You can run your pool pump overnight while your swimming pool is not being used. This way, you get to wake up to a clean swimming pool the next day! Although using your pool pump is necessary, you should also take care of your swimming pool in other ways.
It may be cheaper to run the pump at night, but honestly you should run it 1 hour a day per 10 degrees of temperature at least, and it should be during the day. Running the pump at night should only be when you are doing a major chemical treatment such as algae clean-up.
Keeping your Pool its Cleanest Requires the Pool Pump to be Running. Not running the pump 24/7 is also a sanitary issue, and is the primary cause of a murky pool. The moment you turn off your water pump, debris, algae and bacteria start to build up, which can eventually lead to cloudy or green water.
With a variable-speed filter pump, that would equate to roughly 8-12 hours, depending on your pool volume by gallons. Most pool owners run their variable-speed pump at different speeds throughout the day but many end up running their pump for an average of 10-12 hours to be on the safe side.
Do pool pumps use a lot of electricity? In fact, a pool pump will consume between 3,000 and 5,000 KWh per year, which translates to between $480 to $800, based on the national average electricity rate of 16 cents per KWh.
Turning off your pool pump while swimming eliminates the possibility of any accidental entrapment in the filter or hose by small children. Pool pumps run continuously to circulate water and ensure a clean environment for all swimmers.
It's best to run your pool pump during the day
Not only does sunlight give fuel for algae to grow, it also destroys your pool chlorine and this is why you should always run your pool during the day!
After you finish the shocking process, Adrian recommends running the filter for 24 hours or until the water is clear.
So how long should the average pool pump run during the summer? To make this process simple, it easier for homeowners to follow this basic guideline: for every 10 degrees of outdoor temperature run your pump for one hour. So if the average temperature is 60 degrees, run your pump for 6 hours.
In fact, due to the high energy costs, even with an energy efficient in-ground single speed swimming pool pump, it would still cost a fortune to run it 24-hours a day. Some commercial properties require 24-hour a day pump circulation, but as a homeowner, this is not advisable.
Absolutely! A cover does nothing to interfere with the water circulating through your system. It doesn't touch your pump or any other piece of equipment you have. When your pool is covered during these winter months, you can run it less, thus protecting the pump from premature aging.
You can cool your swimming pool by a few degrees by simply circulating your swimming pool water at night. If your swimming pool has any water features (fountains, waterfalls, etc.), you can also run them at night to accelerate the cooling process.
Turning off the filter for a night now and then isn't going to hurt them much. But if you do it every night you are depriving your fish and the microbes of oxygen for eight hours out of every twenty-four, and that will eventually catch up with them.
You can run it several times a day for short periods of time — as long as it runs for about eight total hours in 24 hours, especially in the summer. The easiest way to do this is with a pump timer.
Keep the pump and filter on while you are away.
Most pumps come have an automatic timer that makes this very easy. Set it before you leave to ensure the pool filter system will run at least 8 to 12 hours per day.
It Should Not Be Done Together
This is because when you mix chlorine and algaecide together, it renders both of them useless. Hence, you should first shock the pool and wait for the chlorine levels to fall below 5 PPM. Only then should you introduce algaecide to get the best results.
You need to wait for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours after using a chlorine-based shock before you can swim.
Run Your Filter 24/7
You'll need to continuously run your filter over the next few days to help clear up the cloudy water. Then you can return to regular filter run times once your water is clear. Your pool will clear faster depending on the type of filter you own.
Just as important as how long you run your pool pump is when you run it. You know you need to turn over your pool water in 6-12 hours – but that doesn't mean 6-12 consecutive hours. To save money on your electric bill, opt to run your pool pump during non-peak hours when electricity costs the least.
It's often recommended to shock your pool once a week. If you don't do it every week, you should at least do it every other week. This is necessary to maintain your pool's water chemistry. If you have a lot of people over in your pool or have a party, you may want to shock your pool more frequently.
Be sure to brush the pool while the pump is operating, and to cover the entire pool from the tile line to the main drain. Sweep slowly and push the brush toward the main drain so that the debris will be pulled into the drain and then into the filter, where it will be removed from the water.
There is no need to turn off your circulation system during a rain storm. We need the chemicals to still work and want the dirt and debris to be filtered out just like under normal circumstances. Never try to change settings on the pool pump or at the timer when it is raining.