How long to run pump?

OK, need the experts here. I am relatively new to pool operations. We have a 2 speed pump. For the first few weeks, I ran it 24/7 on high. Then we got the electricity bill :eek: . So now I am running it on low 24/7, only turning it on high when I add chemicals or am running the Polaris (and that requires the booster pump too). I know some of you actually turn off the pump for some of each day. I'm trying to figure out what I NEED to do. Did I read somewhere that the goal was to "turn over" your water a certain number of times in a day? And if so, how do I figure out how many times a day my pump turns over my water, on low and on high?

I really don't like to turn the pump off at all; it just seems like I'm asking for trouble just letting the water sit there.

Since no one has posted, here's my two cents: After reading the forum, I decided to run my pump on a 6 hour on/off cycle. I do that unless I shock than I run it all day and then start my on/off cycle again. I haven't had any problems. I only have a no frills single speed pump. Don't know how a 2 speed may be affected by on/off cycling, but that's what I do with my single speed pump

les, same with me thanks to guidance from this forum (with a single speed pump as well) i used to do one cycle of 10-12 hours. my pool seems to be cleaner and clearer using 2 -6 hour cycles. i do mine at 9am to 3pm, 8pm to 2am.

I run mine from 6 to noon and 6 to midnight. I try not to run it in the max heat of the day. We get shade finally at about 7:30/8:00 PM. I use this timer:
http://www.intermatic.com/?action=prod&pid=214
This really seems to work good and I can use the timer at Christmas for my christmas lights.

Based on info I got here I run my pump in two 2 1/2 hour periods -- have been doing this for months and the water is crystal clear.

It all depends on the size of your pump and the pool -- I have a huge one (2 1/2 hp) and so it will turn the water over even in our large IG pool very quickly. If you know the GPM of your pump and the size of your pool you can figure this out yourself.

Any other comments regarding total pump run time? I am, too, a brandy-new pool owner. Reading this forum for hours has been awesome - I appreciate everyone's time out there for posting good, honest, information.

From some of these posts, I realized my builder oversized my pump. It's 1.5 HP and figuring feet of head (thanks for all those posts on f-o-h), it does about 55 GPM. My fiberglass pool's only 13000 gallons, so it turn's over in just about 4 hours. We have minimal pool use right now - yard still under construction - so I figure I only need 1 complete turn a day. But, I feel somewhat uneasy about running only 4 hours and letting the water sit still for 20 hours.

Should I ignore the turnover calculation and run the pump a minimum amount of hours per day for circulation purposes?

Water chemistry is fine right now, but I've been running the pump 10 hours a day and want to reduce. Thanks again for all the posts on water chemistry - this is one area I understand very well thanks to everyone on BBB.

Skillset,

Ten hours sounds like a waste of electricity. Four to six hours sounds like your goal.