When you think of your swimming pool, its adjoining areas, and equipment, the pool pump feels like just a small part of the setup. This is a misconception that a lot of swimming pool owners have about pool pumps. But the function of the pool pump is comparable to what the heart does for the human body.
The pool pump is essential to the proper functioning of the pool. By keeping swimming pool water circulating, it ensures that pool chemicals are well distributed. It also speeds up the heating process of the pool. As Markham Services explains, without the pump, the pool would be a breeding ground for algae and less enjoyable.
But to make the most of the pool pump, there are a few things swimming pool owners need to know about this essential piece of equipment. For example, how long is the optimum period of time to run the pool pump? How much time is enough time to run the pump to have it do its job effectively?
This is a question pool owners ask and which also brings some confusion. In this article, we will answer the question in a simple way you can understand. Once you grasp the principles for calculating how long to run your pool pump, you can make conscious decisions on how best to use the equipment.
Why how long you run the pump is important
Firstly what does the pool pump do? Gaining a fuller picture of the pump’s function is vital to understanding why its runtime is also important.
Swimming pool pumps sit at the center of the pool filtration system. The core purpose of the pump is pumping water. But this simple function is critical because its pumping action does the following:
- It pulls water from the pool pit through the skimmers, drains, and pool filter, enabling these other pool equipment to remove unwanted materials in the water
- It then returns the circulated water to the pool, ensuring a constant supply of clean water in the swimming pool
The pool pump is essential to the function and longevity of the swimming pool. But how long should it work to carry out these functions to the highest level?
How long to run your pool pump
The rule of thumb is that you have to circulate or “turnover” all of the water in your pool at least once a day. Failing to do this will give algae a foothold and impair the chemical balance of the pool. This will result in pool water losing clarity due to the increase of algae, thus becoming unsafe for swimmers.
However, although every pool owner is supposed to turn over their pool water at least once a day, how long it will take each person to do this will be different. This is because swimming pools vary greatly in size and pool pumps have different capacities or flow rates.
Every pool pump will have its specific turnover rate, depending on its size and the pool size. However, most pumps need to be run for 6-10 hours to circulate water in the pool. On average, running your pump for 8 hours should be enough time to clean the pool.
But if it is possible to run it longer, it is usually better. It is best to run the pump long enough to achieve two cycles, long enough to circulate the pool water twice. If you want to know the exact runtime for your pool pump, here is how to calculate it.
To calculate the pool pump runtime, you need to know:
- The pump’s flow rate (how many gallons of water passes through it per hour). You can find this on the manual, the pump itself, or the online product page
- The size of your swimming pool in gallons
To find the pump turnover rate, divide the pool size by the pump’s flow rate. For instance:
- If your pump’s flow rate is 3,500 gph (gallons per hour), and
- The swimming pool has 18,000 gallons of water
- The turnover rate of the pool would be 18,000/3500 = 5.14 hours
It would take the pump 5.14 hours to circulate the water in the swimming pool. To get two cycles, you multiply that number by 2 to get 10.28 hours. If this were your pool, 10.28 hours is how long you will need to run your pump every day for the best results.