Above Ground Pool Filtration Schedule
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The filtration schedule for an above ground pool is exactly the same as inground pools in the way that your filtration goal is to try to filter all of your pool water every day. Sounds easy enough however the reality is that your pool water does not line up neat and orderly waiting to be pumped and filtered. Due to diffusion of clean water back into the dirty, unfiltered water you will need to filter more than the entire volume of your pool in order to actually end up filtering all of it at least one time. The math behind the "turnover" of your pool volume is that one turnover of your pool volume will result in 63% of the water in your pool being filtered at least once. Two turnovers will net you 86% of the water in your pool being filtered at least once, three turnovers will result in 95% of the water being filtered and four turnovers will result in 98% of the water being filtered at least once.
The goal is to filter all of your water daily to remove any contaminants, bacteria and organic debris. For residential applications three turnovers (95%) is considered to be adequate for daily filtration. The goal of filtering all of your water every day is that every last bit of debris or contaminant in the water that is not filtered out will require chemical interaction to resolve. Chlorine will need to sanitize and oxidize contaminants within the pool water which then results in further corrections being needed to maintain total alkalinity and pH within tolerable ranges. In order to minimize the amount of chemicals you need to use in your pool it is important to filter your water properly, which means at least three turnovers of your pool volume through your filter every 24 hours.
In the following example we are going to look at a 30' round above ground pool and design a filtration schedule that will achieve at least three turnovers of the pool volume every 24 hours. It is important to understand that every pool is unique and the flow values and associated costs will be different for every pool. There are a lot of considerations in the dynamic equation of flow and resistance to flow in a closed loop plumbing system...this is just one example to show you how the calculations break down. To apply these values more accurately to your pool simply substitute your known pool volume in place of the values used here. For flow rates it is possible to calculate flow rates after measuring momentary total dynamic head resistance within your system, but the easier real world method is simply to install a flow meter and measure the actual flow within your system at any given time.
Pool size: 30' Round
Average depth: 4'
Pool volume: 21,195 gallons
Filtration goal: 63,585 gallons / 24 hours
Pump size: 1.5 HP (Pentair SuperFlo
Electrical supply: 120 Volts
Pipe size: 2" pipes
Total dynamic head: 25'
In summary this is a large above ground pool that has just about the largest 120 volt powered pump you can get in the 1.5 HP SuperFlo. The system is designed with efficiency in that it utilizes 2" pipe instead of 1.5" or even 1.25" pipe used on some above ground pools. This larger pipe is reflected in the TDH values which are fairly low at 25' which represents a filtration system where the pump and filter are located adjacent to the pool and is a fairly simple system as you would most typically find on an above ground pool.
Optimal settings for variable speed pumps - It used to be you would save money with a pool pump by turning it off for long periods of time every day. With variable speed pumps this is no longer effective as the long hours of low speed operation are really where all of your savings happen with these pumps. Instead of turning them off part of the day you should run your pump 24 hours per day with the bulk of those hours being a low RPM operation. This leaves only a handful of hours every day at medium speeds and high(er) speed operation. Most pools will need periods of filtration time at medium speeds for peripheral equipment like salt chlorinators or gas heaters to function, and periods of time at higher RPM for better water diffusion and circulation in the pool including the functioning of the skimmers in your pool which require enough flow to (slightly) vortex the entire pool. A few hours a high speed, a little longer ad medium speeds and then long periods of time at lower speeds equals optimal filtration as lowest possible electrical consumption (and cost) for your pool.
Filtration totals:
12 hours @ low speed (1200 RPM / 32 GPM) = 23,040 gallons
8 hours @ mid speed (1750 RPM / 45 GPM) = 21,600 gallons
4 hours @ high speed (2800 RPM / 78 GPM) = 18,720 gallons
Power consumption totals:
Low speed = 2112 Watts
Mid speed = 2984 Watts
High speed = 5200 Watts
24 hour total:
10,296 Watts (10.3 kW) consumed for 63,360 gallons of filtered water
The actual price that you pay for your electricity will determine how much you pay monthly to run your pump. The kilowatt power consumption is the number you need to know in order to calculate your exact costs as you pay for power by the kilowatt hour (kWh) and the nationwide average is 13.3 cents per kWh of power consumption. Some areas have peak and off peak power rates which tech to range from just under 10 cents per kWh up to 30 cents per kWh or more. If you use the average cost multiplier this will actually be quite close to your real costs even for variable electrical rate areas, just be sure to remember one important thing...whenever your electrical rates are cheapest is when you should have the pump running at higher speeds. Higher speeds use a disproportionate amount of power so only use high speeds when your power is cheapest!
Total cost for 24 hours: $1.34
Monthly cost: $40.20(based on 30 days operation)
Yearly cost: $482.40 (based on 12 months operation)
To apply this information about filtration schedules to your above ground pool simply start by calculating the total volume of your swimming pool and then multiply that by three to get your 24 hour filtration goal. You want at least 12 hours of time at low RPM, if not more, and only a handful of hours at high speed. I usually aim to have mid speeds operate approximately twice as long as the high speed operation. If you have a flow meter then you would use it to determine what a suitable low RPM is for your system, as every pool system is unique. If you follow these steps you will have optimal filtration for your pool at minimal cost.
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Swimming Pool Steve is an award winning, second generation swimming pool and spa specialist from Ontario Canada. With over 10,000,000 views on the Swimming Pool Steve YouTube Channel, winner of the 2018 Pool & Spa Industry Leadership award and author of hundreds of pool and spa articles both online and in print Steve is committed to helping pool and spa owners as well as pool and spa industry workers learn more about the technical side of building, renovating, repairing and maintaining all types of swimming pools and spas. Follow Swimming Pool Steve on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
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