Do You Run Your Pool Pump 24/7?

[melanieg]

I have read scattered posts where people say they only run their pool pump 12-14 hours a day, so I wanted to get some clarification on that. Is it damaging to keep it running 24/7? (Our pool was closed for 2-3 years before we moved into the house, so we've just kept the pump on since the pool was opened. ) The person who opened it never mentioned turning off the pump at all.

[mooseknuckle]

i am no expert , however the experts i have talked to said in a perfect world the pump would run 24/7

it will not harm pump at all, thats the way they were designed, however with todays energy costs it is becoming the norm to run 10- 12 hour cycles

hop this helps

[USMC_Wifey_1345]

i am no expert , however the experts i have talked to said in a perfect world the pump would run 24/7

it will not harm pump at all, thats the way they were designed, however with todays energy costs it is becoming the norm to run 10- 12 hour cycles

hop this helps

Ditto...

[chem geek]

Yes, it's energy costs that dictate the shorter runtimes, but in practice in many residential pools, one turnover of the water is sufficient. Ideally, one would use a low flow rate and run the pump 24/7 and that would not use much energy (if a variable speed/flow pump were used), but large solar systems require greater flow rates. My 16,000 gallon pool has a solar system with 12 Fafco panels on the roof and each ideally wants 4 GPM so that's 48 GPM. At that flow rate, one turnover is around 5-1/2 hours. In practice, I run the pump for 8 hours during the day (at 26 GPM when the solar is off) and for a couple of hours at night for the pool sweep/cleaner (at 15 GPM). I have a Pentair Intelliflo variable flow pump that is saving me around 50% on my electricity cost, reducing it from around $1400 to $700 per year (marginal electricity costs are high where I live at around 32 cents per kilowatt-hour).

Also remember that there are other issues with low flow rates such as a lack of skimmer vortex action and slower and possibly incomplete circulation in the pool. So having some time at high flow rates, even if one does not have a solar system, usually helps keep a pool cleaner.

[txpoolguy]

If you can identify which pump you have, by model number, you can find out what the design flow rate is for that pump. Usually, there is a label somewhere near the pump strainer basket that will provide this info. While your actual flow rate will most likely be lower, it will get you in the ballpark. For instance, a 1.5 horsepower pump with a design flow rate of 100 gallons per minute (gpm) will move 6000 gallons each hour. The math gets pretty simple here - 24,000 gallons in 4 hours, 144,000 gallons in 24 hours. Turning your pool water 1.5 to 2 times per day during the season is usually okay, with some exceptions, and may allow you to run your pump far less each day.

Things you'll need to know:

Volume of pool (gallonage)

Size of pump - to find design flow rate

Size and type of filter - should be sized to accept the flow rate of pump.

You can also purchase upgrades to more energy effecient products which can ease the monthly energy bill as well.