What Happens If I Don't Run My Pool Pump For Long Enough? 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.
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.
Many variables determine how much time you need to run the filtration system, including the size of the pool and how you use it. But the bottom line is 100 percent of your pool's water must filter through the system at least once a day — something called turnover rate.
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.
You can still run your pump without the filter while you wait for a replacement as long as you ensure the filter housing is secure and clean. Your filter housing needs repair: Large objects can occasionally damage your filter's housing, which will require repair or replacement.
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.
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.
On average, you should run your pool pump around 6-8 hours per day during winter and 10-12 hours per day during summer.
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!
No matter what kind of filter you have, it only works if water moves through it. That's how the filter is able to capture debris and bacteria. To keep all the water in the pool clean and clear, it must run through the filter system at least once a day.
We recommend that you run your pool filter for at least 12 hours per day, allowing all of your pool water to be run through the filter at least once each day. That being said, the more you run the filter, the cleaner your pool will be.
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.
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.
The size of your pool, the efficiency of your pump and filter, and how dirty your pool is are just some of the factors you need to consider. Nevertheless, most pool cleaning professionals would advise against running a pool pump for more than 8 hours a day.
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.
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.
$1.36 per day x 365 days = $496 per year to Operate a 1-½ HP Variable Speed Pump. Cost to Operate 1-½ HP Single Speed Pool Pump $1,062 / yr Vs. Cost of Variable Speed Pump $496 / year.
Pool pumps often run longer than necessary.
Energy.gov suggests reducing your filtration time to 6 hours per day. You can then adjust down or up in half hour increments to make sure that you are running your pump the least amount of time possible while maintaining a clean pool.
Running the pump at night should only be when you are doing a major chemical treatment such as algae clean-up. Your pool is more vulnerable during the day, plants don't grow at night the way they do during the day–that's true of ALL plants including Algae.
Every pool must turn over at least once a day, so most pool pumps should run approximately 8 hours a day. But here's the thing: you don't have to run your pool pump consecutively. You can choose to run it for three hours in the morning before you leave for work and another 5 hours in the evening.
The Equipment
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.