I run mine about 8 hours a day in the summer. I split it up into a 5 hour block during the heat of day so my heat pump works at peak efficiency and then a 3 hour block in the evening when I am home and most likely to use the pool during the week. This allows my water to turn over a couple of times and gives my SWG plenty of time to maintain my chlorine levels. In the winter I run it long enough to keep the pool at temperature and adjust the SWG accordingly to keep the chlorine levels correct. Keeping the solar cover on the pool it is usually about 6 hours a day, once again split into two blocks.