Can I Turn Off My Pool Pump?

Between water bills and utility costs, pools can be expensive to maintain. That is why many people look into shutting down their pool pumps for set times—to save on electricity. While the ideal pool pump run time length in Tucson, AZ is every day, every hour and forever, that is often not practical. Here is what you need to know about your pool pump so it can create optimal circulation without producing ridiculous utility bills in the process.

The pool pump and its job

The reason your pool is clear and beautiful and not a disgusting swamp is due to the pool pump. When water moves, it stays clear and does not become the ideal environment for algae. Think of a babbling brook versus a farm pond—the brook is clear and crisp due to movement, unlike the farm pond.

Pumps pull the water in and push it out through a filter. This catches debris that would otherwise diminish the sparkling presentation of the ideal pool. To accomplish this fully, the pump must run all the water through this cycle. That is called a turnover rate.

The turnover rate depends on the volume of your pool. You take that number and divide it by eight to determine the number of gallons per hour needing to be pumped. However, you may not have to do the math yourself—your pool professional likely determined this when you installed the pump. In most cases, the typical turnover rate is eight hours.

Running the pump efficiently

While your pump may need eight hours for its turnover rate, you do not have to run it consecutively for eight hours to enjoy the benefits. One way you can reduce expenses is to look at your electric bill and determine non-peak hours. These are the hours when your utility company charges less for electricity. It may be when people are less likely to crank their air conditioners, so they may not start until late afternoon or early evening. Once you determine non-peak hours, you can invest in a pool timer to turn the pump on and off during those times.

The other approach is to run the pump for eight hours at night. Not only does this work well for operating within non-peak hours, but many pool chemicals, including pool shock, must sit overnight. It is necessary to run your pump after adding chemicals anyway, so you can make it a nighttime routine where you treat the water and run the pump. There is no reason the pump needs to be running during the day just because people are swimming; it will be clean for use even if you wait to run it until night.

You can also break up the time. Two hours in the middle of the day may produce clearer water, and then you can run it again for the last six at night.

These tips also depend on finding the right pool pump. If you want to reduce pool pump run time length in Tucson, AZ, keep your water clean and save money, Arizona Pool & Pond Company can help. We offer remodeling and renovation services to give you a clear and beautiful pool. Contact us today to learn more.

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