How To Size A Pool Pump

We need a pool pump that would be adequate to our size of the pool and selecting same would need a little prudent thinking because if we employ a larger pump we would use more energy and on the contrary a smaller pump would overload.

A pool pump would need to operate over a period of about eight hours and during that time it should be able to clean the pool at optimum level and ensure that it is clean and healthy for use at the minimum cost.

The quantum of water in our pool (gallons) divided by eight (08) hours would give the amount of water to be pumped for cleaning in an hour, dividing that by sixty (60) would provide Gallons Per Minute (GPM).

Then add the lengths of all suction lines from the pool divided by the quantity of same, if three (03) divide by three (03), to obtain the average length of the suction lines.

Once you have this information, you could size your pool pump as per the requirement but would need to ensure that it is compatible with the filtration system as both need to work for hand in glove to optimize pumping and filtration.

Above Ground Pool Pump

These swimming pools are installed above ground level, and pool pumps used for such pools have an extra-large filter basket that would collect all types of debris passing through it when the water in the pool is pumped for filtration.

These pool pumps have very high capacity motors that would be compatible with the quantum of water in the pool to allow for efficient pumping of the water through the filtration process.

The above ground pool pumps would have inbuilt overload protector technology to ensure that the pump does not overheat and go bust when the filtration process slows down due to more debris flowing through it.

The overload protector technology and the safety features entail this type of pump to be referred to the Best Pool Pump and are used extensively.

The water should flow unhindered through the whole process, that is through the pool pump as well as the complete filtration process and only when it does so would we enjoy a clean and healthy pool at the end of the operation.

In Ground Pool Pump

Uses more energy than the above ground pool pumps and have been the traditional pools for a very long time until the above ground pools came into being over the last few decades.

Though operational costs may be higher than the former, these are a cheaper option and has been for quite some years since swimming pools became a very popular form of exercise and relaxation.

Single Speed Pool Pump

These pool pumps have no controlling possibilities for operating speeds and would run at a constant rate which would be around 3,450 revolutions per minute (rpm).

These are the traditional pool pumps and are very noisy as they use electromagnetic induction and employ Alternating Current (AC) and are expensive to operate as they consume much energy hence we would be saddled by high electricity costs.

Dual Speed Pool Pump

This type of pool pump is one step ahead of the single speed pool pump and has a top speed similar to the single rate which is around the same at about 3,450 rpm.

It would also have a lower speed which would be around 1,725 rpm and could be set at either of the speeds as required and these pool pumps use a frequency inverter or toggle switch to achieve this choice of speed.

Operating at the lower speed would save energy and cost of operation which would be ideal for running it in normal conditions of filtration but would need to step up to the higher option for cleaning purposes.

Hence there would be a choice which could be employed to save some costs instead of running the pool pump at optimum all through the filtration process.

Variable Speed Pool Pump

Huge savings on energy costs due to the ability to run it at Variable Speeds at any time during the day or night as the need may be which would allow cleaning of the pool longer but utilizing less energy.

It could also be operated at high speeds to do a quick clean up when required so the options are quite wide for any pool owner and gives the liberty of utilizing the time factor too.

Whatever it may be the pool pump would need to be compatible with the filtration system as they both need to work for the hand in glove to bring efficiency to the fore to optimum levels.

Some of these pool pumps could have up to eight (08) variable speeds which would enable operations at Variable Speeds to meet the requirements at hand and ensure high efficiency and savings on energy costs.

There is one catch in the Variable Speed pool pumps and that is they all need a 230 Volts electricity supply which if you don’t have would require some additional costs to be incurred.