Printable View
I was told by the pool guys that I should run the pumps during the hottest time of the day.
I was reading in another post that electricity service is cheaper at night so that is why they run the pumps at night.
18' round , 54" high , DE filter , 1 speed 1HP pump
I live in TX so you know it is hot down here.
I will be switching to the 3 B's this year as soon as I finish using my old stuff from last year.
Stephen
Ive always preferred to run my pump during the day. I havent proven it helps any, but my pool has sun on it from 7am to about 5pm, so Id rather keep everything circulating during the really hot/sunny times to avoid the water growing stuff because its stagnant.
I dont start right at 7am, and I let the pump run until a little into the evening hours, because its better to add chlorine when its not sunny out so I do that after the sun goes down and then the pump runs for a couple hours to circulate the new chlorine.
-Chris
I run my pool (6600 gal fibeglass) for about 5 hours during the late moring and early afternonn, then my 300 gal spa for about 3 hours, and the pool again in the evening after the spa for 3 hours. This allows my heatpump to heat the pool and spa and my swg time to maintain mu chlorine levels.
I run my FG pool (6000 gals) about 4 hours a day, 1am to 5 am. I have been told to run it JUST enough to circulate the total gallons thru your filter. Have not touched my pool since early November, and it is still crystal clear. No cover, in-line puck chlorinator.
If I had a dollar for every time I heard this....I'd have a lot of dollars!!Quote:
Originally Posted by slowtan
Only some utilities give you reduced rates for off-peak usage. If your wattmeter on your house doesn't have a time clock on it, the power company has no idea of when you are using power.
Michael
That is true, but they (at least here in NJ) will gladly install a time-of-day meter for you at no cost. You can see how it works, and if you don't like it you can switch back to regular service for no charge. Once you switch back you can not make a change for 365 days.Quote:
Originally Posted by mwsmith2
As far as circulating during the day or at night, I have done it exclusively at night for 8 years and have never had anything grow in my pool.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kaybinster
I have been switching light company's alot lately because of the difference in rates but I will call them and ask about time of day meter.
I'm mildly surprised no one has suggested running more than once a day. If you feel your system needs to run 6 hours each day, why not split that into three 2-hour sessions.
That's what has always made sense to me.:) :)
Dave S.
Most Time of day rates penalize you if you use power duirng the power companies peak times. Since pools are used during the hot seasons just like your a/c is, the money you save by running your pool pump at night or other off-peak times might be negated by your a/c. The power companies carrot for theTOD rate is cheap power at off peak times but much higher rate for what you use during their on-peak times.
Before you switch your rate from a GA rate to a TOD rate, make sure your power usage does not peak at the same time the power companies does. If it does then you are better off with the GA (general or standard) rate.
To use a TOD rate you have to make sure your usage will be at the lowest when the power companies is at their highest. Thats hard to do in residence with folks home during the day unless they are willing to cut the a/c off between 8AM and 6PM. These are the peak times in my area during the summer.
Its not as hard as you might think. Remember weekends are all offpeak. If you are home during the day you are right it may be hard. But if you are at work it should be very easy. You have to do the math, every situation is different.
I didin my first post!;) I run my pool for 5 hours starting late morning, then run my spa, then my pool again for 3 hours in the evening!;);)Quote:
Originally Posted by duraleigh
I always have two sets of on/off stops on my timer. I run the pool during the day, because I want my solar panels to work--I run the pump low speed.Quote:
Originally Posted by waterbear
And I run it again at night, so if I've added post-sunlight chlorine it will be circulated.
After reading this post, I had to ask this question....Our new pool was finished in Feb. and we are running the pump 24/7. Our SWG only runs when our pump runs. My husband said all the pools he has been around (including the one he grew up in) ran the pump all the time. I asked our pool guy and he said yeah, most run 24/7. Any thoughts on this??? Oh, we got our first elec. bill since installing pool and not that much more.
THANKS.
Running the pump 24/7 is really not necessary and a waste of energy. All you really want to do is turn the water over twice each day, and you will be fine. I'm running mine 5 hrs a day right now, with no problems. I'm anticipating moving that up as the water continues to warm.
85 degrees in the pool yesterday. :D
Michael
I live in Louisiana, and it's already mid-90's here during the day. I run my pump during the daytime for now while the water temp is still in the low 80's, but when it gets to high 80's-90's, I run my pump at night--it seems to help cool the water.
Janet
I finally realized that THE most effective way to heat my pool is to circulate the water when the sun is shining on it. That's also when the wind blows. The pool stays clean all night, but during the afternoon, stuff is constantly blowing into the pool and it's better to collect it immediately than let it sit around and start decomposing. So unless the grid is struggling to provide enough power during peak hours, I circulate mid-day.
I run mine 24/7 and my light bill is more in the summer than the winter. My pool guy said it is best to run it all the time. Of course, he told me Baquacil was best for me if I wanted to work on my pool less and enjoy it more... If you have to turn your water over 2x a day, how do you determine how many hours it takes to turn it over? I will save a lot of $$$ this year by using bleach over Baquacil, and I would love to save on my light bill.