Saltwater pool filter system?

Question

I just bought one from intex we have set it up and put the salt in the water...how long do I need to have the pump on for,

also I am getting a solar heater how long should I keep the pump on for that?

Answer 1

All pool pumps sold with kits are sized to turn over the pool water 1.5 times in a 24 period. That means that every drop of water goes through your filter and salt system 1.5 times in a day. A soon as you start reducing the run time on your pump, that number goes down. When you get to less than 1 times per day, your chemical costs start to climb to off set the reduced filtration. In your case with a salt generator, there's minimal cost there but bear in mind that your salt generator only sanitizes the pool when the pump is running. If you run the pump 8 hours per day, you reduce the filtration AND sanitation to less than that magic 1.0. The result  is a green pool if this pool sees much of a bather load (swimmers) unless you start adding other sanitizers such as granular shock or chlorine pucks and depending on the amount of organics getting into the pool, even that may not keep it clear because your filtration is below ideal. The minimal amount of time you ought to be running it is 18 hours per day. That way all of your water gets treated and filtered at least once. Those Intex pumps are low current draw and don't have a huge impact on your electrical billl, like a 1.5 hp in ground would. Hate to break it to you, but that's the secret to keep a clear, healthy pool. Filtration, sanitation and water balance. Miss one of these and you can have an issue. Miss two and you will have an issue down the road.

As for your solar, ( if this is a proper solar heater and not just a blanket), same thing goes here. You'll only get heat when the pump is on and the solar collector is warmer than the pool water. Most decent solar heaters have sensors and an automatic control valve that will only send water to the panels IF they are warmer than the pool water. To do otherwise would actually cool your pool, not heat it, as the pool heat radiates out of the cooler panels. So..if you want heat..that pump needs to be on during the day. Set your timer accordingly.

Like most things in life. You gotta pay to play. It can cost a lot more than a few dollars saved on electrical, to fix a green or cloudy pool.

Answer 2

The salt should dissolve in 2-3 hours but could be accelerated by Turning the pump on to circulate the water.  Leave the chlorine generator off if your can since the salinity it needs to make chlorine needs to come from well mixed water.  Follow your instructions.

Solar Heating typically uses your circulation pump to push pool water through the array.  They typically have a thermo switch to maintain the water temp.  If you want to use a lot of chemicals and evaporate a lot of water set this above 85*

Also note you can cool your pool down by running your pump/array at night.  Doing so turns the collector into a radiator.

Answer 3

pump they recommend should run for 8 hours daily, personally i only liek to run it for 4-6. definitly no more than 8 becuase that will send u a little surprise on ur electric bill.

idk about the solar heater...sry