The Right Materials

Which Pump Is Right for Your pool?

27 July 2018 by Frank Lynch

Having a pool at your home offers great opportunities to relax and unwind after a busy day. Swimming in the pool with family and friends is a fantastic way to spend time together and to keep cool as temperatures rise. But maintaining a pool can take some thought and effort, and replacing a broken pool pump is often a challenge. Not too many pool owners are familiar with the intricacies of replacing pool pumps, and choosing the correct replacement model can sometimes be tricky. To correctly identify the right pump for your pool, you will need to consider the answers to at least three questions.

• How big is your pool?
• Do you want single, dual or variable speed?
• What physical characteristics matter to you?

How big is your pool?

The pump you buy should be able to completely circulate the water in your pool within eight hours. Therefore, you need to purchase a pump with a suitable flow rate per hour for your pool. If you don't know how to work out the size of your pool, you could look up a simple online calculator or ask your pump supplier for advice. Once you have determined the volume of water in your pool, you must divide the total number of gallons in your pool by eight (for the eight hours of water circulation). The resulting figure is in gallons per hour, but since pool pumps are more usually rated in gallons per minutes (GPM) you should divide the figure by 60 to arrive at the figure you need.

Single, dual or variable speed?

Single speed pool pumps are the most common, yet they are also the most inefficient since the pump continues to work at full speed even when the pool is not in use. They therefore use more power than you need and generally have higher maintenance costs than other types of pump. Dual and variable speed pumps can cost a little extra to purchase, but over time, the extra flexibility they offer will save you money. Variable speed pumps in particular provide the ability to adjust the pump precisely to your needs and ensure the pump does exactly what you want.

What physical characteristics matter to you?

Does it matter to you whether you purchase a plug-in pump or whether you buy something that must be hardwired into your electricity supply? You will need to consider carefully how your pump will actually be connected on your premises and buy a pump that suits your home layout. In a similar way, the location of your pump filter will be determined by whether your pool is in-ground or above-ground, so make sure you explain your home setup to your supplier of pool pumps so that they can help you choose the perfect pump for your home.

By thinking through the physical parameters of your pool and the way that you use the pool you will be able to search through the available pool pumps and choose the perfect one for your pool.

 

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