Is My Pump Schedule Wasting Money?

Hey y’all,

I live in Phoenix and have an inground pool (around 20-25k gallons) with no cover. Here’s my pump schedule:

1pm-5pm: 2200 RPM
5pm-3am: 1500 RPM
3am-1pm: 1000 RPM
I run it 7 days a week. Am I wasting money running it this much, or is this a good schedule?

Thanks!

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I simply run mine at the same speed every day. I have to run it really quickly to keep the SWG operating, but since it only costs me $30 a month, I’m not too concerned about it.

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In Phoenix as well; Between 6 AM and 7 PM, 30 GPM. around eight thousand square feet, which nearly triples the water’s rotation. When a pool cover is in place, the salt cell is set at 20%; when the cover is removed, it may be turned up to 80%, producing around 2.5 parts per million of chlorine. This weekend, the covered pool reached a temperature of 95 degrees. Based on the nighttime lows, I believe our swim season will run until at least Election Day, and maybe even into mid- to late-November.

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I also have my VS pump running throughout the clock. It’s 30k gallons, and I turn the water over almost three times a day, according to my GPM plan.

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I do Hayward VSP from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily at 74% speed; however, my pool is just 8,500 gallons.

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I run my pump at 1250 RPM all day, except for 45 minutes at 7:00 AM and 5:00 PM, when it runs at 1900 RPM. The higher speed is just to clean the surface by pulling water through the skimmer to remove dust. The rest of the time, it’s running to keep the chlorine generator working.

I really believe in running the pump with a purpose. The idea that you need full water turnover is a myth—it’s the sanitizer that keeps the water clean.

If you have a reason for using those higher speeds, that’s fine. With a variable speed pump, you can run it at lower speeds for very little cost. I suggest figuring out what you’re trying to achieve because every pool is different, and needs will vary.

Just my two cents.

1250 RPM is what my chlorine generator needs to function properly. Otherwise, I’d run it even lower. It still costs me less than $9 a month to run my pump.

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@AquaAdventurer Heating is one of the reasons I use the pump. My heat pump will not run if the flow is less than around 25 gpm.

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@CurrentCraze This makes sense. I have automation, so when the heat pump / chiller calls, the pump spins up to 1500RPM to meet the unit’s flow need, then spins back down.