Your daily run time is pool volume ÷ pump GPM ÷ 60, times the turnovers you want. One turnover a day suffices for most residential pools — enter your numbers below.
5.6 hours per day
60 GPM turns over 20,000 gallons once per day. Split it across two shorter cycles if you like — total hours are what matter.
Run the pump during daylight, when chlorine is being added or generated and the sun is driving demand. If your utility charges time-of-use rates, shift as much of the cycle as possible to off-peak hours to cut the bill without losing turnover.
This calculator gives you today's number. The app remembers your pool.
The app builds your circulation and dosing schedule around this run time. Poolably saves your pool's volume and history, builds the full treatment plan in the right order, and reminds you when to retest — free on iPhone.
Get Poolably freeA turnover is one full pass of your pool's water through the filter. Flow rate is measured in gallons per minute (GPM), so hours per turnover = gallons ÷ GPM ÷ 60. Multiply by how many turnovers you want per day. Most residential pools stay clear on one turnover a day; two is worth it only during heavy bather load, an algae recovery, or a heat wave that speeds chlorine loss.
If you do not know your pump's flow, the HP presets give typical single-speed estimates, but they are rough — actual flow depends on plumbing size and filter resistance, and a variable-speed pump moves far less water at a lower RPM. For an exact number, read the flow curve on your pump's data sheet. And you need your real volume first: the pool volume calculator works it out from your pool's dimensions.
A single-speed pump at full RPM is the most expensive way to hit your turnover. The pump affinity laws tie power draw to roughly the cube of speed, so a variable-speed pump running longer at a lower speed moves the same water for a small fraction of the energy. The filter cleaning guide covers the other side of the same coin: a dirty filter forces the pump to work harder for less flow.