With all of the advice floating around on the internet on when is the best time to run your pool pump, it can get confusing on which advice is correct and which ones are just myths. Today we’re going through all of the situations on when you’ll need to run your pump so that by the end of this post, you’ll know exactly what’s the best time to run your pump.
Is it better to run your pool pump during the night?
TLDR: It’s best to run your pump at night when you’re shocking the pool.
A lot of people will say that the best time to run your pool pump is at night when you get discounts on energy consumption depending on your location and your power provider. We’re guilty of this also when recommending when to run your pool pump but we always say that this should be done in conjunction with shocking your pool.
The reasoning behind this is that when you add a lot of chlorine to your pool, you’ll want to maximize its sanitising power. Chlorine is easily destroyed by the sun’s UV rays and by shocking your pool at night, you’re maximizing your chlorine strength and you’re saving on power consumption as well.
It’s best to run your pool pump during the day
TLDR: If the sun is out, run your pump
The hotter the day, the more you should be running your pool pump. Algae, just like any other plant, needs sunlight to grow. 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! Add to that the organic load added to your pool by swimmers, you have the perfect recipe for an algae bloom! Is it really worth risking an algae bloom just to save a few dollars on your electricity bills right? You’ll end up spending more money on chemicals and time getting your pool back to shape if you get an algae bloom.
What other times should I run my pool pump at?
It’s also worth saying that every time you add or balance your pool chemicals, you should so run your pump for at least 8 hours or at least until all of the water has been circulated so that you’ll get all of the chemicals properly incorporated into your pool. To know more about the difference between running the pump vs running the filter, click here.
How do I save money on my pool pump then?
There’s only one way to save money on your electricity bills when it comes to pool pumps and that’s by getting a variable speed or ECO-friendly pool pump. The savings you’ll get from running your regular pool pump at off-hours is not really worth risking algae bloom for. With a variable speed pump, you can run your pump even at peak hours and with longer running hours, and still, save money at the same time! In fact, a variable speed pump will pay for itself within one to two years in energy savings alone!
Want more ways to save money on energy consumption in your pool? Invest in an ECO-Friendly pool!
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Happy swimming :)