I have above ground pool does the pump need to run 24 hours a day?

Question

i have a above ground pool 24'radius 4' deep.(13,500 gallons) my p.h. is perfect but my chlorine usage is off the chart.ive shocked according to directions and placed chlorine tablets in skimmer.they should last 5-7 days but gone in one day. im wondering if im running pump too much?

Answer 1

We have a 24' pool.  We've got a 2 speed pump, and we run it on low 24 hours a day. All of the water in your pool needs to turn over and be filtered completely at least once or twice a day to prevent algae outbreaks and debris buildup, etc.  That means with the size of your pool you could probably get away with running it for 8-12 hours a day, depending on how many swimmers there are, how often you use it, etc.  Our chlorine levels were off the chart also!  Do you have a solar cover on it all the time?  If so, don't leave it on all the time!  The chlorine needs to be burned up by the sun and that'll get the levels down.  Just don't shock unless necessary (levels dropped, a lot of swimmers, a lot of rain or extended periods of sun, etc.)  And don't add chlorine for awhile.  Let the sun soak it up.

Don't you just love messing with chemicals and increasing, decreasing things? lol, pain in the butt!  But I hope you get it figured out! Hope this helps, good luck!

PS. if you have problems like this more often, take a sample of water to your local pool store, they'll test it for free and tell you exactly how much chemicals you need to add, or not add, if you have any problems.

Answer 2

No.  Running the pump for eight hours should be sufficient under normal conditions.  Your tablets would dissolve faster because the water is running through the skimmer constantly.  Don't add any more tablets until the chlorine level drops.

Answer 3

You are running your pump too much.

It is not a good idea to put tablets in the skimmer, use a floater instead.  Do you know what your pump gallons per minute flow rate is?  Take it and divide into your pool gallons.  This will give you the minutes to circulate your pool water once and is the rule of thumb for maintaining a pool.  Here in California we turn our water once per day.  Sometimes twice per day in the heat or with a lot of use is better.  Let your indication be how clear the water looks.

You're welcome!!