There’s no getting away from pool maintenance. If you want to keep yours clean, you have to work at it, and you could call in a professional pool builder in Orange County to get the job done properly.
A pool pump and filtration system are the most important pieces of equipment if you want to keep your pool in the best of health. Without a pump, pool water stagnates, and this could become a prime growing ground for algae and insects
You could call in a professional to rectify the situation, or you could invest in a good pool pump to ensure fresh and clean water.
Luxury Pool Builders in Orange County Recommend Energy-Efficient Pool Pumps
There are pool pumps, and then there are also energy-efficient and eco-friendly pool pumps. The old single-speed pool pumps don’t generally meet modern efficiency and environmentally friendly standards.
You’re much better off with a different type of pump, specifically variable-speed pool pumps or even inverter pool pumps. In fact, in some states, including California, Arizona, and Florida, single-speed pump installations are banned.
This is a good thing because variable-speed pool pumps save as much as 80% on your pool’s energy consumption! However, this can be more expensive than sing-speed pumps, but considering that your pool’s pump is the second highest energy consumer in your household—behind air conditioning units—the saving potential is astounding.
It’s estimated that a variable pool pump will pay for itself in two years—after that, pool owners experience nothing but plain savings.
Better than Variable Pumps?
Does it get better than variable pool pumps? Yes, it does. Advancements in pool technology have given us inverter pool pumps.
Inverter pool pumps are not only more energy-efficient than variable-speed pumps, but they are also quieter, so you can run your pump in the dead of night, and your neighbors will be none-the-wiser.
How Long Should Pool Pumps Run?
You could run your pool pump all day, every day, but even with inverter pumps, that’s not particularly cost- and energy-efficient.
There is an optimum time to run your swimming pool’s pump, and it depends on two main factors, the size of your pool or volume of water and the turnover rate of your pump.
Calculate the Amount of Water Your Pool Holds
You need to know how many gallons of water your pool has. The paperwork you got when your pool was installed should tell you how much water your pool can hold. If the former doesn’t work out for you, you can calculate it using a specific formula.
The formula you use depends on the type of pool you have, like round, rectangular, or kidney-shaped.
For rectangular pools, the formula is:
Length x Width x Average depth x 7.5 = Total gallons
For a round pool, the formula is:
3.14 (pi) x Radius x Radius x Average depth x 7.5 = Total gallons
For an oval pool, the formula is:
3.14 x Length x Width x 0.25 x Average depth x 7.5 = Total gallons
For irregular shapes of free-form pools, the formula is:
Longest length x Widest width x Average depth x 5.9 = Approximate volume
For a kidney-shaped pool, the calculation gets a bit tricky:
Widest point x Widest Point x Length x Average depth x 7.5 = Approximate volume
Calculate Your Pump’s Flow Rate
Now, you must calculate your pump’s turnover or flow rate. This is the number of hours it takes for all the water in your pool to travel through its filter.
At an absolute minimum, the entire volume of water in your pool must pass through the filter at least once a day. Turnover tells you how long that takes.
Take the total volume and divide it by your pump’s output, which should be on the pump and in the instruction manual. That gives you the number of hours the pump should run.
For example:
A 60,000-liter pool with a pump that runs at 200 liters per minute has a turnover rate of 300 minutes or five hours. You should run the pump for at least five hours per day.
If you don’t like math and equations to make you break out in hives, it’s relatively safe to go with a rule of thumb and run your pump for eight hours a day. In fact, if you’re talking averages, you can run your pump for up to eight hours in winter and up to 12 hours in summer.
If you’re using a variable speed pump, you can take it a step further and run the pump on high speed for up to four hours to optimize the pool cleaning system and on low speed for up to nine hours to optimize filtration.
However, bear in mind that your saltwater chlorine generators and heaters may not work at low speeds. Ask your pool builder in Orange County for advice should this be the case.
Break Up Running Time
The pool water has to run through the pump once per day, but no one said that it had to be for consecutive hours. You can break the time up into chunks that suit you.
For example, you might choose to run the swimming pool pump for two hours in the morning and three hours in the evening.
Does the Time of Day Matter?
Yes and no. In summer, you should run the pump through the hottest times of the day to keep water circulating—so it doesn’t remain still and give algae a tiny gap to grow. In fact, in summer, you should probably run your pump through two cycles.
Running the pump during the day in summer also mitigates the effects of the sun’s UV rays on chlorine.
Winter running times are a bit different. In during this season, you should keep the pump running for 14 hours to 24 hours to keep the pump and filtration system from freezing. Using a pool cover in winter can go a long way toward helping your pump function, as it reduces the likelihood of freezing and reduces the pump’s running time.
It’s also important to run the pump after you’ve added pool chemicals so that they are properly dispersed throughout the pool. In some cases, such as when you use pool shock, you should run the pump at night.
Low-Peak and Non-Peak Hours
You can still save the bulk of time for low-peak or non-peak hours, which is when electricity costs the least per hour. This can result in significant cost savings that are immediately noticeable on your power bills. Contact your electric company to find out exactly what the non-peak utility hours are.
Most pool pumps come with programmable pool timers, so you just have to set the times you want the pool pump to run, and then you can forget about it and concentrate on other important aspects of your life.
Ensure Your Pool Pump is Running at its Finest with Calimingo Pools!
Keeping your pool pump well-maintained is essential to keep your pool clean. If you need advice about how to run your swimming pool pump to maximize efficiency and reduce energy costs.
Hire a reliable luxury pool builder in Orange County like our team. Email us at connect@calimingo.com or contact us at 714-235-3294 at Calimingo Pools today!