Yes you can turn your pool pump off for a week. You can turn it off for a month, but there are consequences. The pool will get dirty—no pump, no filtering. The chemicals will not circulate and the water could start turning a nice shade of green as algae forms.
You will need to run the filter at least 12 hours per day while you are gone. If you were home, you could run it for a shorter time since you could just check on the pool and turn the filter on as needed. Since you will be gone, the filter needs to run longer to ensure that problems don't develop.
If you do not run your pump for the requisite number of hours per day, your water will not be able to circulate through the filter system. This means debris and bacteria have free reign to remain in your pool, contaminating the water and making it unsafe to swim in.
A pool can only go a short time without a pump, perhaps up to a week, and still be safe to swim in provided you keep the chlorine and other levels up. This time will vary depending on things such as temperature, the weather and how clean the pool was when the pump stopped etc.
Trust us when we say it's important to keep your water pump continuously running throughout the pool season. For hotels and other types of public pool spaces, it's actually a law to keep a pump running nonstop; but for homeowners who are concerned about saving energy, resources and money, have no fear.
The water can sit there until it evaporates, however, a swimming pool will loose it's useful Chlorine in 24 to 48 hours. There are products that will extend the life of the Chlorine, but, in my experience, not by much.
Overdose your pool with chlorine!
Depending on how long you will be gone, add double the amount of pool shock that you would normally add (e.g. for a 7,500 gallon pool, add 2-3 lbs. worth of powder shock or 1 to 1.5 gallons of liquid shock). Let the filter run for a couple hours after adding the shock.
Nevertheless, most pool cleaning professionals would advise against running a pool pump for more than 8 hours a day. For pool pumps with D.E. filters, operating hours for normal weather and climate conditions tend to be anywhere from between 7 to 8 hours if you want to ensure proper filtration.
On average, you should run your pool pump around 6-8 hours per day during winter and 10-12 hours per day during summer.
Pools in perfect working order will naturally lose water over time. It's typical for residential pools without a cover to lose up to a quarter-inch of water per day during the summer.
Traditional single speed swimming pool pumps consistently use as much as 1,800 to 2,500 watts while running. Variable speed pumps use just as much energy when they are running at full speed, but because their speeds vary throughout the day, they often operate at a much lower energy level, averaging 50 to 500 watts.
The water must be circulating so the chemicals get distributed throughout the water. You can — and should — add pool shock at night, though. The sun can burn shock off during the hot daytime hours, but you still need to have the pump running to circulate the water.
Answer: Yes, when using tablets they can be present in the water while you swim.
In fact, chlorine can be harmful to your eyes, hair, nails, lungs, and yes, even your skin. Not only that, but depending on your age, existing skin condition, and several other factors including the balance of chemicals in the water, chlorine can be anything from irritating to extremely harmful to your skin.
Not removing chlorine can make your skin (and hair) dry out, stripping the natural, protective oils from your skin and leaving you itchy and dry, particularly if you're already prone to sensitive skin.
Leaving chlorine and other pool chemicals on your skin after you swim is a bad idea. They can dry out your skin, removing its natural protective oils., especially if you sleep with chlorine on your body. This can irritate it and leave it vulnerable to infections. If you're itchy after you swim, this may be why.
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!
Run the pump for 8 hours, every 24 hours. You can also pause in between; there is no need to run it continuously. Ideally, after you shock the pool, be sure to run the pump at night and during non-peak hours, to save on your energy bills.
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.