Is Your Pump Big Enough For Your Pool?

One of the many things you need to consider when installing a new swimming pool in your home is what sized pump is appropriate. You first instinct may be to buy the biggest one available, but in this case bigger is not necessarily better. In fact, bigger could result in unnecessary increase in the pool’s operating costs... Read More

The general rule of thumb to follow with a pool pump is to find one that is able to circulate all of the water within an 8 hour period. This means looking at the capacity of your in-ground swimming pool to determine the right size pump. You should always make sure the pump is manufactured to a high quality and it only uses the best parts. For example, bad pumps have pipes that spring leaks at any joints, losing efficientcy. Your pump shold have high quality HDPE pipes that has been made by butt fusion Canada Experts to ensure no leaks. You should definitely do your research before buying a pump.

Determining the Number of Gallons of Water Your Swimming Pool can Hold

If your pool is rectangular in shape, the formula for calculating the number of gallons is fairly easy:

• Length X Width X Depth X 7.5

If you have an in-ground pool with a shallow and deep end, you will take the average of the two most extreme points. For example, if your shallow end is 4 feet deep and the deep end 8 feet, the formula would be:

• 4 + 8 / 2 or 6

For those with a circular pool, you would first need to measure the diameter. This is the length of the pool from one point to its opposite side. The depth is then determined in the same way you would for a rectangular pool, by calculating the average of the extremes. The formula then used to figure out the number of gallons for a round pool would be:

• Diameter X Diameter X Depth X 5.9

If your pool is oval shaped, you would use the longest and shortest diameter multiplied by the average depth and then 5.9. For a kidney shaped pool, the length is constant but you will have two extremes in width. Add those two together to complete the formula:

• Length X Width (width 1+ width 2) X Depth X 3.38

What Size Pump?

Ideally, your pump should be filtering all of the water in the pool in an 8 hour time period. So the next step after determining how many gallons the pool holds is to figure out how much water needs to be filtered per hour in order to accomplish this task within that time frame. This formula is simple, simply divide the number of gallons your swimming pool holds by 8.

That numeric result is the number of gallons of water you need to pump per hour. Since most pool pumps are sold in GPM – gallons per minute – divide that last number by 60 to achieve your final result. Using a 10,000 gallon pool as an example, you would first divide 10,000 by 8 to get the GPH – 1,250. You will then divide by 60 for the GPM – 20.83. So you need a pump that is able to circulate around 21 gallons per minute in order to meet the needs of your swimming pool.

Determining Feet of Head

The last step would be to determine the feet of head. This refers to the suction lines in relation to the placement of your pump. Add together the number of feet from each skimmer or drain and then divide by the number of total lines to get your average feet of head. Using this information combined with the GPM, you can compare the specifications of various pumps to find the one that best matches your needs.

Other factors could affect the size of the pump you need, such as water elements or heating devices. The pool pump is vital to keeping a clean pool, if you are having trouble figuring out the best one for your circumstance, ask a professional to help you with the calculations.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR POOL OR IN NEED OF SERVICE GIVE US A CALL AT 623-939-1346. YOU CAN ALSO COME VISIT US AT OUR RETAIL STORE AND ONE OF OUR POOL CARE PROFESSIONALS WILL BE HAPPY TO HELP!

ENJOY YOUR POOL, AND LET US HELP YOU ALWAYS KEEP IT CLEAR AND SWIM READY!

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