your pump 10 hours before, and chlorine was fine, changing run time to 8 hours means you need to bump your SWG % up to still generate the same amount of chlorine.

The SWG needs a certain amount of flow to work properly. For me, I can run my pump at 20% speed and still chlorinate. It's whisper quiet at that speed, and costs virtually nothing to run (I could run 24 hrs a day for a month and it would cost a whopping $4.50).

The only time my pump runs faster is when the heater runs - my heater needs 75% pump speed to operate.

There is no need to run the pump any faster than the minimum required for the SWG or heater. It doesn't filter any better, costs more, and puts more wear on the pump itself.