How Long Should My Pool Pump Run Each Day?

Did you know that your swimming pool pump is guilty of a large chunk of your monthly energy bill? Of course, with the cost of living spiralling in South Africa, we all want to do our part to reduce the drain on our energy grid as well as save ourselves a few Rands at the same time.

Which begs the question, “How long should my pump run each day?”

How Long Should My Pump Run Each Day?

While this does depend largely on the size of your pool and the size of your pump, you should work on the premise that all the water in your pool should be circulated through the cleaning system at least once every 24 hours. 

A stronger pump may only take 6 hours to circulate the water, a slower one may take 10 hours. Generally speaking, if you have the right pump size for your pool size, then you’ll be running it around 8 hours per day.

If you need to know more about these numbers, then please feel free to call one of the Pool Spa staff who will happily do the calculations for you.

Steps to Reducing Your Energy Bill

Once you know how long your pump should be running then you want to make sure that you’re sticking to this. 

Get a pump timer

Most pumps come with a timer, but if yours doesn’t then it’s well worth the investment. It’s a set and forget situation which allows you to keep your pool clean as well as save money on pump run time.

Keep it clean

Regularly skimming out debris before it sinks to the bottom of the pool or gets flushed into the weir takes some of the load off your pool pump. It also means that your filter system doesn’t have to work quite as hard, and will, therefore, be more efficient as it won’t get clogged up as often.

Reduce Pump Time During the Off-Season

Don’t be afraid to experiment with the run time of your pump. During the summer your pool will see a lot of action, which means more dirt, debris, oils etc, which also means that your pool pump will need to work a little longer. During winter, however, this can be scaled back. Try reducing the run time by an hour and see how your pool responds. If all is well, reduce it by another hour until you know that you’re spending only what you need to on pool pump energy.

If you are still unsure how long your pump should run each day, please give Pool Spa a call. We have all the information, products and great service that you need to keep your pool sparkling, and your energy bills low.