How long should your pool pump and heater run each day?

Answer 1

Let's start with the pump first:

The pool pump needs to run long enough each day to filter all of the water in the pool at least once. Twice is better. Three times or more is wasting electricity. Some people will debate these numbers, but they are a good rule of thumb and an excellent place to start.

So, first calculate the number of gallons of water in your pool (G). Next, find out the flow rate of your pool pump in gallons per minute (F). Last, divide the gallons, G, by the flow rate, F, to get the number of minutes you need to run the filter to turn (filter) all of the water once.

For example, if I have a 5000 gal pool and a pump rated at 25 gallons per minute, it will take 200 minutes (or about 3 hrs and 20 min) to filter all of the water once. Multiply the time by 2 if you want to turn the water over twice (6 hrs, 40 min).

Next the heater;

You can spend a lot of time trying to calculate the time required to maintain a certain desired temp each day, but the number of variables (desired water temp, min and max air temp, cloud cover, wind, geographic location, time of year, etc...) make it very difficult.

I would suggest that you start with the heater on for an hour per day and then add an hour each day until the water temp reaches the desired temp. Then, you might have to adjust slightly backward (subtract 30 min) to keep it at that temp daily.

Pool heaters typically have a thermostat control that prevents overheating and waste of energy. They will generally cut-in when the water temperature drops by 1-2 deg.C below setpoint, and then go into standby mode when the desired water temperature is reached.

If you have your heater in the same circuit as your filtration pump set, then the available hours to heat your pool are limited by the hours you determine which may be insufficient in mid-winter depending upon heater capacity.

If a separate heating circuit is provided, then just leave the heater on standby mode and it will self-determine when to operate providing water flow is present.

Heater capacity, climatic factors of wind, sun, ambient temp, etc. and decision to use a pool blanket will affect the number of hours that you need to run your heater.

The first answer above is all well and good if you can get the water particles to all line up for you so they will all go throught the filter in the calculated time. In my experience, water particles are notably uncooperative in this regard.

It's completely unnecessary to run ''all'' of the water through the filter, especially if you have a chlorinator or brominator (automatic chlorine or bromine dispenser). A good rule of thumb is: if the water looks clear, it's just fine.

The pump on my 18' X 36' pool (about 25,000 imperial gallons) runs twice a day for 3 hours each time. It's never been a problem.

As for the heater, in general, you set it for the temperature you want and, as long as the pump is actually running, the heater will automatically turn on and off as needed to keep it at that temperature...just like the furnace in a house. For my pool, the gas heater I have will raise the temperature by about 1/2 degree F. per hour. Unless your pool is outside in the winter, the temperature should not vary too much between the times when the pump (and therefore, the heater) is on.

By all means, get a pool solar blanket to keep the heat in when the pool is not being used. You're trying to heat the pool...not the back yard.

The heater answer is simplest, so let's look at that first. How long should a pool heater run daily? As needed. The bottom line question is: how warm do you want your pool? Once you determine that need, the heater will fire as needed. To conserve energy & cut costs, turn the thermostat down to maybe 78 or 80 degrees F. (about 25 C). Keep the pool exposed to as much natural sun by cutting back overhanging tree branches, etc. Finally, as has been noted, use a solar blanket or one of the liquid solar blankets (about 75% as effective without the hassle of taking it on or off - Ecosavr solar fish or the Solar Pill are 2 products available).

When it comes to running the filter, the answer needs to look at how much use the pool gets (more swimmers equals better circulation & less dead spots in the pool) as well as environmental conditions.

The bottom line questions for the pool owner are: how clean do you want your pool? and how much work do you want to perform? If you want to minimize YOUR work, then the filter system will need to run longer. If the filter system is running more, it is doing more of the circulating and debris removal than you would be. We typically recommend a minimum of 8 to 12 hours DAILY as long as the pool is open and running. The pool owners with the best looking water and the least amount of pool water problems are those pools that are filtered/circulated/treated 24/7.

In order to conserve electricity and therefore costs, having a well running timer, running 3 time periods of 4 hours each period at 3 separate intervals daily acccomplishes several things: 1 - keeps the water moving (after the filter shuts down, it takes roughly 4 hours for the water to become "still"); 2 - provides the "turnover" to properly filter as much of the water in the pool as possible: it typically takes about 4 turnovers to filter 98% of the water in the pool (remember those dead spots where there is minimal or no circulation); 3 - saves money by operating during "off peak" electrical hours (usually at about a 30% or more savings) - most pool owners can schedule about 8 to 10 of these hours during "off peak" times.

Answer 2

Usualy a minimum of between 6and 8 hours. the best way to find out what is required is to test the pool a bit more often at first to find out when you get adequate results. This means getting the amout of circulation through the filter and the time needed for the chlorine generator.

Answer 3

yes