How long should I run my pump?Updated 10 months ago

Your pool water has to be turned over at least 1.5x every 24 hours, less than that and your pool becomes susceptible to algae and your pool water turning green. More than that is always good, but too much and you're just wasting energy. 

There's no fixed answer to how long you should run your pump on a daily basis because there are a number of factors that affect required pump run time. To find out, you can use our handy pool calculator at the following link: Visit our pool pump calculator here

If you want to calculate it yourself, you should have the following numbers ready. 

Pool Volume

Pool Volume Calculation: The volume of the pool is calculated by multiplying the length, width, and average depth of the pool. This gives the volume in cubic meters, which is then multiplied by 1000 to convert it to liters.

Pool Pump Flow Rate

Pump Flow Rate: The flow rate of the pump is determined by the power of the pump in horsepower (hp). A pump with a power of 1 hp has a flow rate of 280 liters per minute (lpm), a pump with a power of 1.5 hp has a flow rate of 420 lpm, and a pump with a power of 2 hp has a flow rate of 560 lpm.

Recommended Filter Sizes

Recommended Filter Size: The recommended filter size is also determined by the power of the pump. 

• A pump with a power of 1 hp requires a 100 size cartridge filter or a 25 inch sand filter
• A pump with a power of 1.5 hp requires a 150 size cartridge filter or a 28 inch sand filter
• A pump with a power of 2 hp requires a 32 inch sand filter or, for perfection, a 36 inch sand filter.

Hours Needed per Day (calculation)

Hours Needed for Turnovers Per Day: The number of hours needed to run the pump for a certain number of turnovers per day is calculated by dividing the pool volume by the pump flow rate (in liters per hour), and then multiplying by the desired number of turnovers. 

For example, to calculate the number of hours needed for 1.5 turnovers per day, you would multiply the result by 1.5. For 2 turnovers per day, you would multiply by 2, and for 3 turnovers per day, you would multiply by 3.

Too much math? Click on the link below to go to our pool pump calculator. 

Visit our pool pump calculator here