Day or night filtration?

When is it better to run the pool pump during the day or at night?

Do you know when and why it is better to filter the water in your pool?

If you have a swimming pool, you have probably wondered when it is best to turn on the pump and filter the water, whether during the day or at night.

In this article we will answer this question, but we will also talk about why it is important to clean your pool water properly. It is just as important that the chlorine and pH levels are correct.

How to achieve optimal filtration?

If we want our pool to perform at its best, we need to ensure good filtration and an appropriate supply of disinfectant chemicals.

The problems of cloudy or dirty water and excess chemicals are often caused by not filtering the pool water enough hours. If we do not filter the water enough hours, we will have to use more chemical products than necessary and we will not obtain clean and crystalline water, but rather pestilent water due to having more solid particles in suspension that are decomposing in the pool. If we filter too much, we will be wasting energy, and the electricity bill will feel it.

The solution: 8 hours a day, and throughout the day

Every pool is different, and the decision on which pump to use, when and how to use it will depend on many conditions: the volume of the pool, the surface area and the hours it is exposed to the sun, whether it is affected by a lot of organic elements, etc.  In an ideal situation, we should use the pump for 8 hours a day in 3 different recirculations. But given the impossibility in many cases, as a general rule, the pump should be used at least 8 hours a day and during the day.

If you decide to filter at night and for 8 hours at a time, as soon as the sun comes out, the water temperature rises and you start bathing, the chlorine level will drop rapidly and when you filter again at night, it will be difficult to reach the ideal chlorine level. In addition, a low chlorine level can lead to algae growth, among other things.

It is therefore advisable not to filter at night, but to filter during daylight hours. During the day the water is more vulnerable, not only because of the sunlight, but also because of the high temperature, which favours the proliferation of algae, bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses. In addition, during the hours of sunlight, as the water moves, it is harder for the pool chemicals to evaporate.

Save energy and avoid wear and tear. The variable speed pump is the best option

In order to extend the life of the pump and avoid wear and tear, we must divide the hours of filtration into cycles of two hours of operation and one hour of stop, until the normal filtration cycle is completed. Having a variable speed pool pump not only helps to reduce the pool's electricity consumption, but also saves you time and effort, optimising all the elements of the installation to the maximum: backwashing, operation of the heat pump, use of the bottom cleaner, pool without bathers, wintering...

By reducing the speed at which the water passes through the filtration equipment, we improve the quality of the water. With cleaner, healthier water, we reduce the consumption of chemical products and the time, resources and effort required to carry out other treatments such as salt chlorination, ultraviolet, etc...

It should be borne in mind that for filtration pumps with more than 5 years of use, we should increase the filtration time by 10% from the fifth year onwards, to be on the safe side and to anticipate wear and tear on the turbine and shaft.

So, in summary, the ideal daily hours of filtration and use of the pool pump are:

- Number of times per day: 2

- Total number of hours: 8

- Recommended timetable: 4 hours in the morning and 4 hours in the afternoon.