Whether your Intex above-ground pool is brand new, or it’s something you’ve had the privilege of enjoying for a while, it is important to know how to maintain it properly. The biggest part of maintaining your pool is ensuring that the water always remains clean and safe, and this happens through filtering the water with a pump.
The length of time for which you should run your pool pump depends on several factors, including the volume of the pool, the flow rate of the pool pump, the pump’s speed type, how often the pool is used, as well as the weather and the shifting of the seasons. On average, 8 hours is usually sufficient.
It is possible to determine precisely how long to run your pool pump for, through a series of calculations, depending on the specifications of your pool. Other factors will have to be considered, however, including exposure to the sun, the amount of debris, and the number of swimmers making use of the pool.
How Long to Run an Intex Pool Pump?
Before determining the optimal time to run your pool pump, you will need to determine the volume of the pool, the flow rate of the pump, and the speed type of the pump.
The reason for this is the fact that the ultimate time for which your pool pump should run, is determined by the length of time taken for the full amount of water in the pool to be processed by the pump.
An average rule of thumb for how long it takes a pump to process all of the water in a pool is around 8 hours. This depends on numerous factors, including whether the correct type of pump is being used.
Pool Volume
The volume of the pool refers to the amount of water it is able to hold. To determine this, first measure the width, length, and depth of the pool. Multiply these numbers with each other, and multiply this result by 7.5. The resultant figure is your pool’s volume in gallons.
Pump Flow Rate
The flow rate determines how much water moves through your pump over a certain time period. This information can be found in the manual for the pump itself.
If you aren’t able to find it in the manual, you will be able to calculate it by dividing the pool’s volume by 8. The figure obtained will be your flow rate in gallons per hour.
Pump Speed Type
Depending on the speed type of your pump, (single-speed, dual-speed or variable-speed) you will be able to determine whether the pump is able to be run for a shorter time while achieving the same result.
Calculating Pump Run Time
After obtaining the above information, it is possible to determine the optimal length of time for which to run your pool pump. This is achieved by the following formula:
Pool volume (gallons)/ pump flow rate (gallons per hour) = pump run time (hours).
Bear in mind that this formula is strictly mathematical, and the length of time for which to run your pump is also affected by factors such as sun exposure, debris levels, and the number of swimmers.
Importance of Running Your Pool Pump
Ideally, the length of time for which your pool pump runs should allow all the water in your pool to be filtered through once.
This ensures that the chemicals in the pool are fully dispersed throughout the pool, allowing all the water to receive the necessary chemical treatment to remain clean.
Besides dispersing the chemicals throughout the entirety of the water in the pool, the pool pump is also responsible for filtering and removing debris from the water. This debris can come from people entering the pool, as well as from the external environment surrounding the pool.
Debris that need to be filtered out may include items such as skin residue, dust particles, sand, dirt, or insects. Leaves and hair are other debris that needs to be filtered and removed from a pool.
If the pool water is not sufficiently filtered, it can begin to stagnate. This may result in the growth of algae, which will result in the water turning green.
If you do not run your pool pump for extended periods of time, your pool may become impossible to swim in.
When Should I Run My Pool Pump?
There is much controversy regarding the best time of day to run your swimming pool. Many people prefer to keep costs down as far as possible when it comes to running a pool pump, as the electricity use can become expensive.
For this reason, it is advisable to run your pool pump during off-peak hours when electricity is at its cheapest. Certain electricity providers charge lower rates for electricity consumption during certain hours of the day, and so if this is the case, it may be helpful to you to make use of these hours in order to keep costs down.
These off-peak hours are usually at a time when the majority of people are asleep, therefore there is less need to make use of electricity.
Off-peak hours are usually at night, and there is some evidence that suggests that nighttime is not the best time to run your pump.
The reason for this is that during the day, the sun can cause chlorine depletion in the pool. If, however, the water is continuously filtering and moving throughout the day, the chlorine is less likely to be burnt by the sun.
If there are high levels of chlorine depletion in the pool, it is possible for algae to grow more quickly.
Another reason for the pool pump to be run during the day is that this is when the pool is predominantly being used.
When the pool is being used, debris is more likely to enter the pool. If the pump is running during this time, it is easier for the pump to filter the debris as they enter the system as opposed to after the fact.
Conclusion
If you are uncertain how long your pool pump should run, an average of 8 hours is a good rule of thumb to abide by.
If the pool is being used more often, then it is a good idea to allow it to run for a longer period of time.
