The pool pump is a common part of the swimming pool and has to be in good condition for it to work as intended.
In most cases, you are not going to think a lot about how the pool pump works and it will add value to your setup as soon as it is in place.
However, what happens with the pool pump in the winter?
How long should a pool pump run in winter?
A pool pump should run for approximately five hours during the day in the winter. Anything more than this is unnecessary as the water does not need to be circulated as much when it’s colder. It’s recommended to make adjustments up or down based on the pool size. A larger pool might require more pumping.
If you remain close to the five-hour mark, you are going to be good when using the pool pump in the winter months.
Remember that the swimming pool is not going to require the same amount of pumping in the winter as it would in the summer.
Be patient and personalize how the pool pump works in the winter based on its size and overall layout.
This guide will explain more about what you want to do when running a pool pump in the winter.
Table of Contents
Tips On Running A Pool Pump In The Winter
1. Target Shorter Run Times
Running a pool pump when it is cold means understanding how the water is going to behave when the temperature drops.
When the temperature is low, the water does not have to circulate as much.
This makes it easier to pump.
You are going to want to target shorter run times for the pool pump as anything more will be a waste of energy. It is not going to add value to the swimming pool and it is only going to increase your costs unnecessarily.
Your best bet will be to target shorter times and make sure you are going in a worthwhile direction.
This includes getting the pool pump to keep the water fresh.
The shorter run times for the pool pump will be more than enough to get the job done.
2. Look At Running In 5-Hour Bursts
You are now going to want to think about the exact time that will be spent with the pool pump on in the winter.
For the most part, you want to stay close to the five-hour mark in the winter.
This means you are going to be targeting five hours during the day when the pool pump is going to run. This is all you are going to need to keep the water circulating in the pool due to the temperature drop.
As long as you are doing this, you are going to keep the swimming pool water in good shape.
3. Account For The Pool’s Size
A lot of people worry about using a cookie-cutter solution for how their pool pump works in the winter.
This is not a good idea.
You have to make sure you are taking the time to account for the pool’s size. If you are not taking the time to do this, how are you going to know if the pool pump is functioning properly?
You won’t.
The goal is to account for the pool’s size. The larger a pool is, the longer you are going to want to run the pool pump in the winter.
However, this still means you are going to stay close to the 5-6 hour mark.
A smaller pool might get away with 4 hours.
4. Test The pH Level Constantly
How will you know if the pool pump is running the right way in the winter?
This is a good question to ask and it is something you are going to want to dive into as a pool owner.
For the most part, you will want to run a pH test from time to time in the winter. This is going to let you know more about the pool chemistry as it would be off if the pool pump is not circulating water as well as it should.
Final Thoughts
How long should the pool pump run in winter?
You should run the pool pump for approximately five hours in the winter. Anything more than this is unnecessary. It’s best to adjust up or down based on the size of the pool. A larger pool should see the pool pump run for at least five hours with something going up to six hours. A smaller pool can get away with four hours of runtime.
It simply comes down to the layout and dimensions of the swimming pool in your setup.
Be ready to make adjustments when setting up the pool pump and getting it to work the right way.
