How long should I run my new filter?

[G.Ritter78]

A few days ago I upgraded the filtration on my intex 15'x36" easy set pool to a sandpro 50. The sandpro is rated for pools up to 5x's the water volume that I have. Prior to the upgrade I could not keep the water clean, but now it's crystal clear. The question I have is should I continue to run the filter 24/7 or should I buy a timer and have it run off and in throughout the day?

[aylad]

You don't need to run it 24/7 unless you're trying to clear up a problem. You only really need to run it long enough to turn the volume of your pool over one time. I don't know what that number is, but I'm sure one of the equipment guys will be along shortly to answer...however, I would think that 6-8 hours a day should be plenty.

What size pump are you using?


Janet

[G.Ritter78]

I'm not sure what brand / model the pump is but it's rated at 2450gph.

[waste]

Welcome to The Forum!

As Jan said, the size of the pump (as well the piping details), will determine what a 'turnover' (filtering the 3 of gallons the pool holds) time is.

One turnover is usually sufficient for a home pool with few users. There are other issues that need to be considered like:

1) Weather - the hotter the weather and the stronger the sun, the more you would want to run the system. Also, if you live in a windy area and lots of stuff gets blown into the pool, you'd want to either run the system longer or think about getting a cover you could easily put on when the pool isn't in use.

2) Chlorine, or sanitizer - if you have an auto feed system, you'll want to run the pump more when the water is hot or lots of people are using the pool or when debris is constantly being introduced to the water.

3) Cloudy water - if your water is constantly cloudy, while maintaining sufficient chlorine, you'd want to up the run time. (though this is probably a result of something from #1 or 2)

As a loose rule of thumb: run the pump for 1 hour for every 10 degrees of max daytime temp per day. (this isn't the 'optimal' run time but, it's usually safe. You can always adjust the run time down by an hour/ day for a week and see how the water looks - and do further adjusting, if needed)

[Watermom]

As a loose rule of thumb: run the pump for 1 hour for every 10 degrees of max daytime temp per day. (this isn't the 'optimal' run time but, it's usually safe.

Ted, that's interesting. I'd never heard that rule of thumb before.

[waste]

Hi Lisa,

I think it began for pools with auto feeders, so you'd introduce enough chlorine to compensate for the heat and sun.

It's a safe place to start and can be adjusted up or down to meet the individual pool's needs.